City Government
Op-Ed: The Drug War, Mass Incarceration and Cannabis Equity
By Cat Brooks
It is no longer questioned that the war on drugs has disproportionately impacted Black, Brown and poor people. What is less understood or discussed are the potential impacts that the legalized cannabis industry will have on these communities.
As it stands, the bulk of the licenses held for Oakland businesses are owned by non-Black people, though the arrests, incarceration and destruction of community has rested largely on Black bodies.
What happens to the communities that are still reeling from generations of individuals who have been locked away for the possession or sale of cannabis? What happens to individuals left to languish in prisons and jails for petty drug crimes?
And what about the street corner tradespeople who have engaged in a largely safe industry when they are pushed out of business due to the gentrification of Oakland’s cannabis game?
Will they be forced into means of earning a living in another underground economy or more violent ways? With the closing of job centers, the city not applying for youth summer employment dollars and double-digit unemployment for Black residents, it is imperative that Oakland’s elected officials do the right thing for cannabis equity.
Our local leaders have a moral obligation to ensure that those most impacted, including those currently and formerly incarcerated, their families, and their communities, experience relief from the racist criminalization of marijuana.
“An injury to one is an injury to all,” and the indelible stain that this 40-year drug war has left on so many of our neighbors can now begin to be healed. Join me and a growing segment of Oakland residents in creating a more equitable city for all.
We will have a deeper discussion about the war on drugs and mass incarceration on Friday, Feb. 10 at Oakland City Hall at 5:30 p.m. after screening the documentary film The House I Lived In.
All perspectives are welcomed in this conversation and the event is free and open to community.
Cat Brooks is the Co-Founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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Activism
IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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