City Hall Wants First Friday to Get Organized

After a shooting at First Friday in Uptown last February left one man dead and three people injured, city officials and the event’s various organizers decided that the next First Friday in March would be smaller, end earlier, and alcohol-free.

On Tuesday, city staff will report to the Oakland City Council that those measures contributed to a well-attended and peaceful event on March 1, but they will also suggest that more needs to be done. The police department and the city’s marketing department are recommending that First Friday’s organizers develop a “much-needed blueprint for long-term safety and sustainability of the monthly event.”

According to the staff report, other recommendations may also include: “suggesting that the group hire a professional event coordinator and/or paid event crew; establish a central communications command; implement a more comprehensive trash collection and recycling program; and improve coordination of food and other vendors participating in the event.”

Since September, the city has been paying around $16,000 each First Friday for 30 private security guards, traffic management, staff overtime and insurance.