In a somewhat-better type of neighborhood self-policing in Berkeley, neighbors are now going in large groups to Becky Temko Tot Park in downtown Berkeley, so another neighbor won't yell at them. Local parents who went to the park alone would often get targeted by the neighbor, who'd yell profanities at them and blare obscene hip-hop music. Parents report that the neighbor would threaten them if their kids were playing, saying, "I know where you live," and "this is war." The neighbor's wife says that her husband doesn't like all the noise because he's recovering from a workplace injury. We try not to take sides here at the blotter, but dude, could the angry recovering neighbor maybe close a window or something? If you live near a park, don't you expect there to be some kind of noise from kids playing? Also -- isn't the loud hip-hop music the guy's playing not really going to help him if he wants it quieter? A number of people have called the cops but they say the neighbor hasn't technically broken the law so they can't really do anything.

And Oakland City Council president Ignacio de la Fuente's started a website saying that the Oakland PD trumped up the criminal charges against his son to derail de la Fuente Sr's mayoral campaign and because they were biased against him as a Mexican-American. Earlier this year, De la Fuente's son pled guilty to rape charges, lodged by four separate women (three of whom were prostitutes). De la Fuente Sr. says he agrees that his son didn't pay the prostitutes but disagrees that they were raped. In response, the Oakland PD says they have "no question" as to de la Fuente's son's guilt. De la Fuente Jr. has been sentenced to a 14-year prison term.