Source: SFGate
“Nearly half of the historic metal plaques on Oakland’s blues ‘Walk of Fame’ valued at approximately $150,000 were recently stolen, according to the nonprofit that installed them. ‘West Oakland has been stepped on again. [The thieves] stole the history,’ Ronnie Stewart, the executive director of the West Coast Blues Society, told SFGATE. The plaque project, known as ‘The Music They Played on 7th Street Oakland Walk of Fame’, includes more than 80 brass plaques dedicated to blues and other musicians, Stewart said. Stretching along the sidewalk in front of the West Oakland BART Station, they commemorate artists such as BB King, Aretha Franklin and Etta James who played on 7th Street, an area (like San Francisco’s Fillmore) previously dubbed ‘the Harlem of the West’ for its music scene following World War II. Among the 41 plaques stolen were those dedicated to East Bay-bred Green Day and San Francisco blues musician Fillmore Slim, Stewart said.” (01/29/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/historic-oakland-walk-fame-plaques-totaling-20064312.php