'We did not cause chaos': Oakland's old school sideshow pioneers dismayed with today's violence
OAKLAND, Calif. - Sideshows, now the target of police crackdowns and neighborhood criticism, were not always scenes of gun violence and dangerous car stunts.
Oakland beginnings
The backstory:
They began as cultural gatherings for mostly Black Oakland residents in the 1980s, specifically at Eastmont Mall, where proud car owners showcased their fancy rims. Today, these events have separated from their original roots, much to the dismay of some of their pioneers.
"When we first initiated it, it was about showing off your cars, trying to get with the females, using your car to get the attention, without all the burning rubber," said DJ Daryl, who created some of the sounds heard at the early sideshows and later produced hits for Tupac, such as "Keep Ya Head Up."
Flashy events
What they're saying:
He remembered sideshows as flashy events and a time to shine, minus the riffraff that later became synonymous with the events.
"Like a fashion show for cars," he said.
And only the best whips were out.
"It was always the old schools. It was the Mustangs, Cougars, and Box Chevs," recalled the multiplatinum producer. "You had high-performance cars, you know, muscle cars, Chevy Novas, Chevelles."
People dressed to impress, donning Fila tracksuits, Ellesse, and Le Coq Sportif.
"You could literally see guys out here with the rope chains on and nice watches," said DJ Daryl. "You didn't have to worry about nobody trying to rob nobody."
Sideshows were joyous and vibrant. Eastmont Mall and Foothill Square were hubs that witnessed and contributed to the early sideshow culture.
Eastmont is located right across from a now-defunct McDonald's that stood at 68th and Foothill. The mall, a popular hangout for young Oaklanders in the '80s and '90s, sat adjacent to major AC Transit bus routes.
Old-timers said no one pulled out guns or set fire to the fancy cars.
"I would take my girlfriends over there [McDonald's] and get them a french fry and a hamburger," remembered Darryl Reed, not to be confused with DJ Daryl.
Reed, considered a street legend and community activist, frequented sideshows back in the day. He said sideshows weren't planned; they were organic.
He and his friends would hang out in the McDonald's parking lot to show off their cars and designer threads. But that wasn't the only reason.
"All the pretty girls came to the sideshow," Reed said.
As DJ Daryl points out, sideshows even preceded him. However, he and his former group, 415, produced a song titled "Sideshow" that actually gave a name to the social gathering.
"When that record came out, it let everybody in the Bay Area know about what's called a sideshow," he said. "All of them wanted to come and see what that was about."
People from all over the Bay wanted to come to Oakland to witness drivers gliding by much like a parade. However, as time went on, sideshows morphed.
Sideshows spiraled
Local perspective:
DJ Daryl and Reed explained that when some of the old-timers left the scene, the peaceful tradition wasn't passed down. As a result, young people started imitating what they thought were sideshows.
"We did not block traffic. We did not stop (bus) routes. We did not inconvenience civilians who had places to go," said Reed. "We did not cause chaos."
Cars spinning donuts with passengers hanging out the windows in the middle of intersections, and tires screeching, Reed emphasized, "wasn't what a sideshow was about."
"Seeing all these young people caravanning and looking for one of these areas, where they just can randomly stop and shut the city down. I can't call that no sideshow. I call that chaos and disruption," said Reed.
The criminal elements now linked to sideshows were never part of their original spirit. DJ Daryl considers it a rebellion against the culture.
"I've seen where you have what we call a civilian just passing through, and if he interrupted their wild, reckless behavior, his car might get stomped out," he said.
However, he and Reed believe the phenomenon is here to stay.
"It is not going away because young people have embraced it. They think it's cool," said Reed, adding, "They want a video to go viral on social media."
The Source: Information for this story comes from interviews and previous reports.