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Vandals are targeting Lake Merritt's historic lampposts
San Francisco Chronicle / SFGate.com ^ | April 19, 2024 | By Kent German

Posted on 04/20/2024 7:02:14 PM PDT by thecodont

Lake Merritt is one of Oakland’s loveliest spots, especially during the evening golden hour when the “Necklace of Lights”comes to life around the lake. But over the last few weeks, the 126 ornate lampposts that anchor the lake’s signature circle of lights have been the target of vandalism.

The city believes thieves are toppling and stealing the almost century-old lampposts and ripping out the wires from the boxes at the bases. It’s a local chapter of a story happening around the country as valuable metals inside the lampposts are harvested for later resale.

Jean Walsh, a spokeswoman for the Oakland City Administrator’s Office, told SFGATE in an email that 10 lampposts “are down due to a combination of fallen trees and vandalism.” Additionally, the lighting boxes of approximately 40 other light poles were broken into.

She said “repairs are a top priority” and will include installing temporary lampposts while a vendor manufactures permanent replacements. In the vandalized lampposts still standing, she said, crews will replace the missing wires and reinforce the boxes with cement to guard against vandalism.

Walsh said replacement poles are expected to cost $15,000 each and that repairs are underway. As of April 17, “we have completed roughly 25% of the identified damage so far though we are finding more damage and stolen wire as we make repairs.”

When SFGATE visited the lake on a sunny Thursday morning, stumps of severed lampposts were easy to spot after just a few minutes. Walsh did not speculate as to how people have successfully cut off the stolen poles, but the visible clean break indicates that they used powerful tools to do so. (In Pasadena, authorities told the Los Angeles Times that thieves may have toppled similar lampposts made of bronze using chains pulled by trucks.)

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: copper; lakemerritt; metal; metalthieves; necklaceoflights; oaklandca; scrapmetal; scrappers; theft; vandalism
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1 posted on 04/20/2024 7:02:14 PM PDT by thecodont
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Speculation is that it’s the copper wire they’re after.

This is the sort of thing you’d see in a Third World country.


2 posted on 04/20/2024 7:03:03 PM PDT by thecodont
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To: thecodont

Import Third world citizens. Become Third World culture.


3 posted on 04/20/2024 7:09:11 PM PDT by sjmjax
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To: thecodont
The city believes thieves are toppling and stealing the almost century-old lampposts and ripping out the wires from the boxes at the bases. It’s a local chapter of a story happening around the country as valuable metals inside the lampposts are harvested for later resale.

It's NOT happening in Florida... and we don't have smash and grab or 'protesters' stopping traffic. Kent German needs to understand the San Francisco area has "millions of broken windows". Cities that don't enforce small laws are always shocked when the things THEY care about are also destroyed.

4 posted on 04/20/2024 7:09:41 PM PDT by GOPJ (Two items Biden finds at 'Ice Cream Shoppes'? A: Ice cream cones and 7 year old girls to look at...)
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To: thecodont

For Pete’s sake, there are cameras everywhere in cities now, yet these guys were never videoed?


5 posted on 04/20/2024 7:10:39 PM PDT by Fungi
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To: thecodont

But did they take the handles?


6 posted on 04/20/2024 7:11:30 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: GOPJ
Cities that don't enforce small laws are always shocked when the things THEY care about are also destroyed.

There's a small commercial building in the general neighborhood, recently occupied by a small market and vacated a few years ago. It would be a great place for another convenience store, but I guess the previous occupants thought the cost of doing business was too high, plus, there's no parking lot.

At any rate, neighbors have to regularly paint over the graffiti/tagging that appears on the walls of this vacated building, which is in good shape and not dilapidated. They are trying in their own way to avoid "broken window syndrome."

I hope another small business has the guts to occupy the space. They may have to install bollards like the store down the street a quarter mile, to prevent thieves from driving through the front door to smash in and grab the cash register and liquor.

7 posted on 04/20/2024 7:15:13 PM PDT by thecodont
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To: thecodont

Biden’s democrat and illegal migrants need money! So do blacks and whites since the migrants are soaking up all the “resources” that blacks and whites got used to getting.

The loss of the black vote alone should spell the END for the democrats for a long time. Let us pray!


8 posted on 04/20/2024 7:19:14 PM PDT by Cen-Tejas
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To: thecodont
Oakland had lovely spots?  Who knew?

Oaklanders say homelessness is the most urgent issue facing the city

9 posted on 04/20/2024 7:19:28 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (A truth that’s told with bad intent, Beats all the lies you can invent ~ Wm. Blake)
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To: Fungi

Hell, even if they were videoed and caught... They’d be released on No Bail within hours.


10 posted on 04/20/2024 7:21:10 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (A truth that’s told with bad intent, Beats all the lies you can invent ~ Wm. Blake)
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To: thecodont
At any rate, neighbors have to regularly paint over the graffiti/tagging that appears on the walls of this vacated building, which is in good shape and not dilapidated. They are trying in their own way to avoid "broken window syndrome."

There's something so sad - and so hopeful - about this. Thanks for sharing codont.

11 posted on 04/20/2024 7:25:04 PM PDT by GOPJ (Two items Biden finds at 'Ice Cream Shoppes'? A: Ice cream cones and 7 year old girls to look at...)
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To: thecodont

Lake Merritt is a treasure, scenically. The area around it was built out in the 1920s-30s also. The idea was a gracious, upmarket environment, a sort of Central Park.

It has however suffered from the general squalor of Oakland.

I lived there for a while in the early 90’s, off Grand Ave.


12 posted on 04/20/2024 7:31:10 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: thecodont

The Bronze Torpedo Tube Port from The USS Maine was stolen decades ago. It had been there much longer than the Lights.

Oakland was wonderful in the 40s & the late 50s started to slide.

My home town.


13 posted on 04/20/2024 7:35:20 PM PDT by Bobibutu
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To: dfwgator

No, they weren’t homesick.


14 posted on 04/20/2024 7:44:09 PM PDT by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
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To: thecodont
"Vandals are targeting Lake Merritt's historic lampposts"

Yufes are targeting Lake Merritt's historic lampposts

15 posted on 04/20/2024 7:51:23 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (LORD, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.)
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To: thecodont

What’s wrong with you people? It’s just stuff! /sarc


16 posted on 04/20/2024 8:05:42 PM PDT by bigfootbob (Arm Up and Live Free!)
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To: Bobibutu

The bronze torpedo port (in front of the American Legion post) was there in 2021, the last time I passed there.

It was stolen in 2011 but recovered.


17 posted on 04/20/2024 8:06:21 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: buwaya

Thx. lots of fond memories around Lake Merritt - I learned to sail there back in the 40s. Lakeview School - All done with CA. Live in SE AZ - SE of Tucson.


18 posted on 04/20/2024 9:03:32 PM PDT by Bobibutu
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To: thecodont

“”valuable metals inside the lampposts are harvested for later resale.””

So......the valuable metals will be bought to make EV charging stations. The same criminals will then ransack the EV chargers, steal back the valuable metals, and sell them again.

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well.


19 posted on 04/20/2024 9:49:24 PM PDT by Ronaldus Magnus III (Do, or do not, there is no try)
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To: thecodont

What’s the big deal? They are insured. Just make a claim like you told burned out businesses in the BLM riots.


20 posted on 04/20/2024 10:01:01 PM PDT by DesertRhino (2016 Star Wars, 2020 The Empire Strikes Back, 2024... RETURN OF THE JEDI. )
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