The Occupation: Places

(Part 4 of a four-part series. Previous: The People).

Telegraph Avenue was something of a second home for me back then. It was easy to walk to from where I lived downtown; I did a lot of shopping up there (especially music and books); I ate and drank there a lot; and I used to help friends of mine sell jewelry, t-shirts, and photos, and pierce ears, etc., on the street.

So it was depressing to see a lot of the familiar places boarded up or with smashed windows (something everyone thought was wrong, regardless of politics). And it was surprising to outsiders who’d never actually seen the place, to see just how tawdry and unfriendly People’s Park could be in real life.

Shambhala Booksellers, Telegraph Avenue, still open for business…

A view of People’s Park.

A typical boarded-up store on Telegraph at Haste

Typical People’s Park scene.

Sale! Boarded up, but the store’s still open…