Features

Owners must limit
hours of operation, fence
the area, lock premises 

OAKLAND – An East Oakland community Monday celebrated a victory that will force a problematic gas station to clean up its act. 

Over the years, the Beacon gas station at the intersection of Foothill and Havenscourt boulevards has gained notoriety as one of the top five locations for rowdy, late-night gatherings of young motorists known as “sideshows.” 

In the last year-and-a-half, police have been called to the area more than 800 times to investigate numerous complaints, including reports of drug trafficking, excessive noise, public urination and intoxication.  

The station, which also includes a 24-hour convenience store, has been accused of ignoring the situation and making it worse by allegedly selling alcohol after 2 a.m. and selling alcohol to minors. 

Neighbors expect the station to be a lot quieter now that the city of Oakland's planning department has moved to issue further restrictions on the station's operation permit. 

The move is the result of the Neighborhood Law Corps program, a service of the city attorney's office, which puts city attorneys in the communities they serve, allowing them to work with residents on specific problems. 

In this case, law corps attorney Austin Cattermole worked with neighbors for three months as he compiled evidence to build a case against the station. The result was a planning department hearing, after which the department moved to impose strict regulations on the business. 

Under the new permit, the owners of the station must limit the station's hours of operation and close from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day. The owner must also fence off the area and lock down the premises to ensure that no one can access the areas after it shuts down.  

In addition, the owner must improve exterior lighting and hire a uniformed guard to patrol the lot on weekends and holidays and it must install video surveillance cameras. 

According to evidence presented to a hearing, the gas station is the number one location for sideshows in East Oakland, and is considered one of the top five locations for sideshow activity citywide. 

In the last two years alone, the Oakland Police Department has spent more than $27,000 for extra police officers to control sideshow activity and other disturbances at the station.  

City Attorney John Russo, who started the Neighborhood Law Corps program, said that the limitation on the gas station constitutes a major victory that illustrates how having city attorneys work closer with the community they represent helps to achieve results.  

“The main thing about this program is that it takes its direction from the neighbors,” said Russo. “Cities have always had the power to bring these types of cases forward, but they require people to step forward.”