Community

OPINION: MACRO Success Depends on Qualified Oaklanders Who Know Our Neighborhoods

We always knew that we would have to fight for good pay and benefits.

Published

4 years ago

October 14, 2021

Isabelle Price

Back view of rescue service team member holding a bag and standing next to the vehicle with rotating beacons

Jobs in Oakland Series

Oakland is finally nearing implementation of a model program that will provide a humane alternative model for low-level emergency calls that do not require a police response.

Faith in Action East Bay (FAIEB) and other members of the Coalition for Police Accountability were deeply involved in a year-long community process, especially in targeted neighborhoods, that included town halls, participatory research, and stakeholder meetings, to develop an appropriate program unique to Oakland.

Two significant concerns were emphasized. Oaklanders overwhelmingly believe that hiring and training diverse, qualified residents that reflect the community they serve is essential to building public trust.

We always knew that we would have to fight for good pay and benefits.

“If they’re hiring us, what kind of jobs will they be?” was the common question. In February 2019, FIAEB members prepared lunch for 70 unhoused neighbors testifying to the Oakland Police Commission. We heard repeatedly: “when we have emergencies, we need someone to call — who is not the police.”

Out of that, came the inspiration for the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO), focusing on:

A non-police response to appropriate low-level 911 calls;
Centering de-escalation, trauma-informed care, and connecting residents to local services;
Well-trained community responders, who reflect the neighborhoods they serve;
Excellent jobs that attract exceptional candidates and have low turn-over;
A dedicated MACRO phone number for residents who don’t want to call 911;
Community engagement in pilot development and implementation.

Despite the city administration’s attempt to undermine the design of MACRO, we can ensure that it succeeds by calling on our councilmembers to give clear direction to the city that:

MACRO job descriptions accurately reflect the complex, challenging nature of these emergency response jobs and remove unnecessary requirements that block otherwise qualified applicants who are from the neighborhoods they serve.
Ensure $70,000 salaries to fairly compensate MACRO responders and ensure a stable workforce. This is work previously done by police officers who are paid almost double. Impacted Oakland neighborhoods need and deserve good jobs.
Do not divert 42% of MACRO’s staff budget to unnecessary highly paid positions that do not meet the core mission of emergency response.

Black and Brown folk have long done similar, low-paid, devalued work in homeless outreach, violence interruption, and drug counseling. Alternative crisis response is a new, expanding job market. Other jurisdictions are already expanding initial pilots. This is the moment to make sure MACRO responders are properly compensated, can afford to live in Oakland, and can become long-term experts at serving our community.

This is the moment for our City Council to insist that MACRO be implemented for success.

——————————————————————-

This opinion is part of Gay Plair Cobb’s Series on Jobs in Oakland. She is the Chief Executive Officer, Emerita, of the Oakland Private Industry Council, Inc., dba Oakland Partners in Careers. (Disclosure: She is married to Post News Group Publisher Paul Cobb.)

Isabelle Price

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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.

Published

39 minutes ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

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.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

Published

3 days ago

May 30, 2025

Oakland Post

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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.

Published

3 days ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

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.”