Oakland residents become weary of motorcycle caravans and sideshows taking over city streets
A large group of motorcyclists and dirt bike riders took over Oakland streets and intersections on Sunday, the latest instance of sideshow activity involving motorbikes and ATVs.
Justin K's Sunday afternoon was interrupted by the sound of revving engines, as more than a hundred motorbikes lined the street of his apartment complex.
"It started around like noonish, or maybe a little earlier, with just a few of them," Justin said. "But you know, it was still like 9:45 10:30-ish, by the time we heard the last ones, like heading out of the Grand Lake Area."
Justin says hordes of motorbike crowds like this aren't entirely uncommon in his neighborhood near Lake Merritt. The caravans are a weekly occurrence usually congregating on Sunday afternoons. Though the noise is sometimes hard to ignore, Justin said it doesn't bother him unless it causes a serious disturbance like what happened last weekend.
Police responded to hordes of motorbike caravans across the Bay Sunday night. In a statement to CBS San Francisco, Oakland police confirmed one arrest at a Chevron on Grand Ave near Justin's home followed by another arrest for car theft after a sideshow incident nearby.
Police would not confirm if both arrests were linked to the same motorbike group.
Gwendolyn, an Oakland resident, said she's exhausted by the constant motorbike activity in her city. She's imploring politicians to find a solution for the activity.
"We just need more control period. We just don't have any control," she said.
Gwendolyn added that the problem is more systemic and highlights an issue with both policing and a lack of respect for the community.
"We can't blame the police for everything grown people do," Gwendolyn said. "We just need to be more sensible people and think more about how we can be more considerate of other people."