Plaques honoring some of the greatest blues musicians in Bay Area history have been stolen from “The Music They Played on 7th Street Oakland” Walk of Fame in West Oakland.
About 40 of the 80-plus plaques — installed beginning in 2015 — in this monument to civic pride and music history have been forcefully removed from the ground. The theft occurred, likely over the last few weeks, on the stretch of the installation that runs along Seventh Street between Wood and Willow streets, according to Ronnie Stewart, Bay Area Blues Society founder and executive director, who spearheaded this project.
Stewart says that each replacement plaque will cost $1,120 and that the total bill to reinstall the plaques and restore the Walk of Fame to its former glory will tally around $150,000.
“Is just too hurtful,” he said in a post on Facebook. “The thieves who pulled them out the ground sold them to scrap metal recycle plant.”
Stewart was first made aware of the thefts by legendary Bay Area bluesman Fillmore Slim, who alerted him that his plaque had been removed from the ground.
“Luckily, Fillmore Slim’s friend saw the people who had in possession Fillmore Slim’s plaque (and) bought it from them,” Stewart says.
Stewart then went by the Walk of Fame on Monday and found that many other plaques were missing as well.
“This is a tremendous loss to the Blues Walk of Fame,” Stewart says. “This is going to be a very aggressive fundraising campaign to raise $150,000 for replacement.”
He says he will keep people posted via social media as to the fundraising plans. As of right now, he’s still weighing his options.
“We don’t know if we’re going to do a GoFundMe. We will try to go after foundation support and private company support. We will also request (help from) the Port of Oakland and Bay Area BART,” he says.
If you are interested in assisting, email westcoastbluessociety@gmail.com.
Bay Area artists whose plaques had been stolen were saddened or angered by the thieves’ actions, as were the musicians’ family members.
“I’m just so sad about this,” Jeanie Tracy, an actress, songwriter and entertainer, posted on Facebook. “The one thing that made me proud was my plaque on 7th Street Walk of Fame in Oakland presented by Ronnie Stewart and Blues Hall of Fame. Now thieves have stolen about 40 plaques to have them melted down for money.”
“Punk (expletives) stole my dad’s plaque on the Blues Walk of Fame and 40 other blues greats,” posted Evelyn Dunn, the daughter of Bay Area bluesman Billy Dunn. “Crying damn shame — I am so hurt. Let’s support to rebuild it.”
Stewart said he was in the process of reporting the thefts to police authorities on Tuesday.