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6/12/2005
Oakland, CA Mayor: Jail Anyone Who Looks at Doughnuts
Former California Governor Jerry Brown proposes six months' jail time for spectators at 'sideshow' performances on the streets of Oakland.

A sideshowOakland, California Mayor Jerry Brown is proposing draconian fines for not just the automotive street performers who create "sideshows," but for anyone who watches them perform as well. A sideshow can be as simple as a doughnut at an intersection or as complex and dangerous as an impromptu dance atop a moving car.

Police have already seized 1400 cars under the existing law allowing a car to be held for 30 days. Brown, who was California's governor from 1974-83, now proposes that the performer's vehicles be permanently confiscated and sold for the benefit of the city. His ordinance would also make merely looking at a sideshow a crime punishable by six months in jail and a $1000 fine.

Some time ago, Oakland forced large parking lots to close in the evening, pushing performers out onto the street.

Article Excerpt:
''This is Oakland gone wild," said Mayor Jerry Brown, who appeared before the City Council just after midnight Wednesday to press for passage of an ordinance that would make it a crime to attend sideshows.
Source: A car culture inflames a culture war (Boston Globe, 6/11/2005)



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