Oakland Voices

This Hey Area question comes from three members of the East Oakland Collective, a group working for positive change in deep East Oakland. They wanted to know: What is the impact of the history of the Black Panthers in East Oakland?

Oakland’s food scene has been blowing up the past few years, with an increase in new, delicious restaurants. Diane Rodriguez asked Hey Area, “Where are the good places to eat in East Oakland?” 

East Oakland residents have lived with violence for a long time. Studies show exposure can impact mental health. A listener asked our Hey Area project what kind of volunteer work are East Oakland residents involved with. 

One organization is helping black women with their mental health

Every time you pass through East Oakland and head towards downtown, you cross over Sausal Creek. But chances are you haven’t seen it because it’s been largely fenced off, paved over, or piped underground But starting at Dimond Park you can follow Sausal Creek undisturbed all the way up to Highway 13. 

Jobs in tech are growing in Oakland, but will Oakland residents be able to compete for these jobs in their own backyards, particularly in East Oakland, where the unemployment rate is about 8%?

Studies have shown that proper nutrition can help improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs. However, starting healthy eating habits can be challenging for any new family, and for low-income families in the East Oakland flatlands, which has long been considered a food desert, that challenge is even harder to overcome. Through our crowd-sourced journalism project, Hey Area, one listener asked, "Where is the best place in East Oakland to buy fresh produce with WIC vouchers?"

The sideshow is a car culture movement, born in Oakland, where people build up and engineer their cars and sound systems, then go out to display their work in the streets and parking lots. This sometimes includes a car performance aspect, showing off tricks like doing donuts, or dipping.