Berkeley Reporter

by Steed Dropout
Jan. 28, 2016

Desolation Row. Photo by Ted Friedman

It’s been called lower Telegraph, the Fourth Block, and all around shit-hole.

While vacancies dot the length of Berkeley’s Telegraph, Avenue, the desolate
state of Block Four is ridickelis (sic.).

First, Shakespeare’s books, a Telegraph Ave. 55 year landmark closed, as the building hosting it was about to be renovated. The owner retired.
Continue reading “Telegraph Avenue’s Desolation Row” »

by Steed Dropout
Jan. 19, 2016

A SOUTHSIDE TALE

Fire on the site. Photo by Ted Friedman

November 2011, Sequoia Apartments was destroyed by fire, a major blow to Berkeley’s once vital intersection at Telegraph/Haste. Yesterday, the New Sequoia—nearing completion by year’s end—dodged flames to its rear while reconstruction continued up front.
Continue reading “Berkeley Fire Site Survives 2nd Burn” »

by Steed Dropout
Dec. 29, 2015

Hail Solar: hail hitting the tent. Photo by Ted Friedman

There’s something about Berkeley’s annual Holiday street fair. Our job is to finger that something.

You can assist. We’ll do a sing along. Follow the bouncing finger from C.B. deMile’s the Greatest Show on Earth.”

“…so take today and make it gay
For there are too many tears along the way….”

Continue reading “Berkeley Fair to Remember” »

by Steed Dropout
Dec. 13, 2015

HARD LUCK BERKELEY BLOCK

Hard Luck Block hailed on, hit by 50 mph winds, at Holiday Fair.
Photo by Ted Friedman

A series of bad luck breaks makes Telegraph’s Block Four a hard luck block.

I’m talking about the block of which I often write, four blocks South of Bancroft. Or one block South from Haste to Dwight.

I write from the Dustin Hoffman table (beneath “the Graduate” photo of Hoffman at the Caffe Mediterraneum film shoot, 1967). A grey, wintry mood engulfs the avenue.

Continue reading “Bad Luck Block” »

by Steed Dropout
Nov. 24, 2015

IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE

Photo by Ted Friedman.

“It could have been worse,” said Stu Baker, of a two-alarm fire at Berkeley’s Chandler Apts. Baker is the voice of Telegraph Avenue businessmen.

Ranked by Berkeley Fire a “full assignment” fire, the blaze brought four fire trucks, a command vehicle, seventeen firefighters, paramedic vans and hoses pumping 400 gallons per minute—a real blast.
Continue reading “Bad Berkeley Fire Fails to Fell <br />Telegraph Ave. Apartments” »

by Steed Dropout
Nov. 14, 2015

High Hopes at Amoeba. Photo by Ted Friedman.

A lot of pieces must line up if Berkeley’s Amoeba, an independent music and video store is to dispense cannabis on Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue.

At a formal pot pitch, Thursday evening at Amoeba, Marc Weinstein and his business partner, David Prince traced the Berkeley store’s declining customer base, while boasting of Amoeba’s support for Berkeley causes.

As would anyone with a product to sell, Weinstein praised marijuana while pledging to provide the best organic-strains, grown under the best conditions.
Continue reading “Lots of Ifs to High Hopes<br />for New Berkeley Pot Club” »

ESPECIALLY ON BERKELEY’S TELEGRAPH AVENUE

Amoeba, already trippy, could be a pot shop. Photo by Ted Friedman.

Move over Jesus, pot saves. Especially on Berkeley Telegraph
Avenues’ troubled 4th block. This would not be the first time pot has saved.

Vietnamese high-grade weed solaced U.S.Vietnam War grunts.
Online sources claim the marijuana industry could bail out the treasury.
Even a small dispensary might, reportedly, gross 36 million.

Can pot save a troubled commercial hub at Telegraph/Haste?

Pot might get a shot (to save Teley) if Amoeba, an independent
Telegraph Ave. music/video store, succeeds with its application
to become a marijuana dispensary.

Site of Berkeley’s latest pot shop, if approved.
Bob Marley, pictured ,approves Photo by Ted Friedman.

The proceeds from a dispensary could either boost the block or not.
The city’s usual annual cut of such profits is 1.5 million, per club.

The three corners at TeleHaste have not contributed taxes for
many years and one corner is in arrears.

This is an opportunity any superhero would die for and the marijuana
industry may be that superhero. But whether there would be a neighborhood
trickle-down from the millions in pot profits is unknown.

Less than three blocks away from Amoeba, a 15 year-old dispensary has had
little positive impact on its neighbor businesses. Pot patrons score and scram.

Perhaps Amoeba pot patrons might find a few of the neighborhood businesses
worth shopping.

When Amoeba’s Haight-Ashbury store hosted a pot prescription spot, the
store’s traffic rose. This is sure to be a factor at Berkeley’s Amoeba.

Pot shoppers might also visit Amoeba’s across-the-street competitor,
The Mad Monk, opening in months, Amoeba itself, Piology, Little Gem
Belgian Waffles, or perhaps the Caffe Mediterraneum, where stoner/patients
might meet up with other heads—Medheads.

As Mad Monk threatens Amoeba’s bottom line, Amoeba could be holding
a 36 million dollar trump card.

The 36 million would just be icing on the victory cake.

The City of Berkeley Medical Marijuana Commission will meet at
Amoeba Nov. 12/7p, for a hearing on Amoeba’s application.

More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/berkboy/

by Steed Dropout
Nov. 2, 2015

REALLY BERKELEY

So Berkeley. Photo by Ted Friedman.

A recent forum on Berkeley’s values left out Berkeley’s Southside transient bums and its Street Crazies. And oh yes, it left out Karl Marx.

Berkeley is full of Karl Marxes. You see them everywhere, slovenly, slouching. To maintain their status as Marxists, they need not fear accumulation of wealth so long as they do not control a means of production, like a factory.
Continue reading “Berkeley for Real” »

by Steed Dropout
Oct. 27, 2015

CONFESSIONS OF A SOCIOPATHIC PHOTOGRAPHER

'We’re just like you.' Photo by Ted Friedman.

They rolled up to People’s Park in two cars filled with clothing, which was scattered, each day, on the sidewalk alongside People’s Park.

The merry band of young off-the-road, fur-hatted itinerants made a monster mess with sleeping bags, cardboard, and assorted junk off-the-streets— across the street from the park.

Each day, they displayed a poster board, which referred to street theater, Ronald Reagan, and the 1985 Iran-Contras brouhaha.

Perhaps there was a backstory here.Only I never found out because they slipped out of Berkeley like lambs who arrived as Lions. Before I could interview them.
Continue reading “Moving in on the Homeless” »

by Steed Dropout
Oct. 17, 2015

Biggest film shoot at the Med since Mike Nichols,’ the Graduate, 1967.
Photo by Ted Friedman.

Claiming to be filming for Kohl’s department stores, a 15-man film/production crew, two film trucks, two big video cams, and aspiring actors took over the Caffe Med last week.
Continue reading “Berkeley’s Caffe Mediterraneum Held Hostage by Department Store Film Crew” »