Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
Civil Rights Attorney Dan Siegel, Life-Long Champion for Social Justice, Dies at 79
Dan Siegel’s Prison Justice Fight Helped Me Learn Life Lessons to Always Give Back
Left to right: Dr. Hindatu Mohammed (Michael’s wife), Dan Siegel, (his granddaughter Malika, grandson Hamza, his wife Anne Wiells Siegel. Courtesy photo.
Dan Siegel, Presente
Dan Siegel and his wife Anne Weills are shown conducting a training workshop held at Fullerton State University for attorneys and academics interested in learning legal options and activist strategies to advocate for an end to solitary confinement and other isolationist methods used in prisons. Richard Johnson is standing at the right. Photo courtesy of Jonathanfitnessjones@gmail.com By Richard ‘Razor’ Johnson As I ponder the tremendous loss of my attorney Dan Siegel, my heartfelt wishes go out to his family. I met Dan through his courageous wife, Anne Weills, who was part of the legal team that stood firm against the corrupt prison system by fighting for justice for many of us who had been held captive behind prison walls. Continued on page 10
62nd Year, No. 28
Weekly Edition July 9 - 15, 2025
postnewsgroup.com
By Mike Siegel
Michael Siegel. After 52 years of civil rights litigation and 79 revolutions around the sun, my father Dan Siegel passed away on July 2. To the very end, he spent his time in struggle for a better world. Here in Oakland, the community knew Dan through his political and legal work. Born in the Bronx and raised in Long Island, he came to Berkeley in 1967 to study law and join the movement against the Vietnam War. Dan was inspired to become
a lawyer after spending the summer of 1965 volunteering with the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) to register voters in North Carolina. When I was growing up, my dad told me stories about being threatened by local “good ole boys” and getting freed from jail by a National Lawyers Guild attorney. He was radicalized by the experience and committed himself to being a part of the Civil Rights Movement. Dan’s time at UC Berkeley studying law set the stage for much of his life and career. In 1969, after being elected as student body president, he gave a key speech during a “People’s Park” protest that was followed by thousands of people marching from campus and confronting police and sheriff’s deputies. Gov. Ronald Reagan called in the National Guard and numerous Continued on page 10
Dan Siegel speaking at Oakland’s “No Kings” rally reflected the Biblical Daniel who stood in the lion’s den. “Dan dared to stand alone on principle with a true purpose. He dared to make it known. Like Paul Robeson, Dan also always stood for justice.” Photo by Gay Plair Cobb. By Ken Epstein
Lee in a press statement, “Oakland
Oakland civil rights attorney Dan Siegel, who fearlessly participated as a lawyer in fights against racism and for workers, unions, and human rights for more than five decades, died on July 2. He was 79. He earned his reputation as an advocate for justice in the courtroom and also while standing with others as an outspoken activist in the community. In a final demonstration exemplifying his lifelong commitment to the collective struggle for justice, his final public appearance was a speech at the Oakland “No Kings” rally on June 14, where he called on the crowd of 10,000 in front of Oakland City Hall to oppose Donald Trump and the white supremacist movements backing his presidency. Said Oakland Mayor Barbara
has lost a true champion, Dan Siegel, who I knew for many years,” calling him a “pathbreaking civil rights lawyer and dear friend.” An obituary written by his family described Siegel’s roots. “Born in the Bronx, Dan’s life was shaped by his upbringing in a Long Island Jewish family, his commitment to civil rights struggle, his marriage to fellow attorney and activist Anne Weills, and his family, including two sons and three grandchildren,” the family wrote. “After graduating from Hamilton College in 1967 with a degree in religious studies, he moved to Berkeley to attend law school. He was inspired to become an attorney after being arrested in Mississippi while working with the ConContinued on page 10
Mayor Lee’s ‘Keep the Town Clean’ Initiative Launched with District 6 Cleanup Event
Oakland city leaders hosted two community listening sessions in North and East Oakland to answer residents’ most pressing questions and concerns about the city. iStock photo.
The kickoff event for the “Keep The Town Clean” Initiative took place at Greenleaf Elementary School in District 6 on Monday. Facebook photo. By Justin Phillips
cleanup events in each council dis-
This week, Oakland Mayor Bar-
trict. The program, launched within
bara Lee launched “Keep The Town
the mayor’s first 100 days in office,
Clean,” a citywide initiative de-
emphasizes environmental justice,
signed to address illegal dumping
youth engagement, and collabo-
and blight through high-visibility
ration between city departments,
community organizations, and local businesses. Kicking off on July 8 with a cleanup event in District 6 that ran from 12-3 p.m., beginning at Greenleaf Elementary at 6328 E.
Continued on page 10
City Leaders Talk Public Safety and Funding in First of Community Listening Sessions Series
By Magaly Muñoz
New Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, along with councilmembers and city leaders, hosted two community
listening
sessions
Thursday afternoon to speak with residents and answer their most
pressing questions across topics
for the first sets of questions on
economic development.
budget.
like public safety, blight, and In an effort to understand what
is of top concern to the community,
Lee kicked off the series at Cypress Mandela Training Center in East Oakland, which laid the ground
funding for job training in the new Lee explained that although
the Summer Youth Employment
Program, which the city created to help youth ages 16 to 21 get Continued on page 10
Win for Local Business: Council Committee Backs 100% BlackOwned Oakland Security Firm Over Out-of-State Giant
Special to The Post
Oakland Post Publisher Joins Community Leaders in Push for Fair, Local Contracting
In a significant win for local and Black-owned businesses, the Oakland City Council’s Public Works and Transportation Committee voted decisively during a special meeting on July 8 to recommend a new approach to the citywide security contract — one that prioritizes locally headquartered companies and scrutinizes the track records of outof-state mega-corporations. At the heart of the debate was Marina Security Services, a 100% Black-led, locally based firm that
received the same evaluation score as a global security conglomerate headquartered in Pennsylvania. The multinational corporation, which operates in six countries and has a history of documented labor and safety violations, was nonetheless the staff’s initial recommendation —despite being more expensive. Community leaders and advocates were outraged by what they saw as an unfair and opaque interview process that tipped the scales in favor of the out-of-state bidder. “I am flabbergasted,” said Cathy Adams, CEO of the Oakland Afri-
Cathy Adams, CEO of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Auintard Henderson. can American Chamber of Com-
identify disparities in contracting,
merce. “After spending millions of
it’s as if all that work was thrown out
dollars and countless staff hours to
the window.”
Adams referred to Oakland’s disparity study, which reviewed city contracts between 2011 and 2016. The study revealed that although African American firms made up 9% of the available contractors for professional services such as security, they received less than 1% (0.91%) of those contracts. Support for Marina Security came from across the city. Stephanie Tran, board president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, voiced her chamber’s support for the local firm. “We don’t support Marina be-
cause they’re a chamber member or because they are a member of the chamber or founded by an Ethiopian immigrant,” said Tran. “We support Marina Security because we support local business, economic development, and fair and equitable contracting. So, when we see a situation like this where a local company scores just as high as a global corporation and yet does not get the nod, we feel compelled to weigh in.” Oakland Post Publisher Paul Cobb also joined the call for fairness, highlighting a troubling error
Continued on page 10