THE PIONEER Covering the East Bay community since 1961
California State University, East Bay
News, Art, & Culture for the East Bay
THURSDAY JULY 23, 2015
www.thepioneeronline.com
Downtown comes alive in Hayward Street party returns for its 16th year
Summer 2015 Issue 5
Hayward police officer killed
SEE OPINION PAGE 2
THE NINERS HAVE TUMULTUOUS OFF SEASON
PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.HAYWARD-CA.GOV
By Louis LaVenture SPORTS AND CAMPUS EDITOR
SEE FEATURES PAGE 4
NEWARK'S 2ND ANNUAL MARIACHI FESTIVAL
Cars line Main Street in Downtown Hayward during the Third Thursday event.
By Vanessa Pineda CONTRIBUTOR
SEE SPORTS PAGE 8
OAKLAND A'S MIDSEASON REPORT CARD NOT GOOD
STAY CONNECTED! #NEWSPIONEER /thepioneernewspaper @thepioneeronline @newspioneer
Earth rumbles in Fremont By Bryan Cordova MANAGING EDITOR
An earthquake centered near Fremont and Union City on the Hayward Fault shook ground Tuesday morning at 2:41 a.m. The fault’s earthquake hit a magnitude of 4.0, within a depth of 5 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey, with the epicenter of the quake near Mission Boulevard and Mayhews Road along the Hayward Fault. USGS further reported that 13 aftershocks followed the initial earthquake, the highest being a magnitude of 2.7. The final aftershock occurred at 6:40 a.m. At the time of this publication, no injuries or damages have been reported. The Bay Area Rapid Transit system reported systemwide delays ranging between 15 to 20 minutes around the Bay Area due to internal inspections of their tracks. Bay Area residents flooded Twitter and stated they felt the shake as far as Downtown San Jose, Oakland and Redwood Shores. The last major earthquake from the Hayward Fault occurred on Oct. 21, 1868, containing a magnitude of 6.8. According to the USGS, 30 people were killed and is the 12th most lethal earthquake in U.S. history. Be sure to check The Pioneer Newspaper for our upcoming Earthquake special issue.
Remodeled classic cars lined the busy streets, as people crowded into Buffalo Bill’s Brewery to hang out, eat and drink while live bands such as Third Sol performed. Nearly 5,000 people walked through Downtown Hayward last Thursday during the Third Thursday Street Party. Organized by the Hayward Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Hayward Business Improvement Area, this monthly event is now in its 15th season. “The goal of the Thursday Street Party is to attract Hayward residents downtown,” said Kim Huggett President of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce. The Thursday Street Party aims to emphasize the metro area and downtown merchants, according to Huggett.
He said that these summer events are unique because they draw families. “In the Bay Area, no city has more family reunions than Hayward” says Huggett. The street parties span over five city blocks in downtown and roughly 5,0007,000 people attend regularly, Huggett stated. BART, AC Transit and the Cal State East Bay shuttle are available for individuals using public transportation. For those who choose to drive, there were 14 downtown lots which offer free parking. The event flyer highlights convenient parking locations. The event had attractions for all ages that included pony rides, a beer garden and CSUEB had a basketball stand where kids were allowed to shoot hoops. Specifically for children, there was a face painting stand, a clown and balloon animals. Besides attractions, there were local vendors where attendees could purchase
PHOTO BY TAM DUONG JR./THE PIONEER
a variety of novelty items like jewelry and other trinkets. Huggett explained that they “want to increase the amount of people that visit downtown, so it can be viewed as a family destination where people can shop, dine, or watch movies and concerts.” Huggett continued to add that there is a plan to build more apartments and areas of living downtown. The idea is that the more people living downtown, the more vibrant it will be, which will create an economically successful downtown. The final Third Thursday Street Party of the year will be Aug. 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event takes place on B Street and goes from Foothill Boulevard to the City Hall Plaza. The upcoming Thursday Street Party will include a BMX show and feature five bands including the Hayward High School marching band.
SEE FEATURES PAGE 6 FOR MORE PHOTOS
Education takes center stage
Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education By Kris Stewart ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
Music played throughout the Berkeley Repertory Theater as people scurried to their seats before Anna Deavere Smith’s most recent show began. The lights dimmed and the audience sat silently as the actress and playwright took the stage. Each of the four acts of Smith’s “Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education,” carried an equally heavy tone. There were bursts of laughter throughout the performance, but for the majority of the show the audience sat in silence as they watched Smith step in and out of other people’s shoes. “Notes from the Field” features Smith acting out the various points of view of interviewees she spoke with about the American education system, such as community leaders like Michael Tubbs, a councilmen in Stockton; Arnold Perkins, Chairman of The Mentoring Center in Oakland; and Abby Abinanti, Chief Judge of the Yurok Tribe in San Francisco and Klamath. Smith created and wrote “Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education,” with the intention to spark conversation about the current state of education in California. Racial disparity, classism and the correlation between education and incarceration were included among
ILLUSTRATION BY BRITTANY ENGLAND/THE PIONEER
the themes presented in the production. “Um, I’m always asked that question, ‘What is the number one civil rights issue of the day?’ and I’m very uncomfortable with that question,” said Smith, as she portrayed Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel NAACP Legal Defence and Educational Fund, in the play. “It is impossible to talk about the criminal justice system — mass incarceration — without talking about education.” Smith is known for her documentary approach to theater. Her production
“Twilight 1992” was a similar presentation in which she took actual testimony from people throughout the community in efforts to tell the story of the Los Angeles riots seen through a variety of lenses. Smith’s “Notes from the Field” is designed to spark conversation about the school to prison pipeline, the many ways in which children — especially poor children in urban environments — land in prison. Before the final act, attendees were split into several groups as Tupac’s “The Rose That Grew From Concrete” played in the background. Each group was asked a series of questions in an attempt to trigger discussion about inequality in America.
SEE FEATURES PAGE 3
Hayward Police Sergeant Scott Lunger was killed in the line of duty following a traffic stop early Wednesday morning in North Hayward, acting Hayward Police Chief Mark Knoller confirmed in a press conference Wednesday morning, according to reports by NBC Bay Area. Sgt. Lunger was pronounced dead sometime Wednesday morning at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley from gunshot wounds he sustained after he pulled over a pickup truck at 3:14 a.m. near Lion and Myrtle streets, Knoller confirmed in the press conference. In an audio recording of the dispatch call obtained by KRON, Lunger and his partner originally attempted to stop the truck on Kiwanis Street for driving erratically, before it was eventually pulled over at the location of the shooting. According to Knoller, Sgt. Lunger walked up to the truck after he and his partner pulled it over, and the driver opened fire without warning. Lunger’s partner, whose name has not been released, returned fire before the suspect fled the scene in the vehicle. It is not known if other passengers were in the vehicle. The second officer was not injured in the incident, according to KRON’s audio recording of Knoller’s press conference. The truck, a white GMC pickup, was found several hours later in Oakland near 98th and Edes avenues. It had several bullet holes in it, according to Knoller’s statements. “He was a very well-liked, well-respected sergeant and police officer who loved his job and was eager to get out there in the community and do his job,” Knoller said during the press conference. Sgt. Lunger is a 15-year veteran of the HPD, was promoted to sergeant in 2009, and was also a member of the SWAT team and gang unit, according to HPD. “He was the ideal police officer,” Knoller said. During the press conference, Knoller announced that they have “secured” a “person of interest” based on some information recovered in the truck after it was found. "That man was rock," said Campus Police Chief Sheryl Boykins. "He was such a cop's cop, a S.W.A.T guy, an investigator, when he walked down the street, you knew he would find something. Everyone got excited knowing he was on thier team." Boykins worked for the HPD before becoming Police Chief at CSUEB. Hayward Police officials did not return multiple phone calls and emails made by Pioneer staff on Wednesday.