Over 800 miles south of Washington, DC, at a Juneteenth celebration at Lake Merritt, Oakland, there was a violent event that resulted in the shooting of fifteen persons on the intervening night of June 19 and June 20. When more than 50 shot casings were discovered at the scene, authorities began looking for more shooters as the event, which had become chaotic owing to an unlawful “sideshow,” became out of control.
By Thursday afternoon (June 20), no one had been taken into custody.
Approximately 5,000 people were there for the calm Juneteenth celebration, which was interrupted at 8:15 PM (local time) by a group of about 20 vehicles, including dirt motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, that started a sideshow on the lake’s north shore.
Sideshows, sometimes known as street takeovers, are dangerous performances that include burnouts, drifting, and doughnuts. They frequently draw sizable audiences and cause traffic jams.
Large-scale festivities that turn into violent sideshows are becoming a common occurrence in American cities, including Oakland.
According to Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, the altercation intensified when a person crossed the hood of a sideshow car, causing many people to get out of the vehicle and attack the victim, who was hospitalized due to serious injuries.
It was not possible to determine the incident’s possible racist motivations right away.
Once some in the crowd started attacking police officers, the already tumultuous atmosphere got worse.
After attacking an officer who was giving first aid to a victim of a gunshot, a woman was taken into custody.
Of the victims, one was between the ages of twenty and thirty, and his condition was still severe. Minor gunshot wounds and the loss of fingers were among the other injuries.
