 Feet on the Street. Back row: Sharon Lawless, Ron San Miguel, Philp Duke, Al Ford; front row: Sun Cha Kar Hai, Denise Bodie, Bobbie Bond (Chair of NCPC Beat 25X), Shirley Ford, Elizabeth Callaway, and Ada Chan. Photo courtesy Bobbie Bond. |
During the current City of Oakland budget crisis citizens are asked to step up and help create a safe place for themselves and their neighbors. About four years ago I started a Feet on the Street in West Oakland. As Chair of the Laurel/Redwood Heights Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), I have heard complaints about kids and adults loitering on MacArthur Blvd. in the Laurel District. So I started a second walking group called Feet on the Street 2. We meet on Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the Laurel ACE Hardware store parking lot at 4024 MacArthur Blvd. We have safety vests from our NCPC funds. The first Thursday that we planned to walk I was about five minutes early, and when I arrived, there was no one there. Then, all of a sudden, several cars and trucks came to the parking lot. Everyone was waving, then got out, and were ready to walk. It was so exciting. We had about 20 people on our first walk. We have been walking for several weeks now with continued great participation. We walk about 35 to 45 minutes on MacArthur Blvd. We walk from the hardware store parking lot to 35th Ave. and then back to High St. and then back to the parking lot.
The benefits to walking are many. The loitering kids and adults see us gathering in the parking lot, and when we start walking they walk away in another direction to avoid us. The camaraderie among the walkers and the people we meet on the streets and the merchants on MacArthur is wonderful. Many times, people will ask us what we are doing and then say thank you. It is also healthy to walk for 35 to 45 minutes. We are making a difference in restoring our neighborhood to all citizens by putting our Feet on the Street. Please come and join us any Thursday at 7 p.m.
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