InBerkeley

Blackout in South Berkeley

September 3rd, 2009

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Power blackout in parts of South Berkeley tonight.

Reports of a blackout affecting parts of the South Berkeley and downtown areas are filtering in from the Twitterstream. alitheiaKu is experiencing the outage in downtown Berkeley. According to thisgirlelle, power is out where she is on Channing Way, while Matt3Boii reports are that at least half of the UC Berkeley campus has been affected. ptraughber tells us that Warring St. by the Clark Kerr campus is dark, too, and says he can see the outage extends up into the hill, to campus, and a couple of blocks south.

Berkeley Police Department reports the outage is in the area of Telegraph Ave. and Durant, extending all the way to the border with Oakland at Alcatraz. The cause is a blown transformer, and power is expected to be restored in a couple of hours. No report of crime or any other unusual activities in the area except for some folks who seem to be taking advantage of the dark to light off some fireworks.

If you are affected by the blackout, tell us where you’re located so we can gauge the full extent of the outage.

UPDATE: More reports from the Twitterstream. sitek reports “manhole blown out of its place at Bancroft and Dana, most of Southside out of power.” kwen says she “Heard people yelling “OBAMAAA” and setting off fireworks.”

Downtown, Emergencies, South Berkeley

Individual World Poetry Slam coming to Berkeley in October

August 29th, 2009

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Poetry Slam What do you get when you combine poetry with storytelling, comedy, dramatic monologue, battle rap, song and dance? You have a new art form called Performance Poetry!

What happens when these new performers compete, judged by members of the audience? You get a Poetry Slam.

And what elite final event remains after thousands of poets from across the globe compete for a year? You get the Individual World Poetry Slam 2009.

Seventy-two poets from around the world will converge on Berkeley in October to compete in this event. Preliminary competition, daytime workshops, themed open mics and late-night events will be held October 8 and 9 in South Berkeley at the Starry Plough, La Pena Cultural Center and the Long Haul. Finals will start at 8:00 p.m. on October 10 at Wheeler Auditorium on the UC Berkeley campus. Click here and here for the full schedule of events.

Tickets must be purchased in advance for preliminary and semifinal bouts, late-night events and the final competition. Other events are free. Tickets go on sale September 10. Discounts are available for group ticket sales to schools and youth groups.

Visit the Individual World Poetry Slam web site for more information.

Arts, Events, South Berkeley, UC Berkeley

Exhausted by life in South Berkeley

July 27th, 2009

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In case you missed it at the weekend, here is Christopher Cherney in the San Francisco Chronicle on why he’s tired of living in South Berkeley:

After 12 years, I am tired of living in South Berkeley.

I am tired of the incessant noise: blaring car stereos, loud parties, people yelling at each other as they walk down the street.

But right now I’m physically and psychologically tired of the place. I’m worn out by the sensory assaults. I’m tired of South Berkeley.

Intellectually, I realize that there are long-term solutions to the mayhem, the dysfunction, the disregard for neighbor. Emotionally, I’m connected to all the good people who live in the neighborhood. Spiritually, I have compassion for the scofflaws, and I am hopeful that my neighborhood can in time be transformed into a livable, walkable, litter-free oasis.

I am tired of the reckless drivers. About once a month, a vehicle speeds right through multiple stop signs. Last month it was three teens speeding and swerving in a stolen Ryder truck. I’m worried sick that a reckless vehicle will strike a neighborhood kid playing on the sidewalk.

I am tired of the trash. Some neighborhood corners have become de facto dumps. About every fifth day, these corners sprout new collections of clothing, beauty supplies, couches and stinky trash bags. San Pablo Avenue between Alcatraz and Ashby is so full of broken glass and rotting food bags that it’s unsafe to walk a dog there.

I am tired of kids openly smoking marijuana on the sidewalk, in front of their houses, at the corner park.

I am tired of the late-night, outdoor parties that run until 2 a.m., when, awakened by drunken howls, I routinely call the Berkeley police to report excessive noise. Wonderfully, the police always respond within about a half hour, and the parties close up or take it inside. I’m tired of, and a little sad about, having to anonymously report my inconsiderate neighbors.

I am tired of the sad-looking teenage prostitutes who sit at bus stops, morning and night, waiting for their next customer.

I am tired of the profanity. Every day, without fail, I hear the worst of the worst street language. It’s depressing as it is incessant.

I am tired of the gunshots. Three months ago, while I sat on the couch reading The Chronicle at 7:30 p.m., I heard several shots precisely 60 strides from my front door. The police responded immediately and found shell casings. Nineteen times out of 20, though, there is no evidence, no suspects. And so the neighbors talk and cower just that much more in the face of the encroaching mayhem and dysfunction.

My city councilman and his staff couldn’t be nicer or more responsive to the neighborhood’s concerns. The Berkeley city staff members are true professionals. They organize community meetings and genuinely want to help the neighborhood improve. The Berkeley police are amazingly responsive. They’re fast, consistently demonstrate their caring and are articulate when they talk to neighbors about how to lessen crime.

But, alas, good intentions alone cannot overnight neutralize the small clutch of loud, uncaring, foulmouthed neighbors who run stop signs, throw trash from their moving vehicles and use guns to try to solve their problems.

Crime, South Berkeley Berkeley crime, South Berkeley