East Oakland, Oakland, California

East Oakland is a geographical region of Oakland, California, United States, that stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. As the southeastern portion of the city, East Oakland takes up the largest portion of the city's land area.

The area is a major hub of Northern California's black community, with over 50% of East Oakland's inhabitants being black. According to figures from a 2000 U.S. Census, over 87,000 people reside in the East Oakland area.

Geography

East Oakland stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. It generally has a diagonal layout. East Oakland has numbered avenues (1st to 109th) that run northeast to southwest, and numbered streets (East 7th to East 38th) that run northwest to southeast. Interstates 580 and 880 also run northwest to southeast. Main northwest–southeast thoroughfares include East 14th Street (renamed International Blvd. in 1996 within the city of Oakland only), MacArthur Blvd., Foothill Blvd., Bancroft Avenue, and San Leandro Street (being the main one for commercial vehicles). Main northeast-southwest thoroughfares include Fruitvale Ave., 35th Ave., High St., Seminary Ave., 73rd Ave. (which becomes Hegenberger Road south of International Blvd. to Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport), and 98th Ave. East Oakland is home to Holy Names University, Mills College, the Oakland Zoo, the Oakland Coliseum and Oakland Arena.thumb|US Navy painting crew at the East Oakland Youth Development Center, 2006

History

East Oakland is a section of Oakland that has experienced many changes to its population as the West attracted immigrants in search of employment. Oakland was declared a city in 1852 where it was prominently populated by people who made it to the west during the Gold Rush. The dominant races that had relocated to the East Bay during the late 1840s were Caucasian, Chinese, Mexican, and African American.

Early 1900s

By 1910, Oakland had the largest African American population in the East Bay because it tripled in the previous decade as a result of fires and earthquakes in the surrounding areas. After annexation, the Oakland-San Leandro Road was renamed East 14th Street which lasted for most of the 20th century, until it was renamed International Blvd. Both Foothill Boulevard and MacArthur Boulevard, which run through the heart of East Oakland, were a part of the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway, from 1913 until 1927.

Post WWII

In the spring of 1943, there was an increase of immigrants to the Bay Area as a result of World War II; this time is called “the Second Gold Rush”. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US government invested large sums of money on defense which created new jobs and opportunities on the coast and in the bay specifically. Because this was shortly after the great depression, many people were unemployed and looking for work, which was in abundance in the Oakland shipyard. Although some Blacks were displaced when the right of way was cleared, most of the right of way through predominantly White neighborhoods.

Lack of property taxes

In 1969 the Economic Development Administration (EDA) declared that they would no longer fund large businesses or facilities but rather focus on creating jobs for the unemployed and poor, which in Oakland meant the ethnic minorities. A few years later, in 1978, California passes Proposition 13, officially named the People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation (Proposition 13 is embodied in Article XIII A of the Constitution of the State of California), which limited the addition of new or increased property taxes and protected property owners against inflation driven increases in assessed valuation. When the property sold the assessed value could be increased to market value. Some have argued that this disadvantaged Blacks seeking to buy property if property values had increased. Some have also argued, post hoc propter hoc, that this somehow caused property values to decline as Whites moved out and Blacks moved in.

If home prices declined as the White/European community departed, then Black/Black African/African American community buying those houses had the benefit of the lower prices, and going forward would pay less in taxes than if prices had not dropped. By the late 1960s buyers in East Oakland were taking advantage of several government backed loan programs to purchase houses. These programs had reduced rates or reduced qualifications, enabling people to buy homes who may not have qualified for conventional financing.

Some argue that these programs further disadvantage the Black population of East Oakland; these critics, instead, advocate using property taxes to pay for programs specifically aimed at the Black population, a position echoed by local and state politicians. .

The mayor at the time, Lionel Wilson, who was the first African American mayor, elected the year prior in 1977, combatted the regulation on property taxes by using many public resources to create investment in downtown Oakland which increased the cost of living in the city and pushed more poor and marginalized populations to surrounding areas such as East Oakland. This is one example of gentrification that has occurred in the city and makes the cost of living higher in the city so the original residents are forced to relocate to the poor, underserved surrounding areas.

With the new availability of jobs created by the EDA, between 1990 and 2000 more Latino and Asian (primarily Cambodian, Lao, and Chinese) immigrants moved to Oakland and specifically Central East Oakland because of how cheap the cost of living was compared to the city. There is also a diverse Asian population, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Lao, and other southeast Asian ethnic groups generally inhabit the area of East Oakland closest to downtown, from Chinatown east to San Antonio. Asians make up smaller percentage of only 4% of the population, but between 1990 and 2000 saw an increase of 13%. The Foothill Square neighborhood in East Oakland, located off of MacArthur Blvd., has the highest concentration of African American residents of any Oakland neighborhood, at 75.4%. Though the population of whites had decreased, they still made up 4% of the population. A number of East Bay rappers and singers such as Raphael Saadiq, Keak da Sneak, Dru Down, Too Short, Digital Underground, MC Hammer, Luniz, Hieroglyphics, Keyshia Cole, Philthy Rich, Db tha General, Shady Nate, and Bobby Brackins originated there. The prostitution, violence and drug culture of the region spawned a new subgenre of hip hop by the late 1980s. Rappers like Too Short incorporated drugs, violence, prostitution and gang life into their music, in sharp contrast to much of the East Coast hip hop of the day. Too Short was also one of the first rap artists to promote and sell records independently and is one of the pioneers responsible for the birth of Northern California's independent hip hop scene; leading other artists to pursue success in the music industry without the assistance of a major record company. The sound of the music was different from East Coast hip hop, which is known for its technique of sampling and looping to create a song. Instead, funk and blues were infused with synthesizers and drum machines, giving birth to the Bay Area hip hop sound known as Mobb music. Today, mainstream hip-hop continues to lyrically and musically incorporate much of what was pioneered in East Oakland.

Neighborhoods

Elmhurst

Elmhurst was originally a separate town, it was annexed by Oakland in 1909, and today is considered part of East Oakland. Although it was historically a white working-class neighborhood, it became predominantly African American after World War II, and today, Latinos now form about half of Elmhurst's population. Elmhurst was the site of one of the large carbarns for the Key System's streetcars, the Elmhurst Carhouse. Chevrolet opened an auto assembly plant in Elmhurst in 1915, which shut down in the 1960s.

Brookfield Village

Located near the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport. The main streets are 98th Avenue and Edes Avenue. The Brookfield District is located from 85th Avenue to 98th Avenue. Brookfield Village stops at the Union Pacific (formerly Southern Pacific) train tracks after Railroad Avenue. Brookfield Village was built during the early 1900s. It later had a home-building boom during World War II in response to the influx of workers needed for the war industries, on land which had been zoned for industrial uses. In the 1990s, the neighborhood held an annual summer get-together called the Never Worry Picnic as a contrast to a crime rate that is 191% higher than the national average.

Fruitvale

Dimond District
Laurel
Peralta Hacienda
Jingle Town

Lower Hills District

Crocker Highlands
Glenview
Grass Valley
Lakeshore
Lincoln Highlands
Tuxedo
Redwood Heights
Crestmont

Deep East Oakland

Arcadia Park
Arroyo Viejo
Blandon/Glenly/Fontaine
Brookfield Village
Canyon Oaks
Castlemont
Castlewood/Flintridge
Coliseum
Columbia Gardens
Cox
Durant Square
Eastmont, Oakland, California, the location of Eastmont Town Center, the last surviving indoor shopping mall in Oakland. Now made into a center for the elderly as well as doctor's offices. And grocery stores and CVS.
Eastmont Hills
Fairfax District, a distinct business district centered on the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. The Fairfax Theatre building keynotes the district. Each East Oakland business district historically had its own movie theatre.
Fitchburg
Foothill Square
Frick
The Gate
Greenridge Drive
Havenscourt
Hegenberger
Highland
Iveywood
Las Palmas
Malcolm Heights
Maxwell Park
Melrose
Mills Gardens
Millsmont
Monte Vista Villas
Lockwood Gardens
North Stonehurst
Oak Knoll
Ridgemont
San Antonio, which includes smaller neighborhoods such as The Twomps and Jingletown.
Seminary. This neighborhood includes Mills College.
Seneca Toler
Sequoyah
Sequoyah Heights, part of the larger Oak Knoll neighborhood
Sobrante Park
South Stonehurst
Toler Heights
Woodland

Health disparities

Life expectancy

thumb|Life expectancies were calculated using survival curves. The vertical height of each bar depicts the 95% confidence interval. The difference between expected age at death in the top and bottom income percentiles is 10.1 years (95% CI, 9.9–10.3 years) for women and 14.6 years (95% CI, 14.4–14.8 years) for men. To control for differences in life expectancies across racial and ethnic groups, race and ethnicity adjustments were calculated using data from the National Longitudinal Mortality Survey and estimates were re-weighted so that each income percentile bin has the same fraction of black, Hispanic, and Asian adults.

East Oakland experiences a lower life expectancy, relative to nearby neighborhoods like Alameda County, approximating 72 years. Amongst the heavily populated races present within Oakland, Hispanics lead in life expectancy, averaging 82 years. African Americans and Whites typically average 67–68 years within Oakland, while Asians live nearly 78 years. Conversely, there is a high all-cause mortality rate amongst the East Oakland community, leading in cancer, stroke, heart disease, and homicide death rates. It is found that communities and families of lower socioeconomic status typically experience higher mortality rates and lower survival rates compared to those from higher socioeconomic status.

Health conditions

East Oakland displays a significantly higher rate of common health conditions, with residents cumulatively experiencing 32% obesity, compared to 21% amongst all of California. Nearly 32% of adults in the community is at fair or poor health, relative to Alameda County's 15% and California's 16%. Similar patterns are also prevalent in children ages 0–17, with approximately 48% of children diagnosed with obesity, compared to 29% within the state of California. 13% of children in East Oakland also experience fair or poor health, a rate much higher than that of California (7%) or Alameda County (5%). Amongst older adults, due to increases in disabilities (accounting for 42% of disabilities), there is a greater onset of chronic diseases, accounting for 64% of deaths primarily in cancer, heart diseases, Alzheimer's, stroke, and respiratory diseases. As an effort to improve these existing conditions, East Oakland has become one of 14 different site across the state of California to participate in a 10-year comprehensive community initiative dedicated to improving and supporting a healthy community through active collaborations among youths, residents, and community partners within three Action Teams: Health Happens in Schools, Health Happens in Neighborhoods and Health Happens through Culture, Arts, Storytelling & Healing.

Healthcare access

Adults in East Oakland are more likely to visit emergency rooms than go to doctor's visits within the past year than many other counties in the Bay Area and in the entire state of California. In 2012, 35% of the community did not meet with their doctor that year, related to how 30% of residents utilized emergency rooms (ERs) at least once that year (compared to 13% in Alameda County and 18% in all of California). Amongst all ER visits, Blacks and Hispanics had the most frequent visits in 2011, with four times more visits compared to whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders. Furthermore, even when having healthcare coverage, Black people continue to be the highest users of the emergency department: 15% are enrolled in governmental programs while making up 43% of frequent ER users. Amongst elderly adults, rising numbers in disabilities have resulted in increased hospital emergency visits. Heart disease, leading in chronic diseases amongst elders, accounts for over 19,500 hospitalizations each year. However, racial, linguistic, cultural, and cost barriers continue to influence level of access amongst the population.

Healthcare coverage

East Oakland ranks amongst the lowest communities to provide healthcare coverage to adults and children. 52% of adults and 40% of children remain insured by private insurance companies, compared to 61% and 57% coverage throughout the state of California. East Oakland residents are one of the higher users of governmental health programs like Medi-Cal and Medicare, covering 27% of adults and 58% of children in the population, almost 30% higher than that of California. In the elderly population, 98% of older adults within the entire Alameda County have health insurance. However, due to rising costs in medical care in recent decades, the California Health Interview Survey observed that 48.5% of adults age 60+ let go of their insurance coverage.

Amongst Hispanics, nearly 74% were enrolled in government health insurance, such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. Median income amongst enrolled Hispanic families is $16,800, whereas non-enrolled Hispanics receive a median annual income of $19,200. The average family household enrolled in health insurance amongst Hispanics is approximately 4-6 people.

Food and liquor stores

The socioeconomic disparities that affect the East Oakland community also manifest as food scarcity, compounded by a paucity of fresh foods and grocery stores within the area. Academic interviews of East Oakland residents have found that locals consider food as one of the highest priorities, coming second only to shelter. Interviewees in this study expressed understanding of how to eat healthy and the importance of nutrition, but must prioritize the availability and price of food over its nutritional benefits (or lack thereof).

With the changes in state funding to housing and the movement of impoverished groups in the 1930s, East Oakland became an area where poorer people lived which also resulted in a major loss of industry as businesses and markets started to close down and relocate to more financially sustainable areas. As time went on, supermarkets and other businesses saw East Oakland as an “undesirable place for residential and commercial investment” so few new stores opened up in place of the ones that left. The smaller commercial stores that did stick around were forced to raise the prices of their food and focus more on selling alcohol and tobacco products to stay afloat. Alcohol was easy to sell and made the stores more money, but the number of liquor stores is proportional to the levels of crime in violence in the area. Additionally, the majority of the population of East Oakland are Latinos and African Americans, both groups who have higher predisposition to alcohol-related diseases. Because it is cheap and available, these are the foods that people buy although they have little to no nutritional value and make people at a higher risk for diabetes, obesity, and other health problems. YPAR 2.0 is a method of conducting research done by the youth in the community to try and address the problems they and their families face. By going across East Oakland and classifying it as a food desert and critiquing the limited access to healthy food, they pushed for liquor and corner stores to have fresh produce and nutritious staple foods visible and affordable to the members of the community.

Notable residents

A list of notable people who have lived or currently live in East Oakland:

Natalia Anciso, artist
A-Plus, rapper from hip-hop group Souls of Mischief
Jesus Barraza, artist
Sway Calloway journalist, producer, radio personality, and rapper
Keyshia Cole, singer
Mark Curry, actor, comedian, and host
Mabel Craft Deering, journalist
Sheila E., American Music Award and Grammy Award-winning singer, drummer and percussionist
Vester Lee Flanagan, gunman in the deaths of two U.S. journalists
MC Hammer, American Music Award and Grammy Award-winning Rap singer, dance artist
Kamaiyah, rapper
Keak da Sneak, rapper
Angelina J. Knox (1819–1896) inventor, abolitionist
Kreayshawn, rapper
Damian Lillard, professional basketball player, Portland Trail Blazers
Numskull, rapper from hip-hop duo, The Luniz
Phesto, rapper from hip-hop group Souls of Mischief
Philthy Rich, rapper
Favianna Rodriguez, artist
Raphael Saadiq, singer/songwriter and member of Tony! Toni! Toné!
D'Andre Sams, rapper
Tajai, rapper from hip-hop group Souls of Mischief
Too $hort, rapper
Lateef the Truthspeaker, rapper
V-Nasty, rapper
William S. Rice, early 20th-century block print artist
D'wayne Wiggins, musician and member of Tony! Toni! Toné!
Yukmouth, rapper from hip-hop duo, The Luniz
Baba Zumbi, rapper from hip-hop duo, Zion I
Emilio Castillo, musician and founding member of Tower Of Power
Stephen "Doc" Kupka, musician and founding member of Tower Of Power
David Garibaldi (musician), musician and member of Tower Of Power
Mike Clark (drummer), musician and member of The Headhunters
Paul Jackson (bassist), musician and member of The Headhunters