The self-styled Pothole Vigilantes are expanding their war on bumpy and cratered Oakland streets by recruiting more residents into their asphalt army.

It started in late April with two anonymous Oakland residents pulling off covert missions to patch potholes in the middle of the night. They dubbed themselves the Pothole Vigilantes and showed off their work on an eponymous Instagram page. The duo shared pictures of their work with SFGate, but declined to be identified on the record.

The pair hosted their first meet-up Thursday night, where they handed out 4,700 pounds of asphalt, tampers, shirts and other swag to Oakland locals who felt compelled to join the cause. The "Vigilantes" reported a turnout of about 20 people.

Together they filled seven potholes near Lowell Park, bringing the total number of potholes filled to about 40 in the past month.

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Since SFGate first wrote about the duo, their rogue efforts to repair Oakland streets have gotten a lot of attention — and a lot of love. Mayor Libby Schaaf even acknowledged them on Twitter, saying "Of course #Oakland has pothole vigilantes — we're a DIY town," before asking the city to pass a $100 million plan to repave streets.

"Thanks PVs, this job will be for in-house union pros," Mayor Schaaf added.

The city council ended up voting to adopt the three-year plan on May 7. Until then, Oakland's Public Works Department is asking residents to be patient.

"This kind of activity tells us what we often hear from our community: They are frustrated and fed up with the pavement condition in their neighborhood," said Sean Maher, a spokesperson for the department. "We can't recommend anyone do this work themselves, not least because it raises safety issues while people are working in the streets."

The city asks residents report any potholes by calling 311, emailing OAK311@oaklandnet.com, or using the OAK 311 smartphone app.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.