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A’s Struggle to Find New Home Base for Ballpark

Published

6 years ago

May 17, 2019

The Port of Oakland is moving ahead on a plan to let the A’s build at Howard Terminal, despite vocal opposition of labor and port businesses.

The Port of Oakland Commissioners, unmoved by the vocal opposition of labor and port businesses, unanimously voted this week to begin talks to allow the Oakland A’s to build a new baseball stadium at Howard Terminal in downtown Oakland.

Monday’s approval is only one step in the long process for the A’s plan to build a new 35,000-seat ballpark, which would include housing and other projects. The tentative agreement gives the A’s four years to complete an environmental impact report for the 35,000-seat baseball stadium. The franchise hopes to build the ballpark by 2023.

The approved term sheet provides for a 66-year lease that would cost the A’s $3.8 million a year for the first 20 years, according to Ballpark Digest.

After 20 years, the rent would increase, according to the S.F. Chronicle.

“A great day for Oakland and the Oakland A’s,” said team President Dave Kaval, reported KTVU. “Over the next year it’s going to be really important to get the environmental reviews, to get the state legislation done and bring it to a City Council vote early next year.”

Port staff recommended approval of the term sheet ahead of Monday’s vote. In addition, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf backed the commissioners’ decision, calling it a historic milestone.

Lining up against the proposal is a coalition that includes the ILWU, the longshore workers’ union; train operators, bar pilots, cargo shipping companies; and truckers, who say the stadium would undermine operations at the port, costing jobs and disrupting shipping.

“It’s not a done deal,” said Mike Jacob, vice president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association.

“You would sacrifice the port for privatization of the public resource, the third busiest port of the West Coast for a baseball stadium and condominiums? These condos are not for poor people, these condominiums are for people who want to watch a baseball game,” said Clarence Thomas, a retired longshore worker, reported KTVU.

“It’s going to impact labor and thousands of jobs in the port area. There’s no infrastructure for transportation. It will impact the trucker getting in and out of the port, ship traffic coming in out of the port. This area of the port is over half our container moves every year,” said Aaron Wright of the ILWU, reported KTVU.

Scott Taylor of GSC, a 20-year tenant of the port, told the board he was concerned that the A’s would be paying cheaper rent for land for their development.

“Someone around here is proposing a monthly rent for the A’s at somewhere between $76,000. I’ve heard even lower numbers than that per acre on a yearly basis, and I just want you to know that GSC is paying close to $100,000 per acre. That’s extremely concerning.”

Kaval, of the A’s, told the media that the concerns of labor and port businesses would be addressed.

“There’s going to be a huge infrastructure plan that we worked with the city on, based on the input of these stakeholders, whether it’s the bar pilots, the truckers or the maritime interests. We’ve made large concessions on our project. The two are not mutually exclusive. You can have a plan that supports both and that’s exactly what we plan on doing,” he said.

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

7 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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May 30, 2025

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Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

1 week ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”