Oakland
Mt. Zion Baptist Church and California Waste Solutions (CWS) Participated in a Grand Effort to Spread Holiday Cheer
The company joined forces with Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in a charitable effort to distribute turkeys and all the fixings to families in need to celebrate the holiday.
Six hundred and fifty turkeys and 340 bags of Thanksgiving-related groceries were distributed in CWS tote bags.
The original effort was planned to be much larger, but hundreds of turkeys were distributed to families that survived the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise. CWS and other sponsors of the turkey give-away banned together to support families in need in Oakland and in Paradise.
“It was truly an honor to serve Oakland families at Thanksgiving. That is what the season is all about,” said Johnny Duong, acting chief operations officer. “CWS is rooted in West Oakland and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Mt. Zion Baptist Church to support our community.”
Pastor Michael Wallace was pleased with the event and said that he was looking forward to working with CWS in the future.
“No Oakland family was turned away,” said Tasion Kwamilele, director of community engagement for CWS. More than 600 households received Thanksgiving provisions.
“We were delighted to be able to uplift the spirits of the families for the holiday,” added Kwamilele. “At the time when so many people are suffering from the housing crisis and income inequality, we are thankful that we can help those in need. This is a tradition we hope to continue for years to come.”
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of October 30 – November 5, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of October 30 – November 5, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Minister King X, Civil Rights Group Sue California Prisons Over Right to Protest
Oakland – Minister King X, a prison ‘artivist,’ and a civil rights group will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 27 at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) headquarters at 1515 S St. in Sacramento, CA. Sept. 20, 2024, Minister King, a community organizer with California Prison Focus, and the group All of Us Or None (AOUON) filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and top state government officials.
Special to The Post
Oakland – Minister King X, a prison ‘artivist,’ and a civil rights group will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 27 at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) headquarters at 1515 S St. in Sacramento, CA.
Sept. 20, 2024, Minister King, a community organizer with California Prison Focus, and the group All of Us Or None (AOUON) filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and top state government officials.
The lawsuit challenges Minister King’s unlawful arrest on Aug. 9, 2021, during “Black August,” for allegedly violating Penal Code section 4571, which criminalizes people with felony convictions standing near prison facilities.
Minister King was arrested and imprisoned by plainclothes CDCR officers after a July 2021 protest calling for the release of political prisoner Ruchell “Cinque” Magee.
The charges were dropped without a hearing, but Minister King and AOUON allege in their complaint that the arrest was retaliation for his activism and a violation of his First Amendment rights.
According to Medium, Minister King X Pyeface of Kage Universal is a rapper, producer, and ‘artivist’ from Oakland who spent six years in federal prison and 18 years in California State Prison, where he was the youngest new African organizer during the 2011 to 2013 California Prisoners Hunger Strike.
CDCR’s report for Minister King’s arrest describes King, and many other activists, public figures, and organizations, as “Black Identity Extremists” and “Black Supremacist Extremists.”
These racist terms were used to label organizations such as Black Lives Matter as terrorist organizations and their use was abandoned by the FBI in 2019.
The lawsuit seeks to prevent CDCR from using Penal Code 4571 to target formerly incarcerated individuals for exercising their rights.
The press conference on Friday will discuss the constitutional issues associated with PC 4571, which prohibits an individual who has previously been convicted of a felony and incarcerated in a California state prison from being present on the grounds of carceral facilities or anywhere adjacent to those grounds without the consent of the warden or sheriff.
Additionally, 4571 prohibits these individuals from being anywhere other individuals in state custody may be, and anywhere adjacent to those in custody individuals without consent.
King and AOUON have alleged in their complaint that the statute violates the First Amendment rights of formerly incarcerated individuals and is overly broad and vague.
“In the depths of Pelican Bay State Prison, and other correctional facilities across the United States, a forgotten population of elderly incarcerated individuals awaits redemption. They are not the ‘worst of the worst,’ violent predators or Black Identity Extremists,” says Minister King X. “Rather, they are a unique class of individuals who possess the wisdom, experience, and desire to promote peace and reconciliation. I am advocating for and on behalf of these elders and the rights of all other prisoners.”
Arts and Culture
Faces Around the Bay: Blanche Richardson
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson came to the Sydney Goldstein Theatre on Sept. 10 to participate in an event hosted by City Arts and Lectures and Marcus Books to celebrate the publication of her memoir, Lovely One.
By Barbara Fluhrer
Photo Caption: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Blanche Richardson of Marcus Books. Photo by Cherysse Calhoun.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson came to the Sydney Goldstein Theatre on Sept. 10 to participate in an event hosted by City Arts and Lectures and Marcus Books to celebrate the publication of her memoir, Lovely One.
The book chronicles her life story and extraordinary path to America’s highest court. Professor John Powell of UC Berkeley was the moderator.
Over 1600 people attended the event, the same evening as the last U.S. presidential debate on Sept. 11.
The book is available at Marcus Books, including a few signed copies.
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