“Architect to the Stars” Paul R. Williams Helped Define L.A.’s Building Style Page 2
Community Celebrates Lifetime Achievements of Former Berkeley Mayor Gus Newport...P3
NCNW in Forefront of Fight Against COVID-19.....P5
Dont’t Criminalize Domestic Violence Survivors, Advocates Say
Oakland Post
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“Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
postnewsgroup.com
58th Year, No. 42
Weekly Edition. Edition. April 6-12, 2022
Emotional President Joe Biden, Ketanji Brown Jackson Celebrate Supreme Court Confirmation
Pastors of Oakland, OPD Seek New Candidates to Serve as Community Chaplains Rail line at Port of Oakland. Photo courtesy of Port of Oakland.
Bishop Terrence L. Millican By Post Staff
In partnership with the Oakland Police Department, the Pastors of Oakland recently completed training of 11 Community Chaplains who will help families in the first throes of trauma after life-changing incidents ranging from car accidents to assault and battery, domestic violence and sudden, Continued on Page 10
Three Lawsuits Challenge City of Oakland, A’s Over Proposed Real Estate Project at Port of Oakland By Ken Epstein
So far, three lawsuits have already been filed challenging efforts by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and John Fisher of the Oakland A’s to move full-steam ahead to win final approval for building a massive $12 billion private real estate project on public land at Howard Terminal at the Port of Oakland. Two lawsuits were filed on Friday, April 1. Observers say more lawsuits may be forth-
coming as those who are opposed to the project or have concerns about how the giveaway of public property and public funding are unfolding as Schaaf and the A’s corporation move forward while ignoring or marginalizing the concerns of port-related businesses and longshore workers, city residents and environmentalists. Ignoring hundreds of written concerns and many public comments, the Oakland Planning Commissioners — all appointed by Schaaf — unani-
mously passed the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the project. The project has also been approved by Port Commissioners who were also appointed by the mayor. One lawsuit, which says the EIR does not meet legal environmental requirements, was filed on behalf of the East Oakland Stadium Alliance; Schnitzer Steel, a metal shredding facility; Pacific Merchant Shipping Association; the Har-
Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR), which she left to accept employment in June 2020 as the city’s new deputy chief of Violence Prevention in the Department of Violence Prevention. City Administrator Ed Reiskin strongly disagreed with the allegations and defended his staff against criticism. Participating in the meeting, Crain said her termination was not based on performance and was related to her push for equitable compensation in the DVP. Crain’s written complaint, the first step in filing a lawsuit, was presented to the City Council and Administration in a March 25 letter from Crain’s attorneys. “It’s important to look into
the claims being made in this matter so we avoid perpetuating a practice of diminishing talented, experienced women, particularly women of color, in leadership positions. It is International Women’s History Month and gender-equity should be the bare minimum of what we aspire to at the City of Oakland,” said Councilmember Carroll Fife. Councilmember at-large Rebecca Kaplan said, “It is essential to end all acts of discrimination by this administration — and these allegations of misconduct and pay disparity — and alleged retaliation — warrant a direct response, investigation, and remedy. Since
profound theologian, professor, author, scholar and much more. The majority of this article will draw from Dr. Cone’s seminal work “The Cross and the Lynching Tree.” Cone said, “The cross and the lynching tree are separated by nearly 2,000 years…. Despite the obvious similarities between Jesus’s death on a cross and the death of thousands of black men and women strung up to die on a tree, relatively few people have explored the symbolic connections…Both the cross and the lynching tree were symbols of terror, instruments of torture and execution. “Both Jesus and Blacks were publicly humiliated,
subjected to the utmost indignity…paraded, mocked, beat and spat upon for crowd entertainment,” he wrote. Cone’s work is motivated by a central question: how to reconcile the gospel message of liberation with the reality of Black oppression which is exemplified in “Strange Fruit,” the song about lynching recorded by Billie Holiday. This is the time of year, when we hear a number of songs about the Cross, such as “Jesus Keep me Near the Cross,” “I Know It Was the Blood,” “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?”
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Councilmembers Call for Investigation of Termination of Oakland Department of Violence Prevention Administrator By Ken Epstein Members of the Oakland City Council and others are expressing concerns over what appears to be the abrupt termination of Dr. Sarai Crain from her position as deputy chief of Violence Prevention for the City of Oakland and have called for an investigation of Crain’s allegations of gender discrimination and retaliation for demanding equitable compensation. The concerns were raised Monday, March 28 at the Public Safety and Services Violence Prevention Oversight Commission (SSOC). In the meeting, the Commission Chair stated that there had been no conversation with the
Dr. Sarai Crain SSOC about the elimination of this position and that this matter would have to go before the City Council as the Commission has no jurisdictional authority to impact the decision. Crain is a violence prevention expert and anti-genderbased violence advocate. She was executive director of Bay
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The president and judge embraced as they watched the Senate’s historic vote confirming the first Black woman to the nation’s highest court.
President Joe Biden celebrated Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Senate confirmation to the Supreme Court with her on Thursday, with emotional photos showing the two embracing as they watched the historic vote together from the White House. The Senate confirmed Jackson to the Supreme Court in a 53-47 vote, making her the first Black woman and former public defender to serve on the nation’s highest court. Her position on the court will also mark the first time in the court’s history that the majority of justices will not be white men. Jackson was nominated by Biden, who vowed since his presidential campaign that he would choose a Black woman for a seat on the Supreme Court.
Center for Elders’ Independence Selects New Director of Government Affairs By Diana Garrett
“We are thrilled that Mr. Uwahemu has joined CEI’s leadership team at this exciting time for PACE Healthcare,” said Maria Zamora, chief executive officer. “His extensive hands-on experience with policy development and government affairs together with skills in community engagement and coalition building will be outstanding contributions to CEI’s mission of providing high quality, affordable healthcare and services for seniors in the East Bay.” Prior to joining CEI, Uwahemu served as senior policy advisor and senior district field representative for California Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks’ 15th Assembly District. He developed legislative strategies to support a range of
Dr. Uche Uwahemu formerly served as a senior policy advisor for Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks.
issues including aging and longterm care, education, healthcare, homelessness, housing and community development, human services, economic development, labor, public safety, and veteran Continued on Page 10
Teach-In on Impact of Oakland School Closures on April 13
Black Experience in U.S. Parallels Jesus’ Undeserved Persecution, Death, Liberation Theology Scholars Say Part 5 Rev. Dr. Martha C. Taylor
Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022, is the beginning of Passion Week, also known as Holy Week. It marks the final week of Jesus’s earthly ministry culminating with Jesus’s journey to the cross on Good Friday. When Jesus came to Earth, he knew that he came to die. The Cross was a divine assignment. The Cross was the place where the execution of Jesus took place, though he was innocent. The Cross became synonymous with Crucifixion. Jesus was crucified between two thieves, one who mocked
Rev. Dr. Martha C. Taylor
him and the other who maintained the innocence of Jesus. The late Rev. Dr. James Cone, the father of Black Liberation Theology, was a
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Community organizations and representatives of school communities that face closure this year and in the next few years will hold a teach-in against school closures Wednesday, April 13, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Dewey Academy, 1111 Second Ave. in Oakland. The event will feature food and live music. School and parent representatives, as well as guest speakers will discuss the impact of closures on schools and neighborhoods, including: • Disability justice • Privatization 101 — how the corporate land grab affects Oakland as well as school communities • How to fight back • Community justice workshops After the teach-in, there also will be sign-making, as people prepare to go to the first in-public school board meeting in several years.