Deep East is an expression that has in part grown out of the ongoing question of "Where is East Oakland?" Partly because there is no 'official' definition of East Oakland and the overly broad definition by some of East Oakland as "anything (south)east of the lake", the term Deep East has arisen. As in, you're not really from East Oakland unless you're from Deep East.
Ironically, there's also no clear definition of Deep East. But a widely accepted definition is: the parts of Oakland southeast of 70th Avenue and below I-580. 1 If Deep East is regarded as "the flats," as the 70th Avenue limit implies, it might be defined as the area east of 70th and south of MacArthur Boulevard. On the other hand, the flats extend farther west, to the south of Foothill Boulevard, as far as Fruitvale Avenue.
The Tupac Shakur song "Don't Sleep" includes the line: "Warrant in deep east Oakland (doors wide open)".
Additional Links
- 1. Deep East Oakland on Wikimapia
- Oakland Hotspot: Living in an East Oakland Neighborhood (San Jose Mercury News)
- In 'Deep East' Oakland, youth pegged as criminals say police harassment spurs more violence San Francisco Public Press October 7, 2009
- Deep East Oakland rising Tammerlin Drummond Oakland Tribune January 25, 2011
