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Memorial to Honor Pedie Perez on Anniversary of Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting

The memorial, taking place at 3322 Cutting Blvd., will bring together members of the Perez family with local police, city officials and Richmond community members to “honor a life cut short [and] to support our advocacy for police accountability and reduced deadly encounters,” according to a family statement.

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Pedie Perez with his grandpa, Richard Perez Sr. Photo courtesy of the Perez family.
Pedie Perez with his grandpa, Richard Perez Sr. Photo courtesy of the Perez family.

By Kathy Chouteau
The Richmond Standard

A memorial service for Richard P. Perez III — familiarly known as Pedie Perez — was held Sat., Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. in Richmond to mark the ninth anniversary of his police-involved shooting in the city.

The memorial, took place at 3322 Cutting Blvd., and brought together members of the Perez family with local police, city officials and Richmond community members to “honor a life cut short [and] to support our advocacy for police accountability and reduced deadly encounters,” according to a family statement.

The Perez family also intends for Pedie’s memorial — occurring at the scene of his shooting — to serve as a call for continuous reforms and a space for communal healing and reconciliation.

Pedie Perez, age 24, was killed in an officer-involved shooting at a liquor store/deli in Richmond in 2014.

Later, in a 7-1 vote, the Richmond’s Citizen Police Review Commission sustained a complaint that excessive and unreasonable force was used against Perez, per KTVU.

Richard ‘Pedie’ Perez III was killed by a City of Richmond police officer Sept. 14, 2014. Photo courtesy of the Perez family.

Richard ‘Pedie’ Perez III was killed by a City of Richmond police officer Sept. 14, 2014. Photo courtesy of the Perez family.

Among those honoring Perez at the memorial will be Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez, Richmond Police Chief Bisa French, Richmond Police Officers Association President Ben Theriault, Shawn Dunning, Reimagine Richmond Taskforce members, Richmond’s Community Police Review Commission and other community members, per the Perez family.

Since Pedie’s death, the Perez family has advocated for meaningful changes in policing throughout the state, helping enact laws — alongside other victims’ families — including SB 1421 “Peace Officers: Release of Records,” AB 392 “California Act to Save Lives” and SB 2 “Police Decertification Act.,” according to the statement.

The family said it has also helped establish Richmond’s Ordinance No. 29-20 N.S. to foster increased accountability and promote transparency within the City of Richmond.

A potential Richmond art project memorializing Pedie has bolstered his family: Two city-owned concrete trash cans that would be artistically decorated with Pedie’s name and likeness by artists John Toki and Jon Sances, along with volunteers, and placed at 3322 Cutting Blvd.

The project is currently pending recommendation by Richmond’s Arts and Culture Commission and the Recreation and Parks Commission to the City Council for approval, per the statement.

The Perez family indicated that they believe the diverse gathering for Pedie’s memorial reflects the community’s cohesion and collective commitment to establishing an accountable and highly respectable police force within the City of Richmond.

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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

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William "Bill" Patterson, 94. Photo courtesy of the Patterson family.

William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.

He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.

Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.

Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.

Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.

He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.

A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.

His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.

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