An unexpectedly robust crowd of over 700 protesters turned out Thursday night to register their opposition to the proposed new site for an Oakland A’s ballpark in Fremont.
An unexpectedly robust crowd of over 700 protesters turned out Thursday night to register their opposition to the proposed new site for an Oakland A’s ballpark in Fremont.
The protesters turned out at Weibel Elementary School at a Q&A session featuring Oakland A’s officials and Fremont politicians. The two sides already knew there was opposition to the new ballpark site next to the Warm Spring BART stop, but they probably were a little surprised by the size and the passion of the crowd.
To their credit, the A’s scrapped the Q&A session and invited 500 protesters in the school’s multipurpose room to discuss issues raised by the ballpark site. Protesters say there will be an impact on traffic in the area, as well as a location too close to an existing elementary school. A’s officials say they’ll limit weekday afternoon games to minimize the impact on the school and hire private security to minimize the impact on the existing residential area.
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