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Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
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Weekly Edition January 21 - 27, 2026
63rd Year, No. 3
Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma Gather for Day of Service at the Alameda County Community Food Bank
The 195th Basic Recruit Academy graduated on Jan. 16 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Oakland. Photo courtesy City of Oakland.
Oakland Police Department Welcomes 14 New Officers
By Post Staff
The Oakland Police Department (OPD) welcomed 14 new officers from the 195th Basic Recruit Academy at a ceremony on Friday, Jan. 16, at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland. “As officers for the City of Oakland, our primary responsibility goes beyond addressing crime; it is to foster trust and work
alongside our community, engaging openly and treating everyone with respect,” Interim Oakland Police Chief James Beere told the graduates. “You are here to serve Oakland. Put community needs (first), especially when people are vulnerable. Act with professionalism, compassion, and integrity in every moment. I am counting on you. Our families are count-
ing on you. Oakland is counting on you.” Said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, “I want to thank the men and women of the 195th Academy Class for answering the call to serve Oakland at this critical moment for the City. Their decision to wear this badge is an act of courage, commitment, and leadContinued on page 8
Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Commit Day of Service at the Alameda County Community Food Bank’s headquarters on Edgewater Blvd. in Oakland. Photo by Graig Brooks. By Carla Thomas In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the men of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. and the women of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. in the Bay Area committed their “Day of Service” to the Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB) at the organization’s headquarters on Edgewater Street in Oakland on Jan. 19. Approximately 75 members of the “Blue and White” family
joined two other organizations at the Food Bank’s warehouse to sort food. Divided into groups of five, each team was provided a tall pallet of potatoes, onions, or fruit. At each table, volunteers repackaged the super-sized quantities of produce into smaller bags and stacked piles of vegetables and fruits for future distribution. The men and women dressed in the signature blue and white paraphernalia of their organiza-
tions and enthusiastically handled the task in under two hours. ACCFB leadership addressed the volunteers at the end of the shift, declaring the group had successfully packaged nearly 18,000 pounds of food for about 15,000 residents. “We can really make a difference when we come together,” said Kenya Broadnax, an Epsilon Phi Zeta chapter representative of the sorority. “And what betContinued on page 8
Three-Alarm Fire Displaces More Than 200 Oakland Residents and Three Businesses
E. and Ace, both residents of 1700 Broadway Street, stand behind the yellow police tape after a 3-alarm morning fire destroyed the five-story building they used to call home. The entire building was red tagged, displacing more than 200 residents and families and three small businesses. Photo by Carla Thomas. By Carla Thomas By 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, there was no visible sign of smoke or flames at the corner of 19th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland. Earlier that morning, around 7
Clutching her drowsy, vanilla-colored chihuahua, a resident who identified herself only as “E.” recalled escaping the flames by climbing to the rooftop, where firefighters rescued her using a ladder.
a.m., a three-alarm fire broke out in-
Standing nearby behind yellow
side a residential unit of a five-story
police tape, another displaced resi-
apartment building that housed more
dent, “Ace,” carried only a backpack
than 200 residents and several small
and clutched Red Cross blankets. He
businesses.
had been at work when the fire erupt-
ed. Both residents expressed relief at having survived but uncertainty about what lay ahead as they waited for guidance from Red Cross staff. Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife, who represents District 3 where the fire happened, remained on site throughout the day, accompanying emergency crews and helping coordinate temporary housing for displaced residents. According to fire officials, a lithium battery is believed to have sparked the blaze in a secondfloor apartment. Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation, and one firefighter sustained injuries. No fatalities were reported. With most businesses closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, downtown streets were relatively quiet, allowing room for the approximately 50 firefighters who responded to battle and contain the flames. By early afternoon, the building was red-tagged and deemed uninhabitable due to extensive fire
Continued on page 8
Oakland Mother Holds Fundraiser and Documentary Screening to Seek Justice for Son’s Death in Custody
Terry Lovett, mother of Jalani Lovett, shares the story of her son’s murder in Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail under police custody in a new six-minute documentary. Lovett is seeking to raise $15,000 for an independent autopsy to prove her son was murdered. Photo by Carla Thomas. By Carla Thomas When a man died alone in solitary confinement, officials blamed fentanyl, but his family and community
say the story doesn’t add up. For 68-year-old Terry Lovett of Oakland, the devastating phone call from deputies informing her that her 27-year-old son Jalani Lovett had been found unresponsive in his jail cell was one she said she will never forget. Lovett was serving time for second-degree robbery at the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail when he died in 2021. The department’s official autopsy claimed that fentanyl toxicity caused his death. But when Terry Lovett later obtained the autopsy photos, she said she saw injuries that were never mentioned in the report. “His entire left side had bruises,” Lovett said, describing what she saw as evidence of physical abuse. “He even had a hole in the back of his head.” Since her son’s death, Lovett has spent five years demanding answers
and pushing for accountability. She now aims to raise $15,000 to fund an independent autopsy that she believes will reveal the truth. According to Lovett, the FBI has indicated it would review the case if a second autopsy produces new evidence. On Jan. 11, Lovett marked what would have been Jalani’s 32nd birthday by hosting a community gathering and fundraiser at Unit 275 in East Oakland’s Eastmont Mall. The event featured a short documentary, “Justice for Jalani and All Victims of In-Custody Deaths,” about her ongoing fight for justice, produced by Chay and Joshua of the Oakland Alliance Against Racism and Political Oppression. The sixminute film included Lovett recounting her son’s story alongside images showing the injuries she says were ignored in official reports.
Continued on page 8
The willow tree in Russell City that was removed.
Legacy Lost: How a Willow Tree Carried a Community’s I am beginning a series of articles examining reparations Heart and Its History through diverse and competing
Debra Gore. Courtesy photo. By Debra Gore
narratives, open to understanding the past and building stronger, more equitable communities. I start with a willow tree — once a symbol of Russell City, a Black and Hispanic community erased by eminent domain. The tree’s recent removal underscores how unresolved harm continues to shape our present. Russell City was a workingclass community south of Hayward. Families owned homes, raised children, and built institutions. Beginning in the mid-20th century, the City of Hayward and
Alameda County used eminent domain, zoning regulations, and public health claims to displace residents. Homes were demolished, families were forced out, and the community was erased. The justification was “public use.” Much of the land was later transferred or sold to private entities. The economic value generated did not return to the families who lost property, housing stability, or the chance to build intergenerational wealth. Russell City did not disappear because it failed. It was removed through
public action. For decades, one visible remnant remained: a willow tree planted in 1963 by the grandmother of the Johnson and Patterson families. The families have remained active in seeking justice through the Russell City Reparative Justice Project, initiated by the City of Hayward in response to calls to address inequitable treatment of Russell City residents during redevelopment. In the absence of plaques or formal memorials, the tree became a Continued on page 8
has achieved an unprecedented accolade from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) when the nominations for this year’s academy awards were announced on Thursday. The film was nominated in all 16 of the categories it was competing for: Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Make-up and Styling, Original Score, Original Song, Production Design, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects and Best Casting. Previously, the highest number of nominations had been 14. Remarks from Oakland Mayor
Barbara Lee appear below. “Oakland is incredibly proud to celebrate the historic achievement of our own Ryan Coogler, whose film ‘Sinners’ has shattered records with 16 Academy Award nominations – the most Oscar nominations any film has ever received. “This is truly an Oakland triumph. Director Ryan Coogler, an Oakland native, continues to put our city on the map with his visionary storytelling. Oakland’s Delroy Lindo earned a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor nomination. And Oakland music legend Raphael Saadiq received a Best Original Song nomination for “I Continued on page 8
Mayor Barbara Lee Celebrates Director Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ Breaking Oscar Record with 16 Nominations
Oakland’s Ryan Coogler directed “Sinners,” as well as “Fruitvale Station” and “Black Panther.” Wikimedia photo. City of Oakland Special to The Post Oakland director Ryan Coogler’s most recent film, “Sinners,”