Developers are builders. Some view their role in grandiose terms, seeking projects and structures that will last the test of time. Few though are as brash as Phil Tagami, who has delighted in posing for pictures puffing from a fat cigar — a symbol of decadence reminiscent of a society once ruled by hard-charging men, straight whiskey on the rocks, and thick steaks cooked rare.
Tagami entered local lore during the Occupy Oakland demonstrations at Frank Ogawa Plaza in 2011, when he brandished a shotgun inside his nearby Rotunda Building to ward off protesters who were thinking about taking it over. “I’m trying to live that one down,” he said…
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