Bay Area

New Organization’s Mission to End Violence in East Oakland

Published

5 years ago

December 5, 2019

Several non-profit organizations lead by Black leaders convene at Apt C, a local nightclub in East Oakland, to discuss their commitment to stop the violence in the neighborhood.
“We aren’t asking for it no more, we’re taking back our streets,” said Daryle Allums of Adamika Village.

The group, comprised of leaders from “Take Back Our Streets” “Adamika Village, Stop Killing Our Kids Movement.” “The Ron Dellums Justice Center,” “My Brother’s Keepers” and the chief of Violence Prevention for the City of Oakland, have adopted the joint title of “Pillars of East Oakland.” The group has called for a war on violence and firmly believe they will be successful because many come from the very streets they are trying to save.

The East Oakland Pillars are demanding restorative justice thorough policy making and community outreach. They view themselves as “credible messengers” with a mission to take back the streets and make them safer for everyone. The East Oakland Pillars are planning a “No Yellow Tape Day” in the near future.Daryle Allums said, “We have to be the architects of our own change, it can’t happen outside of our community it has to come from us.”

Cesar Melvin Johnson, executive director of “Take Back Our Streets” lost two nephews and then his brother to gun violence. Johnson shared that, “Black men have been traumatized in Oakland. It’s tragic that our kids know the difference between nine millimeters and 45’s by the sounds. That’s knowledge kids should not have.”

Comprised of different generations of East Oaklanders, the members range in age from age 33 to old G’s, and so far are discussing the trauma and mental health issues that communal and gang violence has caused especially among Black men.
Oakland’s rich culture was discussed, from the Panthers to the Civil Rights Movement. John Jones from the Dellums Institute broke down the history of Oakland from 1900s to 2019 within minutes.

Each organization within East Oakland Pillars brings unique and different methodology to address systemic issues that prevail in East Oakland, ranging from human trafficking, domestic violence, destructive boredom, gang activity and gun violence.

Most important were the solutions, such as being proactive in reaching out to the city to insure people in East Oakland have access to the jobs that are coming to the Port. All of the men at the table agreed they have to bring youngsters to the table and are planning a three-part summit to identify youth dreams and concerns.

Darren White, founder and executive director of “Realize Potential” Inc., a community organizer with the Urban Strategies Council, and Brother’s Keepers of the Obama Foundation said, “We are not here to attack people in the streets. We are including everybody, and we’re expanding this message to West Oakland.”

John Jones III of the Dellums Institute for Social Justice said “It was wonderful to see people coming together from diverse backgrounds, speaking from their hearts and minds. We reached a consensus that it is our responsibility to make our communities safer. We are the ones that must establish systems and policies and that can only be accomplished with boots on the ground, the days of a helicopter approach are over. It’s imperative that we understand the dynamics and the rhythm of our community, structural policies and the institutional context.

“For example, we’re in the grips of a crippling housing crisis and we’ve lost half the Black population. Losing that amount of people means we’ve also lost Black institutions resulting in the loss of institutional memory,” Dellums continued. “So many people coming to Oakland don’t understand our oppression, being victimized and racially profiled, which is the vanguard of our demand for liberation and social justice. The same people that has given Oakland its global reputation are the same ones being racially profiled and subjected to oppression while being told for too long that we are responsible for our condition in Oakland.”

District 6 City Councilman Loren Taylor said “it was inspiring to connect with other Black men who, despite our different experiences, and different roles we play in the community, share a common set of issues that face all Black men in America, and share a common commitment to collectively work to transform the trajectory of the Black community in Oakland.”

Tanya Dennis

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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

6 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

2 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

2 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.