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Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
61st Year, No. 11
Weekly Edition. Edition. March 13 - 19, 2024
postnewsgroup.com
Meet the New Slate of Candidates for Oakland Police Chief: Part II
Michael Tran Closes Shoe Business, Cites COVID, Crime Cautious Customers and Cash
Barbara Lee and Joe Biden. Photo courtesy of Conway Jones via CNN. Former San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen and former Lubbock, Texas Police Chief Floyd Mitchell are two of four candidates for Oakland police chief. Last week, we featured Louis Molina and Lisa Davis. Photos courtesy of Public Policy Institute of California and City of Lubbock, Texas, respectively. By Magaly Muñoz
The Oakland Police Commission hosted a public forum on Feb. 29 at City Hall for the new slate of candidates in the running for Oakland Police Chief. The candidates are former San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen; former Lubbock, Texas Police Chief Floyd Mitchell; New York City Assistant Deputy Mayor Louis Molina and Cincinnati Assistant Police Chief Lisa Davis. (The views
of Molina and Davis were published in the Post last week.) The candidates presented a plan for their first 100 days as police chief and were asked a series of questions about their role in the Oakland Police Department (OPD). Here are highlights from their answers: What is the plan for your first 100 days as Police Chief? Pridgen will listen to the conContinued on page 8
California Highway Patrol has made 168 arrests, recovered 360 stolen vehicles, and seized 16 firearms in the last month since the agency’s deployment in the East Bay by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Credit to Sundry Photography, iStock
CHP Makes Arrests in Carjacking and Gang Related Crimes in Oakland
By Magaly Muñoz
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the California Highway Patrol has made 168 arrests, recovered 360 stolen vehicles, and seized 16 firearms in the last month since the agency’s deployment in the East Bay. In cooperation with East Bay leaders, the state deployed 120 officers in early February to Oakland and Alameda to help local law enforcement target vehicle theft, re-
tail theft and violent crime in the area. “Through coordinated efforts like this, state and local law enforcement are disrupting criminal networks, apprehending dangerous individuals, and making our streets safer for all Californians,” Newsom said. “We will continue to invest resources, collaborate with local partners, and take decisive action to combat crime and uphold Continued on page 8
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Tran and his business inside the Pantages Theater. Photo by Reacts to President Biden’s Michael Roberta R. Cobb. Even though he fixed everyone State of the Union Address By Roberta R. Cobb
By Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Mayor Sheng Thao made the announcement about the threeyear program this week. File photo. By Post Staff
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao,
in partnership with Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities, this
“President Biden outlined how
Washington, DC – Congress-
he is building an economy from the
leased the following statement after
the top down, through job creation
woman Barbara Lee (CA-12) re-
President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address:
“Last Thursday, President Biden
illustrated for the world just how much the Biden-Harris administration has achieved despite the incredible dysfunction of GOP leadership
middle out and the bottom up, not
and taxing corporations and the
wealthiest 1% of Americans. He
talked about his bipartisan record, signing over 400 bipartisan bills on
gun safety, health care for veterans,
and more. With our rights, freedoms Continued on page 8
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Opposes Bill to Ban TikTok
U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee. File photo. By Post Staff
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) this week released a statement explaining why she voted against H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,
which passed the House by a vote of 352-65. “I voted NO on rushed legislation to ban TikTok from American app stores,” Lee said. “While there are significant national security threats to data privacy that must be dealt with, they should be dealt with comprehensively. Congress must prioritize the enactment of broad-ranging data privacy laws that safeguard the data of American consumers against both foreign and domestic threats,” she said. Lee continued: “TikTok has provided a forum for freedom of expression, helped small business, and empowered creators to share their art across the globe. While it’s undeniable that TikTok’s data colContinued on page 8
Dorie Ann Ladner, 81, Civil Rights Activist Who Fought for Justice In Mississippi
Bloomberg Initiative to Boost Oakland’s Black Businesses, Urban Forest
week announced that the City of Oakland has been chosen by Bloomberg Philanthropies as one of 25 U.S. cities to participate in the groundbreaking Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative. This three-year program is designed to leverage federal funding to incubate and implement transformative local solutions aimed at building low-carbon, resilient, and economically thriving communities. The initiative will provide substantial support to Oakland, includContinued on page 8
in Congress.
Dorie Ann Ladner. Courtesy photo. By Post Staff
Dorie Ann Ladner, 81, a lifelong fighter for freedom and equality in her home state of Mississippi who had been active in the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and voter registration drives, has died. “My beloved sister, Dorie Ladner, died peacefully on Monday, March 11, 2024,” her younger sister, Joyce Ladner, wrote on Facebook, according to the Associated Press. “She will always be my big
sister who fought tenaciously for the underdog and the dispossessed. She left a profound legacy of service.” In a telephone interview with AP Tuesday, Joyce Ladner said she and her sister were born 15 months apart and grew up in Palmer’s Crossing, a community just south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. “My sister was extraordinary. She was a very strong and tough person and very courageous,” she said. One example of that courage, she recalled, happened when they were about 12 years old and went to a store to buy doughnuts. “The white cashier came up behind Dorie and hit her on the butt. She turned around and beat him over the head with those doughnuts,” Joyce Ladner said with a giggle. “We were scared, but you know how you have that feeling of knowing you had done the right thing? That’s what overcame us,” she Continued on page 8
Special to The Post
Michael Tran is closing his shoe store in downtown Oakland on March 20 after many years of doing business. He now keeps his glass doors closed and watches his camera for potential customers from his back room. Even though he was once robbed while a gun was held to his neck, he feels the damages done to his customer base by the COVID-19 pandemic along with hassles and disappointments of federal, state and local governmental agencies, have left him no choice but to close and spend time with his wife and three sons. He has seen the changes in the city and now feels very sad that he must close after 40 years. Tran started in 1982 at 12th and Webster before he moved to 422 12th St. at the rear of the Tribune Tower Building. Located in the vestibule of the once ornate Pantages Theater, Tran’s store has suffered and experienced a tragic comedy-like tale.
else’s shoe soles, he couldn’t find a government relief program with a soul. Meaning that, as a sole proprietor, he didn't qualify for the federal PPP business relief grant package. The federal Small Business Association program loaned him $10,000 with a $49.00 monthly payment for 30 years. He used that to pay off his back rent which is $3,000 per month and now he owes the U.S. government $10,700. Tran hopes some of his customers and past patrons will take advantage of his half-off clearance sale of shoes and ladies’ handbags. He remembered and thanked the Post News Group staff, especially Paul Cobb and the late editor Chauncey Bailey who had been his customers. Tran’s next-door neighbor, Amy of Amy’s Nailsshop, stopped in at the close of the interview with Tran to encourage the public to support her business as she continues to survive.
Bay Area singer Dee Dee Simon (center) was presented the Art Award by NCBW SF President Sharon Lee (left) and NCBW SF First Vice President Carletta Jackson Lane (right) at the NCBW SF 19th Annual Hats and Gloves Tea at the Nob Hill Fairmont in San Francisco. Photo by Carla Thomas.
At Glamorous Tea, National Coalition of 100 Black Women Honors Trailblazers
By Carla Thomas
The 19th Annual Golden Girls Hats and Gloves Tea, a signature event of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW-SF) was held at the Nob Hill Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco on March 9. Themed “Bridging the Generations,” the event featured a keynote address by GLIDE Foundation President and CEO, Dr. Gina Fromer. The luxurious high-noon tea was decorated by fancy hats
stationed as centerpieces at each table. The attendees. adorned in stellar fashions and jewelry -- and crowned with glamorous hats – networked, affirmed each other, and relished in the magnificence of sisterhood. Fromer inspired the audience, her story demonstrating that anything is possible in life, as she, a former client of the Glide Foundation, now leads the organization. The distinguished women honored by the NCBW SF included Continued on page 8