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Driving the Green Book... Page 5
Conservative, Anti-“Woke” Attacks... Page 6
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Mental Health for Children/Youth... Page 10
Don’t Forget About David Fagen... Page 10
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
60th Year, No. 6
Weekly Edition. Edition. February 8 - 14, 2023
postnewsgroup.com
Community Leaders call for Solidarity Against Threats and Harassment of Black Women Leaders “We are seeing a sharp polarization of politics and when people build on fear … we are seeing a rise in violence across the nation,” says Councilmember Carroll Fife
Federal Judge Allows City to Evict Residents of Wood Street Homeless Encampment
This ‘calamity … will force more unhoused people onto the streets and into other Oakland neighborhoods,’ says housing rights activist James Vann By Ken Epstein
A press conference Monday, Feb. 6 at Oakland City Hall calls for solidarity against threats of violence and intimidation of Black women leaders. Some of the elected officials and leaders at the event were [Bottom row l-r]: Assemblymember Liz Ortega, Councilmember Carroll Fife and State Senator Senator Aisha Wahab. (Middle row): Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, Mayor Sheng Thao and Assemblymember Mia Bonta. (Top row): Councilmember Kevin Jenkins and Rev. Cheryl Ward. Photo by Ken Epstein. By Ken Epstein A press conference this week on the steps of Oakland City Hall called for community solidarity against the increased dangers posed by threats of violence and harassment of women of color — particularly Black women who are elected leaders or leading members of justice advocacy organizations. While threats, violence and harassment are rising across the nation, including highly publicized threats against Congressional leaders Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the attack
on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, these threats are also increasing in Oakland, which is not immune. “We are seeing a sharp polarization of politics, and when people build on fear or want to dispossess their fear onto other individuals, it can result in violence and harassment — we are seeing a rise in violence across the nation,” said Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife, who called for the press event after increased threats against herself and others. This “is an attempt to limit democracy; they are seeking to stall and stymie the voices of people
OPINION: Who Is Watching the Watcher?
By Lynette Gibson McElhaney In 2003, in response to a federal lawsuit brought forward by John Burris and Jim Chanin, the City of Oakland entered into a Negotiated Settlement Agreement (NSA) to atone for the sins of “the Riders,” a group of police officers, who reportedly violated the civil rights of Oakland residents through beatings, harassment, planting evidence and kidnapping. In addition to the $11 million paid to 119 victims, the City agreed to reform the Police De-
partment, rooting out rotten cops and creating an environment where constitutional policing was embraced and one where dishonorable behavior results in termination or correction. In 2010, the Court installed veteran New York Police Chief Robert Warshaw as the monitor. After clashing with Thomas Frazier, the court-appointed compliance director, Warshaw had Frazier removed and assumed both paid positions as monitor and compliance director. Any common person looking at this would immediately recognize that Warshaw was now in a selfserving position. On the one hand, as compliance director, his job is to ensure that the Oakland Police Department is resourced with the best training, practices and policies to comply with the NSA; on the other hand, his job is to serve as
who are transforming government in order to stop the change that they know is so desperately needed and desired by the community,” said Fife. “This is why I chose to finally share my experiences after years of dealing with it in silence, because it isn’t just about me,” she said. “I have taken a vow to fight for my constituents and to fight for the residents of this city, and the more that I speak, the more that I hear other stories. These stories need to be documented in order for us to address the deeply rooted issues motivating this violence and an auditor of these practices. Numerous scandals and abuses have persisted in the department since Warshaw assumed the role as Oakland’s top Supra cop -- from the painful killing of 18-year-old Alan Blueford in 2012 to the cover-up of the 2015 Celeste Guap sexual exploitation scandal, to the 2018 shooting death of Joshua Pawlik and now, the situation involving the alleged misdeeds of two officers. Since the North Carolina-based Warshaw took the helm of OPD, he has constantly urged the termination of a string of police chiefs as he fails to bring forward policies and practices to truly transform the culture and performance of the department. And while three successive mayors and 12 chiefs dance around trying to meet Warshaw’s vaguely defined demands, Oakland remains atop the list of dangerous cities in the state. For his failures, Warshaw is paid $1.2 million annually, plus expenses and the costs associated
Federal Court Judge William Orrick, who one month ago blocked the city of Oakland’s eviction of unsheltered residents off Wood Street in West Oakland, has now ruled the city can proceed with removing the encampment after he determined that Oakland has shown it has enough shelter beds for those who are displaced. The city says it wants to clear the site to build 170 units of affordable housing. Residents of Wood Street, who have developed a self-help community at the site, want the judge to continue to protect the encampment, at least until alternative shelter sites are in operation. Said Orrick, “The city’s obligation is to provide, in this context, alternative shelter. That’s the thing that I required of them. They have done that. It’s not preferable for you, but that is what they have now been able to put together.” Responding to the judge’s decision, housing rights advocate James E. Vann, co-founder and advisor to the Oakland Homeless Advocacy Working Group (HAWG), said Orrick’s Feb. 3 decision to reverse his original temporary restraining order was not unexpected. However, Vann said the city
has “misrepresented” the facts to the judge. The city does not have “adequate replacement housing” available for the residents of Wood Street, he said. “The calamity that will follow is another instance of the city’s failure to acknowledge the homelessness crisis as real and to implement timely actions to assure adequate accommodations and health and safety of the affected unhoused residents,” said Vann. “Armed with the judge’s lifting of the restraining order, the city will proceed, beginning this week, to force more unhoused people onto the streets and into other Oakland neighborhoods,” said Vann. He said Wood Street residents have organized themselves and made clear to the city “the solidarity of their mutually helpful and caring community … (and) the desire of the residents to remain a community and not be thoughtlessly dispersed throughout the city.” The city failed to reveal to the judge that “many of the evicted and unhoused Wood Street residents will be rejected by shelters for an overnight stay because of rules preventing evictees from bringing their pets and belongings. Rest on a cot offers a temporary respite
that must be vacated the following day between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” said Vann.
Housing rights advocate James E. Vann, co-founder and advisor to the Oakland Homeless Advocacy Working Group (HAWG) “It is unfortunate that the city’s homelessness administrator was not up to the job and failed to interact with the unhoused residents, or to make adequate plans for temporary tiny house accommodations prior to the funding deadlines for the new housing development,” he said. This action, once again, demonstrates “the city’s ineptness (and) its undefined homelessness program, (which) will force many unhoused residents onto the streets during the worse imaginable weather,” where they will face the ravages of hypothermia, frostbite, and continuing pandemic, said Vann.
A Son of Oakland Gives Back
William Haney and boxing champion Devin Haney. By Richard Johnson I write this article with pride and admiration for having the opportunity to speak with and ask of a son of Oakland who shares my background of being formerly in-
carcerated, but not allowing it to be a hindrance to positive growth
toward becoming a better man, better father, and a contributor to this precious thing we call life.
Born and raised in East Oak-
land, William Haney has traveled the world managing and promoting his boxer son, Devin Haney, who holds four undisputed championship belts as the world’s youngest world champion in his weight class. The elder Haney, known to many as Bill, has raised his son to be a world champion, not only in the ring but equally as a man. Bill responded with very inspiring, insightful answers to my questions in a way that demonstrates his dedication to fatherhood and shared what it takes to nurture and raise kids to be true to their nature as kings and queens. I asked Bill if he considered himself to be an entrepreneur or a philanthropist; he said the latter. He embraces the concept of giving back to the community by contributing to its prosperity in various forms as his body of work plainly