Piece of Oakland's cultural history ripped out of the ground

Dozens of commemorative plaques marking a part of Oakland's cultural history were ripped out of the ground and stolen, leaving a local nonprofit facing a costly replacement effort.

What we know:

About 10 commemorative metal plaques which each contained four, individual name plates were stolen, according to Ronnie Stewart, the director of the West Coast Blues Society. 

The Bay Area non-profit helped create and install the plaques ten years ago as part of a display called "The Music They Played On 7th Street, Oakland Walk of Fame." 

A total of 20 plaques are embedded in the sidewalk from 7th and Wood streets all the way to the West Oakland BART station. 

Each plaque has four name plates with each, featuring the name of a musician who either performed or played on 7th street at one point in their career.

Ronnie Stewart discovered the missing plaques earlier this week.

"When I saw it, I couldn’t even cry. It was past crying. It just flipped my stomach," Stewart said. "It’s a shame. I wish they knew the history of 7th Street. It wasn’t just some metal to sell."

Stewart is unsure when the plaques were stolen. Some may have been missing for weeks or months. 

He does not live in Oakland and does not check the display on a regular basis. 

Stewart said the bronze plates were installed using nine-inch metal bolts. 

The stolen plaques were in front of former music clubs that are now closed and abandoned, with no security cameras nearby. 

Stewart first suspected a possible theft when one, still-living musician called to tell him someone offered to sell the plaque with his name back to him. 

Stewart said he was in dismay and disbelief.

 "How could anybody do this? If they needed money, call me, I'll give you some money."

He also wonders how someone stole the plaques.

"They’re extremely heavy. They’ve got to be 70 to 80 pounds each," Stewart said. "Someone must have used a blow-torch and a grinder to get them out of the ground."

The backstory:

During World War II and for decades after, 7th Street was known as the "Harlem of the West," home to a thriving district of Black-owned businesses, music clubs, and theaters. Iconic musicians such as Etta James, B.B. King, and Aretha Franklin performed in the area. 

Decades later, the band, Green Day was also given a commemorative plate on the 7th Street Walk of Fame, since they used to have a rehearsal studio there. 

Stewart posted that he plans to file a police report on Wednesday and also check with scrap metal yards in the area to see if he can recover some of those historic plaques.

What you can do:

If anyone wants to contact Stewart, click here. 


 

OaklandNews