News

Oakland Protests Verdict in Philando Castile Death

Published

8 years ago

June 22, 2017

A subdued crowd of about 200 people gathered in front of Oakland’s City Hall to protest last Friday’s verdict in the case of the policeman who killed Philando Castile in a traffic stop in St. Anthony, Minn., in July of last year.
Oakland’s impromptu rally, held last Saturday evening, was one of many held across the nation after the acquittal of Officer Jeronimo Yanez.

Captured on video and broadcast live on Facebook by his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, Castile’s death shocked the nation, occurring just one day after Alton Sterling died at the hands of police in Baton Rouge, La.

The public outcry in 2016 included Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and led to the rare arrest of Yanez, who shot Castile even as he was complying with Yanez’ request to show his license.

It seemed, at the time, that for once a Black life would matter.

That it didn’t was all too much for 16-year-old Lucy Siale. Unable to accept that Oakland did not appear to be rallying behind the Castile family in particular and Black Lives in general, Siale took things into her own hands.

From behind the closed door of her Walnut Creek bedroom, Siale, a Tongan student at North Gate High School, mounted the call for the rally on Facebook even while her parents inquired what she was doing. Carrying signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” the mostly white crowd began to chant that slogan while they waited to see who was organizing thee protest. Dressed in rolled-cuffed jeans and T-shirt, a red bandana tied over hair braided in two long plaits, Siale stepped up like she had been leading protests all of her life.

After leading call-and-response cheers, Siale smoothly outlined the program for the evening. “We have to fight with and for Black people,” Siale said and exhorted the crowd to remember that Black people have been at the forefront of resistance in the United States for hundreds of years and deserve much more respect than they get.

To prove her point, she told the crowd that the primary people who would be speaking to them that night were to be Black: even the non-black people of color were asked to fall back. After a long pause, Oakland native Jena Terry took the stage.

“If you wonder why nobody came up right away, it’s because we’re tired,” she said. “We’ve been talking. Nobody’s been listening.”

Lucy Siale, a Tongan resident of Walnut Creek, led the rally in front of Oakland’s City Hall on Saturday, June 17. Photos by Tobaji Stewart.

San Leandro nurse Leslie Silket, who turned down a shift to come to the rally, said sacrifice is necessary to support the mothers who had no choice in becoming part of this “club.”

“I am here because Philando’s mom compelled me to be here,” Silket said, recounting that her 18-year-old son’s new habit of putting his license on the dashboard of the car so he doesn’t have to reach in his wallet in case he is stopped by police.
“Everybody can do something. Write a check, buy a latte for a homeless person.”

Gilda Baker became a member of that club in 2005 when her son, Diallo, was killed in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident with the CHP.

“I have been carrying this pain for 12 years,” Baker said. “When they say ‘angry Black woman’ you damn right. When they say ‘strong Black woman’ you damn right.”

Young pastor Leon Scoggins of The Life Church at the DeFremery Recreation Center said, “God is not pleased with police terror,” and that the community should not have to face that battle by itself and the church should be more involved.
Siale asked for nine Black people to come to the dais, where she distributed candles for them to hold. Requesting a moment of silence to think of the lives lost, “the Black lives that should still be here,” Siale then asked the non-Black members of the crowd to do more than lip service to the pain of Black people.

“Provide them with resources, but most of all give them something they can’t touch. Give them love. They deserve it. Now, raise your fists.”
Siale waited until the fists were up and called out one last time: “Black Lives Matter.”

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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

1 day 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

3 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

3 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.