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Law Enforcement Puts Brakes on Sunday’s Sideshow

They came. They set up. But the only show on Sunday, March 10, at Alameda Point was a show of force from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Alameda Police Department (APD).

Alameda Post - A California Highway Patrol Officer writes a ticket on their car while parked behind a white pickup truck that is very low to the ground
CHP officer issues a ticket on West Tower Avenue near the intersection of Monarch Street, where sideshow activity was planned. Photo Richard Bangert.

Spectators and would-be performers at an anticipated sideshow had to make it past at least five CHP officers on their way to the intersection of Monarch Street and West Tower Avenue without being stopped for a motor vehicle infraction. Many of them were not so lucky. The flashing police lights sent a clear message.

The team of CHP officers arrived early. They were there at the request of APD, which had gotten wind of plans for the sideshow event, according to one CHP officer. APD also had cars patrolling between the various entry points. This law enforcement assistance came on the heels of previous sideshows that were undeterred.



Alameda Post - an APD car parked looking towards the road
Alameda Police Department patrol car parked near West Atlantic Avenue on Sunday as a deterrent to sideshow activity. Photo Richard Bangert.

Sideshow participants were also organized. Alongside the intersection, on property leased by a bus repair company, vendor booths were set up, and a large group of Mustang owners parked in a “V” shape as spectators gathered. Next door, at the hangar owned by Natel Energy, the area had been coned off, a row of cars blocked the area, and volunteers could be seen sweeping the pavement in preparation for the spinning tires.

Apparently, there is nothing law enforcement can do about the set-up areas if owners and leaseholders do not complain.

Alameda Post - an APD car parked behind a red sedan they have stopped at Alameda Point in front of a hanger
CHP officer pulls over a driver on West Tower Avenue next to a hangar at an intersection where sideshow activity was planned. Photo Richard Bangert.

One property owner—the U.S. Navy—did send a security guard to keep vendors and spectators from setting up on its property with a giant hangar at the intersection.

The city also took an extra precautionary step to deter sideshow activity elsewhere at Alameda Point. Over at the ship piers where the USS Hornet Museum is docked, the area that served as stage for previous sideshows was closed to car traffic. The city recently installed padlocked rolling gates that leave space only for bicyclists and pedestrians to pass through.

Alameda Post - at Alameda Point, cyclists steer around a large gate designed to keep out cars
Cyclists pass through an opening in a padlocked rolling gate recently installed by the city to deter sideshow activity on the wharf near USS Hornet Museum. Photo Richard Bangert.

Instead of screeching tires and revving engines, the only sounds that could be heard during the afternoon were the occasional planes passing overhead in the distance. On the Bay Trail, next to the Seaplane Ferry Terminal, a man proposed marriage as excited friends holding flowers looked on. A Sunday visit to patronize a business, or walk or ride along the water, or sit on a park bench, or propose marriage, meant enjoying the pleasant atmosphere the visitors had come to expect.

Contributing writer Richard Bangert posts stories and photos about environmental issues on his blog Alameda Point Environmental Report. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Richard-Bangert.

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