NBA All-Star weekend prompts Oakland to clean up problem areas
In Oakland, the city has been working with community groups to clean up the Hegenberger corridor near the Coliseum, plus the Oakland Police Department is stepping up security in the area.
Driving along the Hegenberger corridor in East Oakland near the Coliseum, it's obvious there is an effort underway to put the city's best foot forward.
"When I am driving, I do see that the streets are kind of clearer, even with the, they had a whole bunch of trailers and stuff like that, like I can see that they are making a difference," said Michelle Beacham.
She was born and raised in Oakland and still lives in the east part of town. She also works at an office only a few blocks from the Coliseum.
She said she's frustrated it took the NBA All-Star weekend for the city to address some of the issues residents have been complaining about for years.
"You guys want to clean it up because people are coming here now for an event to bring money, but what about us, the people who live here every single day? Those people are going to be here for the weekend then go home while we're stuck with it. It's going to go back to how it was," she said.
The city, along with community partners like AASEG, the ownership group trying to buy the Coliseum property, as well as PG&E and some local motorcycle clubs have organized clean-ups to pick up trash in the area. The city has also fixed dozens of broken streetlights in the area and the Oakland Police Department will have a greater presence in the area.
"That is one of the strategies we want to put in place is to have enough officers out there so people not only feel safe, but they see the presence of law enforcement and know they can't come in and commit frivolous crime in the city throughout these events," said Deputy Chief Casey Johnson of OPD.
Oakland Police along with the Alameda County Sheriffs, BART PD and CHP will have additional staff in the Coliseum area as well as downtown as well as areas historically known for sideshow gatherings.
"There will be traffic enforcement in areas where we see bad actors. People, we're not going to be specific for sideshows, but we will be specific for people who are speeding or running stop signs or engaging in a sideshow," said Assistant Chief James Beere.
Residents like Michelle say they just wish this kind of engagement could happen year-round and not just during special events.
"People are scared to come here, like Oakland has such a bad reputation now and we are such a beautiful city and it's just unfortunate," she said.
Community groups are hosting another cleanup session along the corridor Thursday morning from 9 to noon ahead of the celebrity game on Friday, and the HBCU Classic on Saturday.
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Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘She's come a long way': Lawyer for woman who sued Hockey Canada reflects ahead of verdicts Thursday in sexual assault trial
The complainant at the centre of the Hockey Canada sexual assault case has 'come a long way,' lawyer Rob Talach says, from the young woman he took on as a client to sue the sports organization and players in 2022, sparking a national uproar and ultimately leading to criminal charges. The woman known to the public only as E.M. due to a publication ban on her identity alleged in graphic testimony earlier this year at the players' criminal trial that she was sexually assaulted by members of the 2018 Canadian world junior championship team in a room at the Delta Armouries hotel in London, Ont. in the early hours of June 19, 2018, when she was 20 years old. She faced intense cross-examination over seven days by five defence lawyers, all dissecting the events of that night and attacking her version, probing how much alcohol she drank, what she said to friends when, and whether she made up her allegations because she had cheated on her boyfriend, who is now her fiancé. Talach, who no longer represents E.M., thought his former client did well. 'The timid, quiet woman that I met as a client in the beginning clearly has grown in strength and confidence,' he told the Star in an interview. Former members of Canada's 2018 World Juniors hockey team, left to right, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart as they individually arrived to court in London, in April. 'She faced top-notch criminal defence lawyers. She was poked and prodded on everything she said, thought, or offered as evidence. From the young lady that I first met, I think she's come a long way. 'Though the cross-examination was difficult and uncomfortable, I wouldn't suggest that it destroyed her. I think it gave her a chance to stand her ground and share her piece.' After hearing nearly eight weeks of evidence and legal arguments from April to June, Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia is set to deliver Thursday her verdicts in the matter of former world juniors and NHL players Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote. She could acquit or convict all of them, or deliver a mix of findings. It's a case that captured the country's attention and led to a reckoning about the handling of sexual misconduct in professional sports, and one that observers say helped to educate the public on what consent l ooks like in a sexual encounter. Regardless of what the judge decides, Talach believes the case will have made an impact. 'I think if guilty, it's hailed as a victory for survivors and a lesson for hockey culture,' Talach said. 'If it's a not-guilty verdict ... it was still a process for the accused, and I think it was a deep moment of reflection for Canadians with respect to our national sport.' The facts of the case are now well known. The world juniors were in London in 2018 to attend the Hockey Canada Foundation's annual Gala & Golf fundraising event and to receive their rings for winning the championship. After the gala on June 18, a number of players went out to Jack's Bar, where McLeod met E.M. and she returned to his room at the Delta where they had consensual sex. But other players began showing up in the room afterward, some prompted by a text McLeod sent to a group chat about a '3 way.' E.M. testified that the men laid a bedsheet on the floor and asked her to fondle herself, obtained oral sex from her while she was slapped and spat on, and engaged in vaginal intercourse. A screenshot of a group chat involving members of Canada's 2018 world junior championship team, including a text from Michael McLeod inviting his teammates to his hotel room for a three-way. The Crown has alleged that McLeod had intercourse with E.M. a second time in the hotel room's bathroom; that Formenton separately had intercourse with her in the bathroom; that McLeod, Hart and Dubé obtained oral sex from her; that Dubé slapped her naked buttocks, and that Foote did the splits over her head while she was lying on the ground and his genitals 'grazed' her face — all without her consent. The five men are charged with sexual assault, while McLeod faces a second charge of being a party to a sexual assault, for allegedly encouraging his teammates to engage in sexual activity with E.M. when he knew she wasn't consenting. While she never said no nor physically resisted, E.M. testified she felt numb and that her mind went on 'autopilot' as she engaged in the sexual activity as a way of protecting herself in a room full of men she didn't know while she was drunk and naked; she would later tell police and prosecutors she took on the 'persona' of a 'porn star' as a coping mechanism . 'I didn't know these men at all, I didn't know how they would react if I did try to say no or try to leave,' she testified. 'My mind just kind of shut down and let my body do what it thought it needed to do to keep me safe.' The Crown's case for sexual assault 'does not look the way it often does in the movies or on television,' prosecutors said in their closing arguments in June. 'The reality of what happened to E.M. is more nuanced. But it is equally a sexual assault, because she did not voluntarily agree to the sexual activity that took place in that room.' The players, meanwhile, maintained that E.M. was repeatedly demanding to have sex with men in the room and was becoming upset when few of them took her up on her offers. It's a version that some o f the accused players told London police when they first investigated in 2018, and which other players not charged with any wrongdoing offered up at trial when they testified for the Crown. 'She said, 'Can one of you guys come over and f--- me?'' former world junior Tyler Steenbergen testified in May . 'I feel like everyone was just kind of in shock that she had said that.' A photo of room 209 at the Delta Armouries hotel in London, Ont., marked up by Carter Hart during his testimony, depicting player Cal Foote doing the splits over the complainant on a bedsheet on the floor on June 19, 2018, as well as the positions of other players. McLeod, Formenton, and Dubé maintained that their sexual contact with E.M. was consensual when they spoke to London police in 2018, though Dubé didn't mention the slapping. Hart, the only pla yer t o testify in his own defence, said he asked for a 'blowie, meaning blowjob,' and that E.M. said 'yeah' or 'sure' before moving toward him and helping to take off his pants. Foote's lawyer said that the splits were a popular 'party trick' her client was known to do, but she argued there was no credible evidence showing he did the splits over E.M. without his pants and that his genitals touched her. 'There's not a lot of dispute around what went on physically in that room, and I don't think that's what a lot of parents are signing up their kids to learn in junior hockey,' Talach said. The first call to London police on June 19, 2018, came from E.M.'s mother, who found her daughter crying in the bathroom, struggling to explain what had happened. E.M.'s mother's partner called Hockey Canada, who forwarded the allegations to police. E.M. herself initially went back and forth on whether she wanted to see criminal charges laid, telling police at one point that she didn't want McLeod to get into trouble, but she also 'didn't want this happening to another girl either.' Police declined to lay charges in February 2019 after an eight-month investigation that included three interviews with E.M., reviewing surveillance and other video evidence, and interviewing most of the players now on trial. A composite image of London police Det. Steve Newton's handwritten notes on the complainant's comments during a June 26, 2018, photo-identification interview. Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton are all on trial for sexual assault. As the Star first re ported last May , the lead detective at the time had doubts about E.M.'s claim that she was too intoxicated to consent, after viewing footage of her walking unaided in heels up and down the hotel lobby stairs. And he wondered in his report whether she had been an 'active participant' in the hotel room, particularly after McLeod's lawyer shared two videos McLeod had taken of E.M. in the room. In one of them, she said: 'It was all consensual.' But everything changed in the spring of 2022, when TSN reported that Hockey Canada had quickly settled, for an undisclosed sum, E.M.'s $3.5-million sexual assault lawsuit against the organization and eight unnamed John Doe players. The public backlash was fierce, as sponsors began pulling out and Hockey Canada executives were called to testify before Parliament. And it also led to the revelation by the Globe and Mail that Hockey Canada had been using a fund partly made up of players' registration fees to pay millions of dollars to respond to sexual assault allegations. 'Parents across the country are losing faith or have lost faith in Hockey Canada,' then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in 2022. 'Certainly, politicians here in Ottawa have lost faith in Hockey Canada.' The growing scandal put pressure on London police too, prompting them to reopen their investigation and ultimately deciding they had grounds to lay criminal charges against the five players. At a packed news conference announcing the charges in early 2024, London police chief Thai Truong apologized to E.M. for the time it had taken to get to that point. Parents across the country are losing faith or have lost faith in Hockey Canada E.M. herself was actually 'quit e upset' when she was told police were reopening the case, court heard this year, with the lead detective testifying she felt she was 'opening up some wounds' that E.M. had been trying to close. The defence at trial argued that, after being told by police in 2019 of the 'deficiencies' in her version of events, E.M. and her lawyers cooked up a new 'terror narrative' — that she went along with everything in the room because she was scared — as part of her lawsuit, and it's that version that she then offered up in court at the criminal trial. Talach said he doesn't know what led Hockey Canada to quickly settle. (The players hadn't been told of the organization's intention, or even that a claim had been filed.) 'It obviously signalled an interest in Hockey Canada dealing with this quickly; now is that because they're fair and just individuals? Maybe,' he said. 'Is that because they knew there's a lot of this in their world and they don't want to highlight it, like what's happened to the church and the scouts? Maybe.' London police chose not to re-interview E.M. as part of their reopened probe, with lead detective Lyndsey Ryan testifying she felt it would be re-traumatizing . What police did have in 2022 was a new written statement shared by E.M. outlining her allegations, a statement she had also sent to a separate investigation being done by Hockey Canada . At trial, E.M. acknowledged under cross-examination by the defence that the statement contained errors, but blamed her civil lawyers — Talach — who helped draft it. 'I think with the passage of time and the level of scrutiny on the facts, the picture may have become more focused, but the best was done with what was had at the time,' Talach told the Star. Carroccia will undoubtedly be delivering her verdicts to a packed courtroom Thursday morning, while supporters are expected to rally outside the courthouse, just as they did during E.M.'s testimony in the spring. It was not supposed to be like this; the five players would long ago have learned their fates but for the fact that not one, but two juries had to be dismissed by Carroccia, causing the case to finish as a judge-alone trial. The first jury was sent home after having only heard the Crown's opening statement and brief testimony from a police detective, after a juror reported an encounter with Formenton's lawyer Hilary Dudding over the lunch break, though there were conflicting reports over what was said. The second jury was discharged two days after E.M. had completed her testimony , when a juror reported that 'multiple jurors' felt that Dudding and co-counsel Daniel Brown were mocking them, something the lawyers strenuously denied. Michael McLeod films a selfie video with the complainant on the dance floor inside Jack's Bar. While a jury verdict typically comes much quicker, the benefit of a judge-alone trial is that the judge provides detailed reasons for their decision. The courtroom where it will happen is the largest at the London courthouse, and was previously used for the infamous Bandidos murder trial, in which six men were convicted in the mass slaying of eight men connected to the biker gang in 2006. During the Hockey Canada trial, the multiple prisoner's boxes along one side of the room remained empty, as the accused players, who are all out of custody, each sat at a table with their legal teams. In the publi c gallery, McLeod's parents sat in the centre of the front row each day of the trial; Hart's mother and Dubé's relatives were also often in attendance. A series of text messages between Michael McLeod and the complainant after she alleges he and four other members of the Canadian world junior hockey team sexually assaulted her in a London hotel room. E.M. was beamed into the courtroom via CCTV from a different room at the courthouse during her testimony, while the courtroom's background was blurred on the screen so that she couldn't see the players. Court documents reveal that while she was scared and anxious, E.M. initially believed she might be able to testify in person. But after sitting in the witness box during a tour of the courthouse before the trial, she began to cry. This prompted the Crown to ask that she testify remotely, an application that wasn't challenged by the defence. 'While E.M. would tell the truth regardless of mode of testimony, testifying in the courtroom in front of the accused would potentially prevent her from providing a complete account of the allegations,' according to an affidavit filed in January by the Crown from London police Const. Amanda Corsaut, who had interviewed E.M. this year. 'She has not seen any of the five defendants since the alleged events occurred. She is scared that they may be angry. E.M. worries it may be re-traumatizing for her to see them and testify in front of them.' As the Star first reported in May , Meaghan Cunningham, the province's lead sexual assault prosecutor as chair of the Crown office's sexual violence advisory group, warned E.M. last year that it was 'not a really, really strong case,' but that a conviction was possible. She said that while most news articles from 2022 'accept as true what is in your statement of claim' from the lawsuit, the public's view of the case could shift by the end of the trial. I think Canada has probably grown a bit as a nation There is a 'real possibility that the current perception of what happened could change,' Cunningham said, according to notes from a meeting with E.M. Talach said he believes E.M. went through with it all due to wanting a mix of accountability, healing, and prevention. And her actions motivated the public to push for change. 'Regardless of the outcome, I think Canada has probably grown a bit as a nation,' he said. 'And hockey has had to sit up and take notice of some important issues that we'll continue to discuss.'
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Last Night in Baseball: The Phillies (Somehow) Won on Catcher Interference Again
There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to handle themselves. That's why we're here to help, though, by sifting through the previous days' games, and figuring out what you missed, but shouldn't have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball: Phillies beat Red Sox again, with help from catcher interference, again On Monday, the Phillies beat the Red Sox thanks to a walk-off catcher interference call with the bases loaded — a rarity that's only happened once before in MLB history, all the way back in 1971. On Tuesday, catcher interference scored the game-winner for the Phillies yet again. With the Phillies up 1-0 already in the first inning, Bryce Harper decided it was time to steal home. Richard Fitts' windup was slow enough for Harper to risk a straight steal, so he took off during it and made it safely home at basically the same time as Fitts' pitch to Brandon Marsh. However, Harper was called safe for another reason: catcher interference by Carlos Narváez, his second in his last two innings. Narváez caught Fitts' pitch and immediately put himself in position to get Harper, but the problem was that he had crossed home plate to get it. This kept Marsh from swinging, so even though he had bailed to get out of Harper's way and a potential play at the plate, by the letter of the law Narváez had broken a rule, resulting in the CI and a balk called on Fitts. Harper scored, Nick Castellanos was awarded second and Marsh was sent to first. While Harper scored the eventual game-winner that early, that didn't stop Kyle Schwarber from piling on with his 33rd homer of the season the very next inning. The Phillies' weak point is their bullpen, but the performance of starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez negated that. Sanchez struck out 12 batters in a complete-game effort that saw him allow just four hits, one run and no walks. It was his third start with double digits in strikeouts on the season, and his ERA now sits at 2.40, all of 0.01 behind teammate and Phillies' ace Zack Wheeler. Meanwhile, the Red Sox, who had won 10 in a row before the All-Star break, are just 1-4 since the season resumed. They'll try to avoid the sweep on Wednesday with Lucas Giolito on the mound against Jesus Luzardo. A three-run… check swing? The Dodgers looked good on Monday in a way that they haven't nearly often enough in July. On Tuesday? Well. That looked a lot like the rest of the month. The highlight/lowlight example being the three runs they allowed the Twins to score on a check-swing infield hopper. Reliever Will Klein came in for the Dodgers to start the top of the seventh, and while he struck out Will Castro to open the frame, he then walked Carlos Correa, Ty France and Matt Wallner in order. Los Angeles would put Edgardo Henriquez on the mound to try to keep something terrible from happening. He did not keep something terrible from happening. In fact, Henriquez was directly responsible for said happening. Royce Lewis would reach first base despite a dribbling little checked-swing ball hit right to Henriquez, because the Dodgers' reliever picked it up in a way that caused him to pause and then rush his throw, which sailed by first base and into right field — a ball hit a few feet up the line had reached the warning track, with the bases loaded. By the time the ball got back to the infield, Lewis was standing on third, and the Twins were up 9-5. They'd end up winning 10-7. Well hey, at least Ohtani went yard and tied for the NL home run lead once more. That's four games in a row now, for the first time in his career. Matthews' week is already huge Brice Matthews was drafted by the Astros in the first round in 2023, and already found himself in the majors as of July 11. He's had himself a week just two games into it, as Matthews hit two homers on Monday against the Diamondbacks, driving in five runs in a 6-3 win, and on Tuesday he was at it again. First, with his third homer of the year, a two-run shot in the top of the eighth that put Houston up 2-1. Then, Matthews decided to flash his glove, too. He kicked off a smooth-looking double play to end the D-backs' scoring threat in the ninth, and the game. The Diamondbacks had the bases loaded with one out, down 3-1, and it's very easy to imagine that ball getting through to the outfield and, at the least, tying things up in Arizona. Instead, Matthews makes the sliding stop and pivot, successfully gets the ball to second, and a throw to first later the Astros came away victorious once more. Raleigh goes deep when the Mariners need it most Cal Raleigh went on a tear before the All-Star Game, and ended up finishing one home run shy of Barry Bonds' 2001 record of 39 homers before the break because of it. Then Big Dumper won the Home Run Derby, but since play resumed following the Midsummer Classic, he hadn't yet hit another homer. Until Tuesday, anyway, when Raleigh mashed a no-doubt solo shot to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning against the Brewers. That homer mattered in-game, but it also tied Ken Griffey Jr. for the most through five seasons in Mariners' history… and Raleigh's season isn't over. He's at 132 career dingers now, but the next one will give him 40 for the year, and sole possession of this franchise-best stat with over two months of season to go. Seattle would end up winning 1-0 courtesy this Raleigh long ball, snapping the Brewers' 11-game win streak. While Raleigh might have driven in the lone run, he doesn't deserve all the credit for the victory: M's starter Logan Gilbert struck out 10 batters over 6.1 innings while scattering a pair of hits, and four members of Seattle's bullpen kept the red-hot Brewers ice-cold the rest of the way. A challenger appears Rich Hill is back! The 45-year-old was called up by the Royals on Tuesday for his first MLB start of the season against the Cubs, which made him (1) the oldest active player in the league, (2) the oldest pitcher to start a game since a 49-year-old Jamie Moyer once roamed the land in 2012 and (3) tied with Edwin Jackson for the most teams any one player has ever played for, with 14. How long will Dick Mountain stick around? The answer to that is unknown whether you're talking about 2025 or long-term, but what matters at this moment is that Hill is back, and he went five innings with two strikeouts and one earned run in his return. Enjoy him while you can, whether that's for a few more starts, the rest of the year, or long enough for him to add a record 15th team to his résumé. You can't forget about Cruz's legs Oneil Cruz's absurd strength dominates the conversation, but the dude can also run, as he reminded the Tigers on Tuesday. The Pirates were already up 2-0 in the bottom of the third, and then Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a ball to third that should have been an easy out at first. Instead, there was a throwing error by Zach McKinstry, allowing Hayes to reach, and Cruz took advantage of the confusion. He not only advanced to third on the throw, but never quite stopped, and then turned on the jets to make it all the way home despite the ball never leaving the infield. A real heads-up play from Cruz, who noticed that the Tigers weren't moving with the kind of urgency they should have been with a runner like him already in scoring position. A Cubs' Double steal! The Royals fell for the oldest trick in the book. Wasn't Rich Hill there when that thing was written? Come on, guys. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Bryce Harper Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball recommended Item 1 of 1 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Rico Garcia — a Yankee a few days ago — comes up big in Mets' win
Access the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Try it free Who needs the trade deadline when you have the waiver wire? The Mets, after another day with a flurry of transactions that impacted their bullpen, got another strong performance from a reliever group that's been battered by injuries and heavy usage. Advertisement Frankie Montas gave the Mets 5 ²/₃ innings in a 3-2 win over the Angels on Tuesday at Citi Field, but the Mets bullpen was again tasked with pitching significant innings for a second straight game. And even with everyone in the sport — especially president of baseball operations David Stearns — aware the team needs upgrades in that area, the Mets got what they needed from some unexpected places. On Tuesday, it started with a key scoreless inning from right-hander Rico Garcia, who has spent the past week bouncing between the Mets and the Yankees. Advertisement 'There's been a lot of traveling, for sure,' Garcia said. 'I'm trying to find my place and do whatever the team needs me to do.' Whatever team that is. He was designated for assignment when the Mets were in Kansas City and went home to Hawaii for the All-Star break. 3 Rico Garcia, who pitched a scoreless inning, throws a pitch in the seventh inning of the Mets' 3-2 win over the Angels on July 22, 2025. Corey Sipkin for New York Post Advertisement CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS Garcia was then claimed by the Yankees on Monday during the break, flew to Atlanta on Wednesday, pitched for the Yankees in Atlanta on Friday — his lone poor outing of his four in the majors this year — was waived by the Yankees and claimed by the Mets and flew to New York on Monday before being activated for Tuesday's game. 'You've just power through it,' Garcia said of the whirlwind. 'You can't think about it too much because then you start looking for excuses. They don't care about excuses. They just want results. I do what I can.' The 31-year-old entered with a runner on first and two outs in a one-run game in the top of the sixth and got Luis Rengifo to ground into a force-out to end the inning. Advertisement 3 Rico Garcia struggled in his outing with the Yankees in their loss to the Braves on July 18, 2025. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images He pitched around a one-out single by Nolan Schanuel and a wild pitch in the seventh, getting Zach Neto and Mike Trout swinging before Reed Garrett finished the inning. And Ryne Stanek closed it with Edwin Díaz unavailable after pitching on consecutive days. Garcia's performance aided a pen that will undoubtedly have some significant additions by the July 31 trade deadline, but first saved the Mets with six innings of one-run ball after Kodai Senga lasted just three innings in Monday's win. 3 Rico Garcia, who pitched a scoreless inning, looks up to the sky after exiting in the seventh inning of the Mets' win over the Angels. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post On that night, Carlos Mendoza went to the just-arrived Kevin Herget after removing Senga and the right-hander pitched 2 ¹/₃ shutout frames before Chris Devenski allowed a run in the seventh. Herget, whose contract had just been purchased from Triple-A Syracuse, was optioned back to the minors after the game, while Devenski was designated for assignment. But for a Mets team in need of wins, they provided some strong innings while they wait for reinforcements. Advertisement Delivering insights on all things Amazin's Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters 'Guys are gonna walk through those doors and continue to get opportunities and step up,' Mendoza said. 'To get it back-to-back nights is huge.' 'It's just about being ready,'' Garcia said.
