Oakland's 'Escape Artist' Shot This Hauntingly Beautiful Drone Video Of His City Sheltering In Place
OAKLAND (CBS SF) - Hauntingly beautiful drone footage of Oakland's empty streets shows just how serious people there are taking the shelter-in-place to stem the spread of coronavirus.
It was shot and shared online by Kumi Rauf, a drone pilot and world travel enthusiast also known as, 'The Escape Artist.'
When he's not traveling the globe, he ferrets out the best airfares and shares them with thousands of followers on social media. A strong advocate for travel, particularly for young African Americans who may be hesitant to travel too far from home, Rauf has organized annual group tours to Ghana, Cuba, Rio, and beyond.
Now he's advocating for just the opposite, telling his followers and friends to stay home.
"I gotta say, I'm hella proud of my Bay folks for sheltering in place (semi) responsibly. This will allow us to flatten the curve AKA start to slow the number of new cases of this deadly pandemic," said Rauf. "I'm sure we've all seen the footage of the Spring Break'ers in Florida enjoying their time getting drunk on the beach. Let's not be them.,"
Rauf told KPIX.com, he's loves the resilience and strength of Oaktown, and offered his vision for a better future.
"We will make it through this," he said. "If there's one thing this coronavirus pandemic has taught us is the difference between our wants and needs, and when Oakland is rebuilt this time, I sincerely hope we can create equity for everyone."
The beautiful voice of Oakland artist Jennah Bell accompanies the video. Enjoy.
CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer Bay Sunday, Black Renaissance and host of Black Renaissance. She lives in Northern California. Follow her on Twitter @janmabr.