Oakland has new rules, safety measures for First Fridays

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland is introducing new community safety enhancements ahead of tonight's First Friday event, a free monthly gathering held downtown.

Safety improvements

What we know:

Mayor Barbara Lee and other city leaders announced a coordinated set of community safety and operations improvements that will take place every Friday and Saturday night along Telegraph Avenue and Broadway. The new effort combines law enforcement, violence prevention, public health, and traffic management.

The updates starting on Friday will build upon measures the city announced in March, which included stricter parking enforcement, additional community police and safety ambassadors, expanded pedestrian safety measures, and traffic control. 

The rollout follows a town hall meeting held this week to address the future of First Fridays. 

Several key sponsors recently pulled their support due to growing safety concerns. 

Significant police prescence

The backstory:

While city officials noted there have not been issues directly within the footprint of First Friday itself, violent incidents have occurred nearby in the community after the events conclude. 

In May, seven pedestrians were injured near the Fox Theatre when a car drove onto the sidewalk. In March, two people were killed at a bar located at 14th Street and Broadway.

Interim Police Chief James Beere emphasized that the department's goal is to ensure everyone can safely enjoy the downtown area.

"Most of the issues that we do have Friday night into Saturday morning don't occur in the footprint of the First Friday event," Beere said. "In fact, it occurs after the event is completely done. But it's important to know that at the beginning on Friday evening into Saturday morning we're going to have a significant police presence."

Beere added that the Oakland Police Department will receive assistance from the California Highway Patrol and the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, and officials will make operational adjustments as needed.

Oakland