I had a dream about the City of Oakland. For some reason I had to go to downtown Oakland. I was driving on San Pablo Ave. toward Oakland when I noticed the street was cut in half with a cyclone fence. The four lanes was divided into two lanes. I guess the city was running out of street money so it cut the four traffic lanes into two lanes. As I changed over to the single lane, I noticed that it had outside speakers telling people not to desert the city and to patronize the local shops. Because if people kept leaving the city, they would have to close down the schools or the sixth grade. That the sixth grade wouldn't be taught anymore in the elementary schools.

As I got into the main part of the city I could see all kinds of people around this one area, and you couldn't go into this area unless you had some sort of ticket. The old kind of ticket you used to use to get into the movies. I guess all of this reorganization had just started. For people were leaving the city very upset. I parked my car and walked into this mall, but for some reason I needed an umbrella. Someone gave me a tall umbrella with handle of ten or twelve feet long.

I walked into an open area which had tables almost like a cafeteria, but it was covered and was part of the mall. I sat down and watched people eat. Someone came by and gave me a ticket. They said that I needed this ticket from now on to buy any food. I don't remember why but I decided to leave and as I was leaving I noticed some people were leaving without their food tickets because they were disgusted with the system. So I pick up a bunch of the tickets thinking I might need them in the future and proceeded out through a guarded gate.

But I remembered that I had to return this unusual umbrella. So I went back into the mall where I over-heard a councilman say that they had to keep the city together and could not let the people leave. For people were deserting the city in great numbers.

After this I went outside where they had a bunch of tables and I sat down and began talking to some friends. Somehow I could see people electronically ease dropping on people. As I was sitting on this outside balcony talking with some people, I remember seeing in the dream, that there was a man downstairs in this open area with something in his ear trying to listen to our conversation. This one man kept looking up so long that I guess he got a muscle spasm in his neck, and had to be carried out. These people with their special listening equipment were trying to seek us out, but they didn't know we were right above them in this open area. They were really trying hard to find us, but for some reason they couldn't. I could see some of them on top of roofs. I don't know if these men were from the government, for I didn't see any military or soldiers or anything of that sort. But they were still trying to ease-drop on what people were saying. It looked like a city just trying to survive because it was financially broke. I walked to my parked car outside this cyclone fence area and then I woke up. (over)

Mimi nilikuwa na ndoto kuhusu Jiji la Oakland. Kwa sababu fulani ambayo sielewi ilinibidi niende kule kwenye mitaa ya jiji la Oakland. Mimi nilikuwa naendesha gari langu kwenye barabara ya San Pablo kuelekea jiji la Oakland wakati nilipogundua barabara hiyo ya njia nne imetenganishwa katika sehemu mbili kwa uzio au fensi ya waya zilizokuwa zimezongwa zongwa mfano wa mviringo, ili iwe na njia mbili tu. Barabara hiyo iliyokuwa ya nne ya magari, ilikuwa imegawanywa katika njia mbili kwa fensi hiyo. Mimi nilikuwa nadhani kuwa jiji hilo lilikuwa limeishiwa na fedha za kutunzia barabara hiyo yote ndiyo maana labda wakaamua kuipunguza ukubwa wake kutoka njia nne za magari, hadi kuwa barabara ya njia mbili tu. Wakati nilipotoka kwenye barabara hiyo ili niingie na gari langu kwenye barabara ya njia mmoja, mimi niligundua kuwa barabara hiyo ilikuwa na vipaaza sauti za nje zikiwaambia watu kuwa wasihame kutoka kwenye jiji hilo na kuwaomba wawe na uzalendo na maduka yao ya hapo jijini. Kwa sababu kama watu wataendelea kuihama jiji hilo, itawabidi wafunge shule za msingi. Ya kuwa elimu ya msingi haitaweza kufundishwa tena katika shule za mwanzo.

Pale nilipoingia kwenye sehemu kuu ya jiji hilo nilikuwa naona kila aina ya watu kwenye eneo la jiji hilo, na ilikuwa huwezi kwenda kwenye eneo la jiji hilo kama huna tiketi ya aina fulani. Aina kama ya tiketi fulani ya zamani ambayo ilikuwa inatumika kwenda sinema. Nadhani upangaji wa aina hii ulikuwa umeanza siku za karibuni. Kwa maana watu walikuwa wanaondoka kutoka kwenye jiji hilo wakiwa wameudhika sana. Mimi nikaegesha gari langu kwenye eneo hilo la maduka, lakini kwa sababu ambayo sifahamu mimi ilikuwa inaelekea kuwa nilikuwa ninahitaji mwavuli. Mtu fulani akanipa mwavuli mrefu uliokuwa na mkono upatao futi kumi au kumi na mbili.

Mimi nikatembea hadi kwenye eneo lililokuwa wazi ambayo ilikuwa na meza ambazo zinafanana sana na za hoteli ambako unaenda kujichukulia chakula, lakini ilikuwa imefunikwa na ilikuwa ni sehemu ya maduka hayo. Mimi nikakaa na kuwaangalia watu wakila. Mtu fulani akaja na kunipa tiketi. Akaniambia kuwa ninahitaji tiketi hiyo kwa ajili ya kutumia kununulia chakula cha aina yeyote kuanzia sasa. Mimi sielewi ni kwa ajili gani lakini mimi nikaamua kuondoka, na wakati nilipokuwa ninaondoka niliona watu wengine wakiondoka bila ya tiketi ya chakula chao kwa sababu walikuwa wameudhiwa sana na utaratibu huo. Kwa hiyo mimi nikachukua tiketi kiasi nikidhania kuwa labda zingenisaidia baadaye na kuondoka kupitia mlango fulani uliokuwa unalindwa.

Lakini mimi nikakumbuka kuwa ilinibidi niende nikarudishe mwavuli ule wa ajabu. Kwa hiyo mimi nikarudi hadi pale kwenye eneo la maduka ambako nilikuwa nimemsikia diwani akisema kuwa ni lazima waweke jiji lao hilo pamoja na kwa hiyo hakutaka kuwaacha watu wahame jiji hilo; kwa maana watu walikuwa wanaihama jiji hilo kwa idadi kubwa.

Baada ya hapo mimi nilienda nje mahali ambapo kuna rundo la meza nami nikakaa hapo nakuanza kuzungumza na marafiki zangu. Kwa namna ambayo si fahamu mimi nilikuwa naweza kuwaona watu wakinasa sauti za watu wengine kwa kutumia mitambo ya ujasusi ya kunasia sauti ya mazungumzo ya watu wengine. Nilipokaa chini kwenye baraza fulani ya nje nikiongea na watu fulani fulani, na kumbuka kuona katika ndoto hiyo kuwa kulikuwa na mtu fulani hapo chini ya ghorofa akiwa na kitu fulani kwenye sikio lake akijaribu kusikiliza mazungumzo yetu. Huyo mtu alikuwa akitupia jicho lake juu kila wakati mpaka akapatwa na mstuko wa misuli nadhani, na ikabidi abebwe. Watu hawa waliokuwa na vifaa vyao hivyo maalum vya kijasusi vya kusikilizia, walikuwa wanajaribu kututafuta, lakini wao hawakujua kuwa sisi tulikuwa juu yao tu kwenye eneo hili. Walikuwa wanajaribu juu chini kutupata, lakini kwa ajili ya sababu fulani walishindwa kutupata. Mimi nilikuwa ninawaona wengine wakiwa juu ya paa za nyumba. Mimi sikujua kama watu hao walikuwa wanatoka serikalini kwa maana mimi sikuona jeshi au askari au kitu cha aina hiyo. Lakini wao bado walikuwa wanajaribu kunasa sauti za watu ili kujua watu wanasema nini. Ulikuwa unaonekana kuwa mji uliokuwa unajaribu kuishi kwa kwa mbinu zote kwa sababu ulikuwa umefilisika kifedha. Mimi nikaenda hadi kwenye gari langu ambalo lililokuwa limeegeshwa kwenye eneo lilelililokuwa limezungushiwa fensi ile ya mviringo na baada ya hapo nikaamka. (Mwisho).