place

Oakland Buddha

2009 sculpturesBuddha statuesBuddhism in the San Francisco Bay AreaGuanyinReligious buildings and structures in Oakland, California
Sculptures in San FranciscoVietnamese-American culture in California
Oakland Buddha shrine
Oakland Buddha shrine

The Oakland Buddha is a statue of a Buddha placed in a traffic median in Oakland, California in 2009. The statue was placed by neighborhood resident Dan Stevenson who was upset about the frequent use of the median for illegal dumping. Stevenson attached the statue to the median using epoxy and rebar to deter theft of the figure. The city's Public Works Department initially stated that it would remove the statue after receiving a complaint about it, but backed off its plans to do so after receiving substantial opposition. After its installation, local Vietnamese residents made the statue into a Buddhist shrine for daily worship services. Following the installation of the statue and its conversion into a shrine, Oakland police stated that criminal activity in the area, including dumping, graffiti, drug dealing, and prostitution, had dropped by 82% as of 2014.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Oakland Buddha (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Oakland Buddha
11th Avenue, Oakland

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Oakland BuddhaContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 37.7947 ° E -122.2442 °
placeShow on map

Address

11th Avenue 1904
94606 Oakland
California, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Oakland Buddha shrine
Oakland Buddha shrine
Share experience

Nearby Places

Mr. Floppy's Flophouse

Mr. Floppy's Flophouse was a mansion in East Oakland that at one time housed a bordello and saloon patronized by writer Jack London; in later years a picture of the writer was placed behind the elegant bar. In the early 1990s it was also the home to a well-known, wild underground party and rave. Mr. Floppy himself was said to be an elusive archeologist from Finland who, when not busy excavating an inverted pyramid thought to house the knowledge of all mankind, was hosting late night events in the bowels of one of Oakland's most notorious districts. The party that never happened, "Go Native" was shut down from Native American communities in Texas from online social networks! Picketers and some representing the party stood ground the night the party was held. That night sparked them all which began a slew of parties ranging from psytrance to dubstep around 2009. The flophouse had around 15-20 different rooms, with something different going on in each. In the main ballroom, DJ's and acts such as Psychic TV or Olli Wisdom would perform, while upstairs boasted any variety of acts ranging from a naked man playing sitar, to freestyle house, to a black light mushroom garden paradise. The organizers were granted by the City of Oakland all needed permits to host the events. It was the goal of the organizers to provide a fun and safe atmosphere for its patrons. At dawn it was not uncommon for George, the owner of the property, to appear in a wizard cape serving shrimp cups or noodle soups from behind his piano.