Sheriff Stands Down on Probate Eviction — Community Support Rally Sheriff Covers Porch Video Camera as Deputies Enter House with Guns Drawn
Part 1 By Tanya Dennis
What began as a long-running legal battle over the home she has lived in for 13 years escalated Tuesday into a dramatic confrontation between Zakiya Jendayi and Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies—a confrontation that has raised urgent questions about probate court decisions, due process and whether a pending bankruptcy filing should have halted the removal. Jendayi refused to leave her home Tuesday as approximately 15 to 19 deputies arrived to enforce a court order removing her from the property. The order followed a de-
Zakiya Jendayi, center, with her friend Diane Doss, left, and Rev. Raymond Lankford of the Oakland Private Industry Council, right. Courtesy photo. cision by Judge Sandra Bean of the Alameda County Probate Court, a ruling Jendayi has repeatedly de-
she alleges are serious errors in the court record. Deputies noticed a Ring camera recording their actions and taped over the lens.
Adding to the controversy, Jendayi and her supporters state that opposing counsel, attorney Phillip Campbell, had the property placed in his name in October 2025 without notice to Jendayi. Campbell’s attorney, Alana Grice Conner, filed an opposition in connection with Jendayi’s bankruptcy case. Hours later, sheriff’s deputies arrived at Jendayi’s door. The confrontation was not simply about one woman refusing to leave her home. For Jendayi and her supporters, it represented the culmination of years of litigation and a larger fight over whether courts have the power to overturn the expressed wishes contained in a per-
Fifteen to 19 Sheriff’s deputies arrived at Jendayi’s home Tuesday and placed tape over her security cameras before breaking the locks and entering her home despite the bankruptcy filing taped to the door. Courtesy photo. son’s will or trust. Last November, The Post published portions of court transcripts that Jendayi says demonstrate a
Oakland Post scribed as unjust and based on what
pattern of false and erroneous rulings. Jendayi states that Bean made 45 rulings in the case, 35 of which Continued on page 8
“Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
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Oakland Coliseum Project Opens Door for Small Businesses to Build Bigger
Len Turner is an Oakland native, raised with five siblings, and a graduate of Castlemont High School and Heald College of Engineering, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Courtesy photo. Part 3 By Carla Thomas As plans for the redevelopment of the Oakland Coliseum move forward, a key question is emerging alongside the vision for new buildings, entertainment and economic activity: Who will have the opportunity to build it? For the African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG) and its financial partner Loop Capital, the answer could include a much larger role for Oakland’s small, minority-, and women-owned businesses. During a recent meeting with AASEG, Loop Capital and local construction and business leaders, participants discussed creating pathways that would allow smaller firms to move beyond traditional subcontracting roles, compete as prime contractors, secure larger portions of project work and ultimately become permanent fixtures within the new development.
Unlike many major developments where contracting discussions begin after large construction packages have already been established, the Coliseum conversation is engaging community early in the process. “We have an opportunity to start building capacity now, not after the contracts hit the street,” said Len Turner of the Construction Resource Center. “If we know what the opportunities are going to be, we can identify businesses, understand where their gaps are and start preparing them to successfully compete and perform.” Preparing companies to compete for larger contracts could include assistance with estimating, bonding, financing, workforce development, project management and contract administration. For some firms, the goal could be moving from a $500,000 subcontract to a multimillion-dollar prime contract. For others, success could mean transitioning from providing services during construction to operating restaurants, retail businesses or other enterprises inside the completed Coliseum development. Turner said the long-term measure of inclusion should extend beyond the number of businesses that receive contracts. “The real measure of success will be whether these businesses are stronger and more capable when this project is finished than when they started,” Turner said. That philosophy reflects a broader effort to address systemic disparities in public and private contracting. Oakland’s small and minority-owned businesses have historically faced barriers to capital access, bonding, along with being limited to smaller contracts. Mario Wagner of the National Continued on page 8
Weekly Edition August 26 - September 1, 2026
Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalynn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board
Brendalynn Goodall. Courtesy photo. By California Black Media Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board. Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on employment, aging services and assistance for underserved communities. “Brendalynn will be a great addition to this Board,” said Gay Plair Cobb, who served as former state Assemblyman Sandre Swanson’s alternate to the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB). “She understands that California’s non-profit organizations serve persons who have the most significant barriers to their labor market success and that the Board
should help these groups navigate the complicated requirements of state funding. “In other words, she will be a strong advocate for our most marginalized populations. Her voice is needed now, more than ever.” CWDB works with the governor to shape workforce policies, programs and investments designed to strengthen the state’s economy. It collaborates with employers, workers, labor organizations, educational institutions, community groups and California’s 45 local workforce development boards to expand access to quality jobs and respond to regional employment needs.
Gay Plair Cobb, former alternate member of the CA Workforce Development Board. According to the board, its work includes coordinating state programs and guiding investments in workforce training and development. BWOPA California celebratContinued on page 8
Arnold Perkins: At 85, a Life of Service, Faith and Giving Back
Dr. Arnold Perkins. Photo courtesy California Wellness Foundation. By Tanya Dennis The Post’s Healthy Aging Series addresses key components for healthy aging, mind, body and spirit. This article addresses the importance of having a strong spiritual or religious foundation.
As America’s population grows older, conversations about healthy aging often focus on diet, exercise and medical care. But for Dr. Arnold Xavier Cornelius Perkins, who will celebrate his 85th birthday next month, another ingredient has been equally impor-
63nd Year, No. 34
tant: a spiritual foundation and a lifelong commitment to serving others. Perkins believes that health is not simply physical. It is emotional, mental and spiritual. And for much of his life, he says, his faith and philosophy of service have kept him vibrant, happy and connected to the world around him. “I am my brothers’ and sisters’ keeper,” Perkins said. “I am a ‘we’ person” and referenced the South African expression of ‘Ubuntu,’ which means ‘I am because we we all are.’ Born in Miami, Florida, Perkins came to California in 1954 with his family to attend a Seventh-day Adventist General Conference. His family ultimately
decided to remain in California, unwilling to return to the harsh racism of the segregated South. He grew up in Berkeley, attending Golden Gate Academy, Willard School and Berkeley High School before joining the Navy during the Vietnam War era. He later attended Merritt College when the Black Panther Party was emerging in Oakland, where he became involved as a volunteer for the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He graduated from San Francisco State University and completed additional coursework at Cal State East Bay. His professional career became a remarkable journey through public service. Perkins served as
Speakers from the Cuban embassy First Secretary Sulia Páez Chacon (left) and Second Secretary Gabriela Castillo shared the harsh realities caused by the U.S. blockade that has intensified dramatically this year. Photo by Ken Epstein.
‘Eyes on Cuba’: A Conversation About Humanitarian Conditions Facing Cuba in Midst of Crippling U.S. Blockade
By Carla Thomas and Ken Epstein Community members gathered last weekend for an “Eyes on Cuba” conversation with two representatives of the Cuban embassy in the United States, focusing on the terrible suffering inflicted on the Cuban people by the intensified U.S. blockade and also discussing the historic connections between Black freedom movements in the U.S. and struggles for justice in Cuba. Held in downtown Oakland Saturday, Aug. 22, at the office of Oakland Rising, the event featured presentations by representatives of the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C., First Secretary Sulia Páez Chacon and Second Secretary Gabriela Castillo, who spoke and answered questions about the harsh realities of conditions on the island, with a population of about 11 million, while also highlighting the his-
toric resilience and perseverance of the Cuban people. The gathering was presented in honor of the annual commemoration of Black August, a month of remembrance, education and reflection on Black resistance, political prisoners, liberation movements and the continuing pursuit of justice. For more than 60 years, Cuba has faced a blockade designed to cripple its economic growth and overthrow its government, going back to the 1959 revolution against the colonial regime imposed by the U.S. But the recently intensified blockade has cut off the island’s fuel supply, creating an energy and humanitarian crisis that is strangling the country. With the lack of oil supplied in the past by Venezuela and the U.S. threat of high tariffs on countries that dare to ship petroleum to Cuba, the impact on the water, sewage, Continued on page 2
Alameda County’s homeless coordinator, became a program officer with the San Francisco Foundation, headed a drug and alcohol program and ultimately served as director of the Alameda County Public Health Department for 12 years before retiring in 2006. But retirement did not mean stepping away from service. Perkins jokingly describes this stage of his life as being in “preferment,” doing what he pleases. What he pleases, however, is continuing to help people. He has worked with young people, served on San Quentin Prison’s warden advisory council, previously served on the Oakland Police Department Selection Commission and completed two terms as chair of the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commission. He chaired the University of San
Francisco’s Helen Diller Stanley Comprehensive Cancer Center for 10 years and is now in his 11th year serving on the California Wellness Foundation board. Perkins even views a hereditary heart defect through the lens of his spiritual philosophy. “I have a hole in my heart, so I’m not physically perfect,” he said. “But I look at it as I have a hole because I pour my heart out to people.” That perspective may be one of his greatest lessons about healthy living. Perkins believes that kindness, compassion and community have a direct impact on a person’s emotional and spiritual well-being. “If I see an unsheltered relative, I’d give them that $20,” he said. “My responsibility is to take care.” Continued on page 8