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Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
62nd Year, No. 32
Weekly Edition August 6 - 12, 2025
postnewsgroup.com
Mid-Year Data Shows Crime is Declining in Oakland Across All Fronts
Derrick Muhammad Appointed to the Oakland Port Commission
iStock. Mayor Barbara Lee, alongside Dr. Holly Joshi, Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, and Assistant Chief Anthony Tedesko, at a press conference discussing Oakland mid-year crime stats. Photo by Magaly Muñoz. By Magaly Muñoz Crimes in Oakland are trending down in the first half of the year across nearly all indexes aside from arsonry, according to new mid-year data from the Oakland Police Department, (OPD). “These results show that we’re on the right track, but our work is far from done,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said at a press conference on Thursday afternoon. Lee, now less than three months in office, said her administration has been working on a comprehensive approach to combating crime in the city. By expanding the Department of Violence Prevention, adding resources for sideshow pre-
vention, and removing abandoned vehicles from the streets, Lee expects crime to decline . According to OPD data, total crime is down 28% from 2024, with the biggest drops in robbery, burglary, and theft crimes. Last year’s statistics also revealed that robbery is down 41%, while robbery involving a firearm is down 48%, the largest decline in all indexes. Carjacking and motor vehicle theft also see the next largest drops at 46% and 45% respectively, from 2024. Despite lower crime rates, arson is up 9% from last year, though no explanation as to the increase. Continued on page 10
Oakland Police Investigating Suspicious Hanging Death in Dimond Canyon
By Post Staff
Oakland police found an African American man hanging from a tree on the morning of June 30 on the Bridgeview hiking trail, raising community concerns about what might have happened. Police said they believe the incident was a suicide, but some people on social media are questioning whether the man was murdered, saying the death may have been a lynching.
Responding to a report of a de-
ceased individual, officers hiked to where the body was located, finding a male adult dead. “The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is investigating a suspicious death that occurred just before 7:30 a.m. ... in the area of Bridgeview Drive and Leimert Boulevard,” a police spokesman said. The body was found near severContinued on page 10
Dezie Woods-Jones Honored for 50+ Years Leading BWOPA
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. File photo.
Mayor Lee’s Economic Development Summit at Oakstop Furthers Creative Strategies for Oakland’s Future
By Carla Thomas
On Monday, Aug. 4, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee convened the Mayor’s Economic Development Working Group at Oakstop, drawing leaders from business, workforce development, arts and culture, education, small business, and community organizations. This initiative builds on the administration’s deep-rooted community engagement efforts, expanding on the dozens of roundtables and listening sessions conducted during Lee’s first 76 days in office.
Derrick Muhammad of the International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU) celebrates his historic appointment to the Oakland Port Commission at D. Monaghans on the Hill in Oakland. Photo courtesy of Kitty Kelly Epstein By Kitty Kelly Epstein On Wednesday at D. Monaghans on the Hill in Oakland, guests celebrated the historic appointment of International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU) member, Derrick Muhammad, to the Oakland Port Commission. Mayor Barbara Lee explained the significance of her making this appointment: “This is the first time a representative of the people who actually work at the Port has been on the Port Commission.”
Muhammad is a resident of West Oakland, a maritime lawyer, and a former leader of the ILWU. He is a lifelong Oakland resident and a third-generation ILWU member. He is also known as an environmental advocate opposed to allowing a coal terminal in Oakland. The Port of Oakland is the economic engine of the region, and the Port Commission also manages the Oakland Metropolitan Airport and related real estate. ILWU Local 10 is a unique Continued on page 10
At the Oakland Museum of California, Emory Douglas, previously the Black Panther Party Minister of Culture, poses with his daughter artist Meres-Sia Gabriel, creator of the “I Was There Too” multimedia production. Photo By Carla Thomas.
The collaborative session aimed to shape an economic strategy rooted in equity, creativity, and community using the mayor’s five-point economic plan including empowering small businesses, strengthening the local workforce, revitalizing Oakland’s cultural and social landscape, attracting and retaining strategic sectors and ensuring economic opportunity for all communities. During breakout sessions, participants shared recommendations across five focus areas: economic Continued on page 10
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee (left) presents Dezie Woods-Jones (right) with kente cloth to honor her longtime commitment to the community as founder and leader of Black Women Organized for Poitical Action (BWOPA) at the “Passing the Torch, Celebrating Legacy & Leadership” event on July 26. Photo courtesy Carla Thomas.
Dr. John E. Warren Publisher, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint As some of us celebrate the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, there are those among us determined to destroy what’s left of its significance. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice has been gutted by Donald Trump with senior staff either be-
‘I Was There Too’ Reveals the Hopes, Dangers of Growing Up in The Black Panther Party
By Carla Thomas
ing legend, loving mentor, and
Gabriel performed, “I Was There
community developer as she Continued on page 10
On July 20, at the Oakland
Museum of California's Spotlight Sundays, Gabriel, the daughter of a Black Panther Party couple, Emory Douglas, minister of culture, and artist-educator, Gayle Asalu Dickson, gave a raw personal view of being raised in the middle of the Black Power Movement. Gabriel took the audience on her tumultuous journey of revolution as a child caught Continued on page 10
are being redirected from their
the ballot. Let us not forget that
we are personally doing our part.
enforcement which gave the act
legislative intent to wipe out rep-
those who are dismantling our
We must contact our friends and
teeth, we are seeing a Republican-
resentative government.
government and way of life are
relatives, wherever they live and
By Carla Thomas
sisterhood, and dedication to the
On Saturday, July 26, Black Women Organized for Political Action, (BWOPA) held their “Passing the Torch, Celebrating Legacy & Leadership” event at the Metropolitan Golf Course Fairview in Oakland. Over 200 guests came to honor BWOPA founding member Dezie Woods-Jones for her leadership,
BWOPA mission of developing
ing fired or quitting. Without the
Black women as political activists and elected officials throughout the nation. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, who was mentored by WoodsJones, recognized her as a liv-
Chronicles of the Black Panther
Party are often shared from the
perspectives of Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Angela Davis, or
Kathleen Cleaver. However, the view from a Panther's child was unique on stage as Meres-Sia Too.”
The 60th Anniversary of The Voting Rights Act and You led Administration moving on the
When one adds to that our own
fewer than the majority of us, but
redrawing of electoral districts
diminishing interest in voting,
they both vote and plan ahead to
to ensure that the Democrats do
even though those before us died
the next election. They know that
not retake control of the House of
for our right to vote, we, as a nation,
still too many of us are apathetic
Representatives, without which
are in a crisis, which will require
about voting. So, let’s not get ex-
these Republicans candidates and
we can not impeach Trump or stop
all our participation. That partici-
cited about the attacks on voting
get out the vote. Our very lives de-
his raid on federal dollars which
pation can only be exercised with
rights without looking at whether
pend upon it.
demand that they join us in voting against this madness. Let’s register, look at who is running against