Fear Of Gun Violence Cancels Oakland's First Friday Event
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Organizers for Oakland First Fridays, a popular festival held every month, have announced they were cancelling the next scheduled event on Nov. 2.
Organizers said in a statement the driving reason for the cancellation was a shooting that injured five people in the early morning hours of Oct. 6. The shooting occurred about three hours after an Oakland First Fridays event.
"Gun violence is an Oakland problem, it's an American problem, and it's a problem we all have a stake in fixing," organizers said in a statement.
In 2013, a man died from a shooting also a few hours after the event ended.
This time, organizers decided to cancel the November event while they come up with new security measures.
"We are responsible for bringing 30,000 people into the city of Oakland. Have to keep them safe after the event," said Shari Godinez, First Fridays Executive Director. "We can't do this by ourselves. The police can't do it by themselves. We have to come together."
The monthly event features art, performances and food and draws thousands of people to Telegraph Avenue and the surrounding areas.
Organizers said they plan on holding the event again in December and plan to conduct a "top-to-bottom" review of the event's security, policies and procedures in an effort to increase safety and address other issues.
