Bay Area

Oakland Peacemakers Planning Major “Circle of Peace” Event April 8

Following an African model, a wide coalition of Oaklanders will hold a peace vigil at Lake Merritt on Saturday April 8. The Circle of Peace is an action called for by Adamika Village, pastors, church congregation members, county and city employees, community-based organizations, mental health professionals, small business owners and individual citizens.

Published

2 years ago

April 3, 2023

Oakland Post

According to event coordinator Tanya Dennis, the intent of the Circle of Peace is to “shift Oakland’s energy from violence to one of peace.” The event will begin with the calling of ancestors via djembe drums, spoken word and music, followed by a press conference for city and county proclamations and words of support.

By Post Staff

Following an African model, a wide coalition of Oaklanders will hold a peace vigil at Lake Merritt on Saturday April 8.

The Circle of Peace is an action called for by Adamika Village, pastors, church congregation members, county and city employees, community-based organizations, mental health professionals, small business owners and individual citizens.

According to event coordinator Tanya Dennis, the intent of the Circle of Peace is to “shift Oakland’s energy from violence to one of peace.”

The event will begin with the calling of ancestors via djembe drums, spoken word and music, followed by a press conference for city and county proclamations and words of support.

Three years ago, Adamika Village CEO Daryle Allums and Black Leaders Coalition CEO Tanya Dennis acknowledged the European model of society did not work for Black folks and from that came “The African Way” philosophy centered around the Black family and peace.

Their 10-point “peace in the streets” campaign is dedicated to ending violence in Oakland and restoring the family unit.

Thus far, Adamika Village has experienced success and takes partial credit for the 12% reduction in violence Oakland experienced in 2022 through Credible Messengers, their Peace banner project on International Boulevard and their peace messaging and beautification of blighted areas of Oakland.

Another success is the recent approval of funding by Alameda County for their “Havens for Black Healing,” a Black Mental Health Initiative launched by the Oakland Frontline Healers collaborative of which Adamika was the creator and now lead facilitator.

Adamika Village’s “Circle of Peace” vigil is their first outreach to the entire community of Oakland in a quest to find and implement solutions to end violence in Oakland.

“After decades of low levels of homicides, with COVID-19, we witnessed a 50% increase in violence in 2021, with over 100 homicides, and 2022 was even worse,” Allums said.

“It didn’t help that EDD scams put money in the wrong hands, allowing the purchase of more guns, which led to more violence when the money dried up for those use to living high on the hog.

“Desperation set in and so what we’re experiencing now is unprecedented predatory behavior with “bipping,” the breaking of car windows at a pandemic level aimed at vulnerable citizens such as elders, tourists and women being targeted. It’s gotten to a level that no neighborhood is immune, and everyone is living in fear.”

For these reasons, Dennis says, the April 8^th Circle of Peace has caught fire and resonated with the public. “People are tired of living behind closed doors and shuttered windows in fear. They’re grateful and ready to join us to do something, and our Circle of Peace is the first event to bring like-minded people together.”

Acknowledging that symbolism without action is futile, Adamika’s collaborative partner, the Violence Prevention Coalition, will host a citywide town hall June 24, 2023, at Laney College.

“The only way we’re going to end this wave of violence is to join together and take action with holistic solutions,” says Dennis “We recognize that many of our citizens are desperate for lack of alternatives and resources like access to mental health services and housing.

“The solution is to provide those resources so people don’t have to resort to violence. Sure, there are predators who are taking advantage, there always will be, but we want those who would change if they had a choice to know we’re here working with them to provide solutions.”

The public is invited to register and join by calling 510-929-7699 or email uractivist@gmail.com or click on the QR code on the flier. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1h86vv8TYLBovgUBfYtlBVY0gPGUDlCbVBAKWnDbWkM8/edit?usp=drive_web

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Commentary: Affirmative Action’s Death Knell Now Loud and Clear

Don't Miss

Ex-Con Suspected of Supplying Guns to 16-Year-Old High School Student

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

Published

8 hours ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

Published

6 days ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

7 days ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.