Street closures by Lake Merritt on Juneteenth take some by surprise

What’s normally a jubilant Juneteenth celebration at Oaklands Lake Merritt — marred last year by a mass shooting, was instead met with barricades and blocked roads Thursday, leaving community members blindsided and festivities muted.

OAKLAND, Calif. - What’s normally a jubilant Juneteenth celebration at Oakland's Lake Merritt – marred last year by a mass shooting – was instead met with barricades and blocked roads Thursday, leaving community members blindsided and festivities muted.

Confusion

What they're saying:

Some local business owners said they were never informed of the closure along Grand Avenue and key arteries around the lake. Some vendors chose to relocate to Mosswood Park.

However, establishments like Merritt Station Cafe, apparently knew about the closures, posting a sign outside their storefront. So did Grand Lake Kitchen, though they posted about the closures around 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Nesanet Tamirue, manager of Enssaro Ethiopian Restaurant on Grand Avenue, said her staff only learned of the barricades on Thursday when they ran into them on their way to work. The road closures caused delays, including one that made her employees late to a catering event.

"Doing it unannounced totally affected my business and a number of other businesses on Grand Avenue," she said. "I get the part about OPD being proactive with what happened last year and being able to control the crowd, but we should've gotten a heads up."

Tamirue said Juneteenth is the third-busiest time of year for the restaurant. However, some customers who placed pick-up orders asked for refunds as it was too difficult to reach the restaurant.

Closures were approved Wednesday

Dig deeper:

When KTVU asked the Oakland mayor’s office whether the closures were meant to curb Juneteenth celebrations or if they were related to preparations for Lakefest, a festival scheduled for Saturday, the inquiry was redirected to the Oakland Police Department, which appears to have made the decision.

The police department did not directly respond to KTVU’s request for comment. A spokesperson for the Oakland Police Officers Association told KTVU, that the closures were a joint effort between OPD and Caltrans to "prevent/reduce violence at the lake for holidays so the department of transportation shuts it down with the help of the police and to limit traffic to the area."

Caltrans posted about the closures on the agency's website on Wednesday. The agency said OPD requested the closure of two westbound I-580 exits to Lakeshore Avenue and then to Grand Avenue from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday for "traffic control and public safety during the Juneteenth festivities scheduled in the City of Oakland."

A spokesperson for Caltrans said on Thursday that closures were requested this week and approved on Wednesday. However, it's unclear what time on Wednesday.

One of the cornerstones for Bay Area Juneteenth celebrations has long been Lake Merritt. The lake has served as a cultural epicenter — a forum for Black entrepreneurship and a vibrant meeting place where, as some say, the "melanated masses" cookout, hang out, dance, even work out.

Pair that energy with the spirit of Juneteenth, and Lake Merritt has often felt like one big family reunion in the heart of Oakland.

Last year’s Juneteenth celebration ended violently, with a gun battle leaving 14 people injured. On Wednesday, City Administrator Justin Johnson and Mayor Barbaer Lee vowed that this year would be different.

But neither hinted that access to the lake would be severely limited. It's also unclear whether they were aware of the looming street closures, limiting access to the lake.

Some community members weren't, taking to social media to air out their frustration.

"They got all of Lake Merritt blocked off … no Juneteenth or driving by the Lake today," an X user wrote on Thursday, adding in response to a commenter, "they don’t shut down the lake on Memorial Day or the 4th of July."

Of note, when the Oakland Marathon comes around, the public is given advance notice of road closures and detours.

"Shutting down the Lake Merritt on Juneteenth is anti-Black full stop. Oakland elected officials have some explaining to do," another X-user said.

A handful of people still gathered at Lake Merritt on Thursday, but the celebrations were noticeably subdued. A scattered few laid out at the lake, but the energy was muted. And at Mosswood Park, two miles away, some vendors had set up shop by the afternoon with revelers sprinkled about.

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