Vandals Smashed the Windows of Popular LGBTQ-Friendly Port Bar in Oakland | Eater SF

"I found the owners and staff shaken up after an incident of vandalism that shattered the Port Bar’s exterior windows sometime after the bar closed at midnight on Tuesday, October 3; a security guide notified co-owner Richard Fuentes on the morning of Wednesday, October 4. The owners initially suspected gunfire, but the Oakland Police Department later said the damage was caused by “rocks being thrown at the windows,” while Fuentes says the projectiles appeared to be ankle weights weighing about two to five pounds. Aside from the broken windows, no staff were hurt and nothing was taken, but Fuentes believes the attack may have been a targeted hate crime—citing that only Port Bar was damaged, threatening comments that frequently appear (and are deleted) on the bar’s Instagram posts advertising drag shows, and recent reports of vandalism at local queer bars such as San Francisco’s Cinch Saloon, which was graffitied with an anti-trans slur on September 26. The owners have boarded up the custom double-pane glass (repairs expected to cost “upwards of $10,000” and take two weeks), increased vigilance and security, and launched a GoFundMe that reached its $10,000 goal in a day; the bar reopened by Wednesday afternoon to an overwhelming show of customer support, which Fuentes says underscores that the Port Bar is more than just a bar but a space people call home. The Port Bar (2023 Broadway, Oakland) will be open during its regular business hours: 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday–Thursday, 3 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. Friday–Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sundays." - Dianne de Guzman