By now, many of you have probably heard about the events that have occurred the last two nights in Oakland, in response to the Michael Brown verdict. We wanted to address these events from our own perspective to put your minds at ease regarding Manifesta and Old Oakland.
First, we want to say that our thoughts and hearts are with the family and friends of Michael Brown during this sad time. We in Oakland are all too familiar with police brutality and this most recent ruling has stirred some very powerful emotions within our community. We empathize with the many, many peaceful protestors that took to the streets Monday and Tuesday night in an effort to show solidarity with all victims of senseless violence.
In addition to the peaceful protests, there was also a small number of violent rioters and looters in our neighborhood and throughout Oakland. Unfortunately, these are mostly the people that have been portrayed on the news. On Monday night, several of the businesses in our neighborhood were looted, and Manifesta had a window broken. Some of our neighbors stepped in at this point and prevented anyone from entering our salon, and for that we are eternally grateful. We arrived on the scene a little after 11 pm and were dismayed at the damage to our neighborhood, but heartened to hear remarks of support and condolence from many of the protestors, who did not intend for the situation to turn violent. We are so thankful to be a part of such a vibrant and supportive community, and are proud to stand firm with them against violence of any kind.
In that spirit, we have decided to keep Manifesta's doors open this week - regular hours today and Saturday and 12-6 on Plaid Friday. As always, we appreciate all of your support thus far and want you to know we need you now more than ever. Please continue to support your local small businesses in Oakland and everywhere! Please don't hesitate to call or email with any questions or concerns - we are happy to talk to you! Thank you so much again and have a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving.
Love,
K.C., Mireya and Lindsay
No comments:
Post a Comment