Boulevard Bites

by Sheila D'Amico

### Congratulations to Jim Ratliff, editor of the Grand Lake Guardian. Jim is the founder and editor of this new online community newspaper that serves the neighborhoods around Lake Merritt. He also deserves kudos because his work to preserve the Cleveland Cascades recently resulted in a grant of $50,000 from Partners in Preservation. To learn more, visit grandlakeguardian.org.

### Principal Cherie Ivey advises us that Fruitvale Elementary School will hold its Fifth Annual War Against Improper Toys (WAIT) on Tuesday, December 12. She urges students and community members again this year to trade their toy guns, violent games, and violent toys for nonviolent toys and books. For more information and to participate, call the school at 879-1170.

### Crime continues to dominate the concerns of the community. Michael Ferraro reports on the Melrose High Hopes Yahoo group that a young girl was assaulted, kidnapped from near Horace Mann school, and thrown out of a car. Not far from there, the body of another young woman was found stuffed in a recycling barrel and dumped in a creek bed. In Allendale, the Recreation Center's director, Michael Foster, was assaulted inside the center and needed 22 stitches to close up his wounds. Foster was featured in the November Metro for his work with young people, especially his efforts to show them a way of life other than the streets. Yet, in spite of difficult odds in our community, our collective reaction is to try to figure out how to stop the violence, solve the crimes, and improve our quality of life. That gives us hope.

### It is on a note of hope that we end another year, another ten issues of publishing the MacArthur Metro. By next February when we come back, Oakland will have a new mayor. Mayor-elect Dellums has been holding what he calls neighbor-to-neighbor conversations and has convened task forces to advise him on issues. We hope he is listening now and continues to keep his ear to the community. Meanwhile, thank you to the members of the community who continue to support the Metro. We appreciate our readers, our advertisers, our Money Honeys and Friends, and our wonderful volunteers. Thank you, and to all, peace and joy, and most especially, hope.