Community

Black Lives Matter Demonstrates Outside Hollywood Walgreens

WAVE NEWSPAPERS — Sherlyn Haynes’ only child, Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, was killed by a Torrance police officer weeks before Christmas.

Published

6 years ago

January 1, 2019

Michael Livingston Contributing Writer

By Michael Livingston

HOLLYWOOD — Sherlyn Haynes’ only child, Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, was killed by a Torrance police officer weeks before Christmas.

On the evening of Dec. 23, Haynes held a poster with Mitchell’s picture at a rally with hundreds of protesters led by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles in Hollywood.

“It’s like I’m dying inside,” Haynes said about living without Mitchell, 23, who was killed Dec. 9 in a Ralph’s parking lot in East Torrance. “He was the light of my life.”

Haynes was one of around 20 people who spoke during the rally about the pain of losing a family member to police brutality — and the anger of no accountability for the officers involved.

“He was taken away, and I need justice,” Haynes said.

“No mother is alone. Not when you’re with us,” said Melina Abdullah, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.

“We’re in pain. We’re sad everyday. … But we’re going to fight for every life that they took,” said Helen Jones, the mother of John Horton III, 22, who was found dead in a Los Angeles County jail cell in March 2009.

“It is sad that a black kid can’t walk down the street without us thinking, ‘is he or she going to make it?’” Jones said.

Haynes, Jones and dozens of family members spoke from inside the Walgreens on Vine Street, where protesters stormed the pharmacy.

Black Lives Matter Los Angeles led a rally to encourage supporters to boycott Walgreens and 24 Hour Fitness after the killings of Jonathan Hart, 21 and Albert Ramon Dorsey, 30 happened inside those businesses

The rally started at 3 p.m. at the CNN building on Sunset Boulevard. Abdullah criticized the network for failing to cover fatal shootings by police officers.

“Even if CNN won’t broadcast it, we’re going to broadcast it ourselves,” Abdullah said to the crowd’s cameras and cell phones.

The organization asked the family of victims of police brutality to lead the march near the 24 Hour Fitness on Sunset Boulevard to demand a boycott of the gym after the fatal shooting of Albert Ramon Dorsey, 30.

Dorsey was fatally shot by an Los Angeles Police Department officer in the locker room of the gym on Oct. 29.

“We’re not here to hold hands and sing ‘Kumbaya.’ We’re here to demand change, to demand justice,” activist Joseph Williams said.

Afterwards, the rally stormed into the Walgreens on Vine Street, the location where Jonathan Hart, 21, was fatally shot by an armed security guard on Dec. 2. The guard shot Hart in the neck after suspecting him of shoplifting.

Melanie Bryant was a friend of Hart and said that seeing so many people support her and his family and friends in the Walgreens helped comfort her.

“It means a lot,” she said. “It means that a lot of people love him.”

Inside the pharmacy, a “Boycott Walgreens” banner was unfurled as family members of victims of police brutality spoke about the pain of their loved ones not being here for Christmas — and their anger at law enforcement for their role in the deaths.

“Black lives, they matter here!” was yelled continuously as the crowd grew in size.

A dozen LAPD officers followed the crowd inside the Walgreens, watching as the rally disrupted business inside the store.

The demonstration never escalated into violence, as protesters spent almost two hours inside the Walgreens for their rally.

As the crowd thinned out, the protesters moved outside to collectively sitting outside the front doors to prevent any more guests from entering the pharmacy.

This article appeared originally in the Wave Newspapers.

Michael Livingston Contributing Writer

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Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

Published

24 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Glydways Breaking Ground on 14-Acre Demonstration Facility at Hilltop Mall

Glydways has been testing its technology at CCTA’s GoMentum Station in Concord for several years. The company plans to install an ambitious 28-mile Autonomous Transit Network in East Contra Costa County. The new Richmond facility will be strategically positioned near that project, according to Glydways.

Published

3 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Image of planned Richmond facility courtesy of Glydways.

The Richmond Standard

Glydways, developer of microtransit systems using autonomous, small-scale vehicles, is breaking ground on a 14-acre Development and Demonstration Facility at the former Hilltop Mall property in Richmond, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) reported on social media.

Glydways, which released a statement announcing the project Monday, is using the site while the mall property undergoes a larger redevelopment.

“In the interim, Glydways will use a portion of the property to showcase its technology and conduct safety and reliability testing,” the company said.

The new Richmond development hub will include “over a mile of dedicated test track, enabling Glydways to refine its solutions in a controlled environment while simulating real-world conditions,” the company said.

Visitors to the facility will be able to experience on-demand travel, explore the control center and visit a showroom featuring virtual reality demonstrations of Glydways projects worldwide.

The hub will also house a 13,000-square-foot maintenance and storage facility to service the growing fleet of Glydcars.

“With this new facility [at the former Hilltop Mall property], we’re giving the public a glimpse of the future, where people can experience ultra-quiet, on-demand transit—just like hailing a rideshare, but with the reliability and affordability of public transit,” said Tim Haile, executive director of CCTA.

Janet Galvez, vice president and investment officer at Prologis, owner of the Hilltop Mall property, said her company is “thrilled” to provide space for Glydways and is continuing to work with the city on future redevelopment plans for the broader mall property.

Richmond City Manager Shasa Curl added that Glydways’ presence “will not only help test new transit solutions but also activate the former Mall site while preparation and finalization of the Hilltop Horizon Specific Plan is underway.

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Alameda County

Last City Council Meeting of the Year Ends on Sour Note with Big Budget Cuts

In a five to one vote, with Councilmembers Carroll Fife and Janani Ramachandran excused, the council passed a plan aimed at balancing the $130 million deficit the city is facing. Noel Gallo voted against the plan, previously citing concerns over public safety cuts, while Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Treva Reid, Rebecca Kaplan, Kevin Jenkins, and Dan Kalb voted in agreement with the plan.

Published

3 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland City Council voted on a plan to balance the $130 million deficit at their last regular meeting of 2024. The plan reduces police spending by $25 million, temporarily closes two fire stations, and guts the cultural arts programs. iStock photo.

By Magaly Muñoz

In the last lengthy Tuesday meeting of the Oakland City Council for 2024, residents expressed strong opposition to the much needed budget cuts before a change in leadership was finalized with the certification of election results.

Oakland police and fire departments, the ambassador program, and city arts and culture will all see significant cuts over the course of two phases.

Phase 1 will eliminate two police academies, brown out two fire stations, eliminate the ambassador program, and reduce police overtime by nearly $25 million. These, with several other cuts across departments, aim to save the city $60 million. In addition, the council simultaneously approved to transfer restricted funds into its general purpose fund, amounting to over $40 million.

Phase 2 includes additional fire station brownouts and the elimination of 91 jobs, aiming to recover almost $16 million in order to balance the rest of the budget.

Several organizations and residents spoke out at the meeting in hopes of swaying the council to not make cuts to their programs.

East Oakland Senior Center volunteers and members, and homeless advocates, filled the plaza just outside of City Hall with rallies to show their disapproval of the new budget plan. Senior residents told the council to “remember that you’ll get old too” and that disturbing their resources will only bring problems for an already struggling community.

While city staff announced that there would not be complete cuts to senior center facilities, there would be significant reductions to staff and possibly inter-program services down the line.

Exiting council member and interim mayor Bas told the public that she is still hopeful that the one-time $125 million Coliseum sale deal will proceed in the near future so that the city would not have to continue with drastic cuts. The deal was intended to save the city for fiscal year 2024-25, but a hold up at the county level has paused any progress and therefore millions of dollars in funds Oakland desperately needs.

The Coliseum sale has been a contentious one. Residents and city leaders were originally against using the deal as a way to balance the budget, citing doubts about the sellers, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group’s (AASEG), ability to complete the deal. Council members Reid, Ramachandran, and Gallo have called several emergency meetings to understand where the first installments of the sale are, with little to no answers.

Bas added that as the new Alameda County Supervisor for D5, a position she starts in a few weeks, she will do everything in her power to push the Coliseum sale along.

The city is also considering a sales tax measure to put on the special election ballot on April 15, 2025, which will also serve as an election to fill the now vacant D2 and mayor positions. The tax increase would raise approximately $29 million annually for Oakland, allowing the city to gain much-needed revenue for the next two-year budget.

The council will discuss the possible sales tax measure on January 9.