Q: I live in Sacramento, but indulge myself by subscribing to your newspaper online. I used to live in the South Bay and have family living in the East Bay, so I enjoy keeping current on news there and the “Roadshow” and Joan Morris columns.
I am especially interested in the ongoing debate about sideshows and their cultural significance versus the danger they present to participants and bystanders. We have recently had a spate of them here and there have been some serious injuries involved.
If it is a cultural event that people want to see and be a part of, and a city mayor sees it as that, as in Richmond, maybe there’s a way to find a place large enough for sideshows to take place within that city. If it’s leased land, make the payment very affordable. They can organize their own shows. Maybe there could be bleachers. Since the land is leased from the city, local gun laws and drug use laws would have to be a part of that lease. It would get people and these shows off of the public streets. I imagine an unused drive-in movie theater plot of land would work out well.
Jan Mishler
A: These types of ideas have been looked at, but the liability and risk to bystanders are so great that they have been dismissed.
Q: I am writing to you regarding the letter from Ellen Sasaki and the horrible sideshows we have been experiencing in our city.
She is correct when she says that the mayor has said that these events are “cultural.” While other cities are increasing penalties on those participating, our mayor and the city council turn their backs, even as these events increase in our neighborhoods.
Their attitude toward fireworks is similar. They say that punishment doesn’t work and people need to be educated, but I don’t know who is supposed to do the educating or what the education is.
In addition to the participant who was seriously injured in the largest sideshow recently, at another sideshow a few years ago, a participant purposely rammed his car into an officer who was standing, trying to get people to leave. I believe he is still out on disability and working with doctors and physical therapists. There have been injuries and homes burned because of the fireworks.
I know that your column is about road and driving issues, and this veers off the course a bit, but these affect the safety of those of us driving.
Ellen Seskin, Richmond
A: These are dangerous situations you describe. Call 911 when you see a sideshow forming.
Look for Gary Richards at facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.