Philip Bell Downing: Black Creativity
Biden Announces Federal Action on Marijuana Reform Page 2
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Thousands of California Students to Earn Cash for Community Service..Page 6
Black Women Leaders: Newsom is Turning His Back on Karen Bass for Mayor..Page 7
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
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59th Year, No. 18
Weekly Edition. Edition. Oct. 19-25, 2022
Women on the Money Anna May Wong Honored
Richard Johnson
Opinion
We Must Go to the Voting Polls By Richard Johnson
The need to exercise the right to vote was and still is a long battle that has cost precious lives at every turn throughout the struggles. Personally, I get it with those who don’t see the need to go and vote, however I came to the realization that when I and other formerly incarcerated persons refuse to utilize the power of the ballot, we basically surrender our rights, which then allows the powers that be to dictate the terms of our existence without hearing our voices. If we don’t voice our wishes through exercising our right to vote, then how can we complain? Granted, too often our choices aren’t the winners. Nonetheless, by voting, it is made clear that we’re paying attention and our votes will count at some point. Between the time of the publishing of this column and Election Day on Nov. 8, The Formerly Incarcerated Giving Back organization will be out in full force registering people to vote, because we do recognize the need for everyone to have a say in matters that concern our very lives. It can become quite discouraging to watch all the national moves that are being made and the games that are being played to suppress Continued on Page 12
Left to right: Barbara Lee, Minted Wong Quarter, Anna May Wong
Congresswoman Barbara Lee cited the Public Law 116330 which states that the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, the American Women Quarters Program, which features coins with reverse (tails) designs emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of prominent American women should celebrated for its diversity. Congresswoman Lee, who also serves as Co-Chair of the
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Health Task Force, said, “This program recognizes brave, courageous women throughout our history on the American quarter. From Dr. Maya Angelou to Dr. Sally Ride to Anna May Wong, the Amerigram recognizes brave, courageous women throughout our history on the American quarter. From Dr. Maya Angelou to Dr. Sally Ride to
Anna May Wong, the American Women Quarters Program ensures that current and future generations appreciate the ways in which women have contributed to a country that is more diverse, representative, and strong. With input of the public, I am delighted that we are finally honoring these phenomenal women, especially women of color, in such a beautiful way.”
Ceasefire Vehicle Stop Leads to Multiple Arrests and Firearms Recovered
Wil Ussery Celebrates 94th Birthday at Geoffrey’s
Wil Ussery celebrated his 94th birthday with his wife at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle Sunday evening Jazz performance to see singer Rhonda Benin. Mr. Ussery had told his wife that he would love to hear the sounds of Ms. Benin for his birthday. In a surprising coincidental surrendipitous birthday gift Ms. Benin appeared and saluted Ussery who says he hopes she performs again someday to initiate his entrance into the Century Club at 100 years of age.
The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is investigating a felony vehicle stop that occurred on Oct. 17, 2022, at 5 p.m., in the 1400 block of 27th Avenue. Officers in the area observed three individuals entering a parked vehicle, two of which appeared to have firearms. Before the vehicle drove away, officers conducted a vehicle stop. Upon contact, one of the individuals inside of the vehicle fled on foot. Officers quickly established a perimeter, ultimately locating the individual and recovering a loaded firearm with an extended magazine. The remaining two individuals inside of the vehicle were safely detained. During the search of the vehicle, two additional firearms with extended magazines were located. Both firearms were loaded, one of which contained a device allowing the firearm to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger. Continued on Page 12
Candidates Run to Stop School Closings
By Ken Epstein
Six grassroots candidates are running for the three seats that are up for election in November on the seven-member board, Districts 2, 4 and 6. None of the incumbents, who all backed last Spring’s school closures, are running for reelection. These six candidates, two in each race, self-identify as progressives opposed to school closures and privatization of school resources. They see themselves as allied and as a voice for the community movement against school closures. Most of these candidates are backing each other in a ranked choice slate, asking voters to support their progressive opponents as a second-place choice
Two candidates running for school board in District 2 are Jennifer Brouhard and Max Orozco.
but not to vote in favor of any of the candidates who are aligned with privatizers and charter schools. In the wake of a community uprising against school closings earlier this year, proponents of continued school closures are on the defensive. The
candidates they support downplay or criticize last school years’ school closings and tone down their ties to charter schools and the corporate education industry. The six progressive candidates: District 2
Maximo Orozco is an OUSD parent and construction worker who became active in the fight against school closures this year. He has children who have attended La Escuelita. Orozco has been an outspoken opponent of closing schools. He recently went to Los Angeles to protest Oakland’s state overseers at the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT). Jennifer Brouhard is a retired teacher who worked for OUSD for 27 years. For the past several years, she worked at La Escuelita, which had its middle school (7th and 8th grades) closed at the end of last school year. Brouhard’s prioriContinued on Page 12
Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, left, has endorsed Pamela Price, who is running for Alameda County district attorney in next month’s election. Photo courtesy of Pamela Price.
Real Solutions to Human Trafficking By Pamela Price
For the past 10 years, the Alameda County District Attorney’s office has made human trafficking a top priority. In December 2021, however, they acknowledged that despite all of their efforts, Alameda County remains the thirdhighest “hot spot” for human trafficking in the United States. In 2013, a DOJ report found that 55% of the trafficking victims in Alameda County were from foster youth group homes. Sixty-one percent (61%) of all victims of sex trafficking are African American, followed by 15% Latinx and 12% Caucasian. A 2019 report found that labor trafficking
Opinion
was even more prevalent than sex trafficking among homeless youth in Oakland. In March 2021, the ACLU and Urban Peace Movement reported that our District Attorney’s office prosecutes sex workers and imposes harsh probation conditions. Survivors often report that they are made to feel like criminals instead of victims. My opponent has repeatedly called sex trafficking victims “prostitutes.” Advocates know that labeling a trafficked child or youth as a “prostitute” suggests an element of choice – there is no Continued on Page 12
Public Safety for Oakland: Prevention and Policing, Intervention and Enforcement By Loren Taylor
The same playgrounds I grew up on in Oakland aren’t safe for my kids today. The Town deserves better, and it starts with a detailed, multipronged, comprehensive approach to public safety. As the only Black man on Oakland’s City Council, I know firsthand that public safety is an intersectional issue. It requires a focus on the history of Oakland, racism in America, the flaws of our criminal justice system, lack of investment in new technologies, and yes, adequately resourcing our law enforcement and violence prevention teams with well-trained and community-minded men and women. For too long in Oakland, saying that we should resource police officers has been a “third rail” issue that ambitious politicians avoid. This kind of politics has gotten us nowhere, and Oaklanders are rightly sick of it. Oakland is in the midst of a public safety crisis. In 2021, 134 people were killed in our city and we are on track to meet or surpass that number this year. Families in my City Council district account for an outsized percentage of those affected by these tragic killings. They are mourning loved ones and trying to pick up the
Opinion
Loren Taylor
pieces, and in the meantime, our police officers simply cannot keep up. A recent investigative report showed that over the course of 11 months last year there were 115 instances in which Oakland police were so overwhelmed with 911 calls that they had to prioritize on the fly, sending officers only to emergencies that seemed to present imminent danger. It is absolutely crucial that as we try to solve the root causes of crime and homicide in our city, we fix the resource gaps and staffing shortages that are adding to the chaos. We are failing if our first responders are having to decide who lives and who dies. I reject the framing that it’s either police and enforcement Continued on Page 12