Community
OP-ED: Who killed Doctor’s Medical Center?
By Jovanka Beckles
A quarter of a million people in Richmond and West Contra Costa County, a majority people of color community, will be without a community hospital as a result of a recent decision to phase down and finally close the doors of Doctors Medical Center (DMC) in San Pablo by April 21.
To not provide a full service hospital in West Contra Costa County is an example of environmental and institutional racism as experienced by predominantly poor people of color.
In large part due to the location of Chevron and other industries, West Contra Costa County has higher rates of cancer and asthma. These industries also pose a regular risk of explosion and release of dangerous chemicals.
There should be a hospital nearby in case of an industrial accident, but the largest and most profitable industry, the Chevron Corp., refused to contribute to keep DMC open.
The remaining hospital in the area, Kaiser Richmond, does not serve indigent patients, has an emergency room too small to handle the volume of the area, and does not have the capability to handle strokes and heart attacks.
The DMC emergency room closed to emergency services months ago. For most of the residents of Richmond, San Pablo and surrounding areas, emergency care is between 15 and 20 miles away over clogged freeways.
Already it appears that two or three people have died because they could not receive emergency care quickly enough.
But it’s not just an issue of emergency care. A community needs a hospital just as it needs its parks, police, libraries, schools and public transit.
When people require treatment in a hospital, it is important that their parents, children and other members of the family and friends be able to visit.
It is simply part of good medical care. People who need regular treatments, whether it’s for cancer or kidney problems, need a hospital that is convenient.
The long travel distances to a hospital place an extra burden on poor people.
There is very little chance that last-ditch efforts will save the hospital. One can only hope.
So who killed DMC?
First is our broken health care system. The problem with DMC was not how it was run. Whatever problems its management had, it provided service at lower cost than surrounding hospitals.
The problem was “its patient mix” – DMC treated “too many” low income or indigent patients.
The problem with DMC was not how it was run. Whatever problems its management had, it provided service at lower cost than surrounding hospitals. The problem was “its patient mix” – DMC treated “too many” low income or indigent patients.
Payments from Medicare and Medical were too low to cover costs. DMC lost money on every one of these patients.
Simply put, DMC failed because it provided medical care to people who are already underserved. As a result, DMC had to be subsidized.
The county refused to do it. The state government refused to reclassify DMC so it could receive a special subsidy for caring for “target” patients, and came up with a paltry $3 million.
Obamacare meant the hospital would benefit community members, but provide more services at a loss to DMC.
Many community members tried to save Doctor’s Medical Center. As a result of pressure from the community, the Richmond Progressive Alliance and the California Nurses Association, the Richmond City Council was pressured to allocate $15 million to support DMC.
Unfortunately, government leaders from other parts of the area turned their heads.
San Pablo contributed nothing more than to broker a deal to transfer land to the local casino. Neighboring cities Hercules, Pinole and El Cerrito were silent.
A majority of the county supervisors based in the East County would not help.
The Contra Costa Times ran a campaign for the closing.
Other hospitals in the region should have contributed. While they are called “non-profit,” Kaiser, Sutter and other hospitals are enormously profitable and have ways to transfer money to management.
They save a lot of money because of their “non-profit” status.
The existence of DMC actually saves them money by absorbing some of the indigent population they would otherwise have to treat. Yet they refused to join in the plan to keep DMC open.
There are a lot of institutions and individuals to blame for closing DMC, but in the end the main problem was that there were not enough political leaders willing to organize a campaign to force these institutions to save DMC.
This scenario is a case of classic institutional racism. Areas where people of color live are underserved supposedly not because of race, but because we are not wealthy and powerful
In the end the main problem was that there were not enough political leaders willing to organize a campaign to force these institutions to save DMC. This scenario is a case of classic institutional racism.
We have to figure out as a community how to get the medical care we need, we deserve and is our right.
Jovanka Beckles is a member of the Richmond City Council.
Activism
Remembering George Floyd
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire
“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.
The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”
In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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#NNPA BlackPress
Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.
Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”
The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”
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