Tires spew smoke and shriek into the weekend night like a boiling kettle as muscle cars fight traction while they swing in a perfect circular motion.

by Maclean Jackson

The too-close crowd, made up of mostly males, and some brave females, dodges and provokes reckless wheel warriors. Others talk, dance, smoke, drink—whatever. Neighbors peer out their blinds, anxiously waiting for their 911 calls to be addressed. Finally, sirens mix with the music and chatter and the men in blue break up the Sideshow—a timeless event that has either plagued or livened-up the East Oakland streets, depending on who you ask.

The Sideshow dates back to the mid ’80s, a time when flashiness got attention, but performance got respect. At the time, Eastmont Mall was a pumping heart of businesses and social rendezvous. But at night, when the businesses shut down, out in the parking lot, a bizzare show took place. “Them boys was gettin’ loose—figure eights, donuts, sideways, dippin’,” says lifelong East Oakland resident Drop Knock, who recalls seeing a parade of Falcons, Mustangs, Cutlasses and Chevelles during his first show. “It’s been going on for the longest—it’s a town tradition.” As the host and co-producer of the High Side’n and Wildest Sideshows: Uncensored DVDs, Drop illustrates the Sideshow with a respect for what was and grasp of what is. And while altercations and noise have always been a side-note at the Sideshow, Oakland officials began to bring these negatives to the forefront.

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