Activism

Faces Around the Bay: Rhem Bell

In 1863, Captain Horace James established a camp for freedmen near New Bern. James City was named in his honor. The attributes of having been reared and educated in the legacy of freedmen continues to run deep in my soul,” said Rehm Bell.

Published

1 year ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Rhem Bell. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

Rhem Bell has lived in various places around the Bay Area and served in several capcities as an activist and labor rights supporter since his arrival more from North Carolina more than 25 years ago.

A very private person, he preferred to speak about the place that shaped him and how it influenced his perception of opportunities here.

“My original home community, prior to relocating to California, was James City, a small town east of New Bern, N.C. James City was known as a Freedmen’s, Negro and eventually a Black village. Many of the people who reside there are descendants of former slaves who populated the area during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

“The village began with the seizure and subsequent occupation of New Bern by the Union Army in March, 1862. It was then that New Bern became a refugee center for thousands of North Carolina slaves who sought freedom and safety within Union lines.

“Throughout the San Francisco Bay Area are reminders of my hometown: of micro-cultures or villages amongst and just outside of the urban experience.

Hailing from a small town under Jim Crow and segregated schools left an indelible impact that fueled Bell’s determination to honor ancestral and deep family roots steeped in the spirit of freedmen.

“It did not take long, upon arrival in California, for me to realize that the San Francisco Bay Area was a place to pursue a career, invest in educational opportunities, build deep relationships with family, neighbors, friends, colleagues, and continue the legacy of my village, my community…a place to call home,” Bell said.

His life motto is: “Keep the Faith and Build a Life of Service.”

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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

4 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.