About this episode
The original sideshows were pop-up parties -- part car show, part block party. They first bubbled up in mall parking lots of Deep East Oakland in the 1980s. Over time the sideshows began to change and the Oakland Police Department began to take notice. New laws were introduced that criminalized sideshow spectators. That complicated the already tense relationship between police and the community. We get into the history and culture of the sideshow. Guest: Sandhya Dirks, KQED equity and enterprise reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices