Oakland

OP-ED: Coal Dispute: Much Ado About Nothing

Published

9 years ago

July 11, 2015

By Darrel Carey

Once again we see the new population of Oakland attempting to run the political and economic agenda of Oakland and specifically, in this case, that of the West Oakland community.

While new ideas and different opinions are welcome and add to the fabric of our city and community, we cannot allow outside efforts and agendas to saturate and dilute existing and longstanding community needs and opinions.

The Sierra Club has been organizing around the issue of not allowing coal to be exported through Oakland.

Has there been an honest and sincere effort on the part of the Sierra Club to learn about this project from those developing the terminal?

Has there been an honest dialogue and exchange of ideas about the proposed activity? Or is this much ado about nothing?

A newly formed Oakland based company has the rare opportunity to establish itself on the former Oakland Army Base to export numerous bulk commodities, including coal. This is consistent with current EPA and CEQA regulations as required by the City.

Coal is a commodity exported to many developing countries that desire to experience just some of the comforts we enjoy and often take for granted here in America.

We think nothing of powering our homes, refrigerating our food, booting up our computers, charging our cell phones (or powering up our electric cars…). Because we are justifiably in the process of advancing toward “renewable energy” sources such as water, wind, and bio-fuels to achieve our power demands, coal is viewed by some as defeating that goal.

Not true…Those developing third world countries are currently using the lowest forms of fossil fuels contributing to far greater pollution and environmental damage than the higher quality coal being exported from the U.S.

Moving toward renewable energy is a long-term process and will take years as the Obama Administration acknowledges in its’ goals.

In the interim, however, coal is a major source of energy for the world and it will continue to be exported through our ports until it is no longer viable.

The commodity terminal being designed and developed by this Oakland firm is seeking to establish itself as the newest and most innovative terminal of its type in the world.

What an opportunity this could be. Recognizing the sincere and valid concerns around the direct impacts of transporting coal, this firm is in the process of designing a terminal that protects the community during rail car transport, during terminal storage, and during actual transfer to ships.

Targeting this firm or any effort to move toward innovation is just wrong. There is an opportunity here for Oakland to do something different and innovative. This is an opportunity for Oakland to create jobs and greater economic benefit for our community.

I would challenge our community and city leaders to think progress.

There are many opportunities and issues on which we can partner with the Sierra Club and others in an attempt to save us from global warming.

This is not that issue.

Let’s look at the potential benefits and work to help create a state of the art environmentally safe facility. Let’s look at the contracts and jobs that will be created for Oakland residents.

Let’s look at making Oakland and our community a leader and model in this effort.

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Let’s not create much ado about nothing.

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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

Published

23 hours ago

November 1, 2024

Oakland Post

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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.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Minister King X

Special to The Post

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.”

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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.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post