Chef George Crum, A Deep-Fried Stunt Gone Right Page 2
New Black SF DA Promises Smarter Crime Fight
California Commits $100 Million to Produce Its Own Insulin...P3
Don’t Let Politicians Decide the Future of Journalism Why We Oppose SB 911 Page 7
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Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
postnewsgroup.com
59th Year, No. 5
Weekly Edition. Edition. July 20-26, 2022
Decision and Perspectives— Her Body, Her Choice, Right? By Carmen WardSullivan, PhD, RN
Coal Trains will be seen transporting coal through Jack London Square
Coal is Back on the Table Because the City Failed to Settle in Good Faith Open Letter to Oakland Residents By Greg McConnell
Sadly, coal is back on the table in Oakland. Despite their best efforts, the developers of the West Gateway Bulk Commodity Terminal have withdrawn from settlement negotiations with the City of Oakland and returned to active litigation due to the failure of the city to finalize a settlement agreement.
On February 2, 2022, City Attorney Barbara Parker issued a press release stating the relevant parties had “agreed to a framework for settling two pending lawsuits,” that would: 1. Ensure that no coal or coke will be loaded, unloaded, transferred between any mode of transportation, including without limitation between or among a motor vehicle, ship, or train at the West Gateway 2. Resolve pending lawsuits and allow development of the West Gateway to proceed 3. Ensure the City receives
compensation under the Ground Lease for the use of valuable public land.” On February 3, Mayor Schaaf issued her Weekly Briefing and triumphantly declared “The fight against coal in Oakland has been won!” Since those pronouncements, the developer reports there have not been any meaningful updates from the Mayor, City Attorney, or other city officials regarding the promise to “immediately proceed to craft Continued on Page 8
Council Calls For Investigation of Mills/Northeastern Merger
As a young girl in 1973, I did not fully understand the gravity of our national event of the time, which was, in part, legalizing a women’s choice for making difficult decisions regarding her body. However, I understood that it was serious enough by the look on my mother’s face, as she watched the news so intently. It was the same intensive look as she had during Civil Rights era news stories of the day. It was the passage of Roe v. Wade, which changed the history of women’s personal and private right to make choices concerning their body. Our constitution allows people with different perspectives to live freely in our communities and retain certain rights. Nearly 50 years to date, Roe v. Wade, the former law of the land, is now overturned. Upon overturning of Roe v. Ward, I today, like my mother in 1973, watched the news and listened to politicos discuss the unfath-
By Ken Epstein
The Oakland City Council this week unanimously passed a resolution celebrating Mills College as the oldest women’s undergraduate college in the West and called for an investigation of the decision of Mills’ board and administration to merge the institution with Northeastern University — saying that the merger was “sudden and had very little transparency.” At a press conference on City Hall steps, hosted by Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao and Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan, Mills’ alums and members of the Save Mills Coalition vowed to continue pushing for an investigation of the deal even though it was finalized on June 30. Said Kieran Turan, vice president of Save Mills Col-
Rebecca Kaplan
B.W.O.P.A.
Endorses
Speaking in front of Oakland City Hall at a press conference to save Mills College on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, were: Claudia Mercado, Mills Alumnae; Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao; Brandon Harami, Sheng Thao’s council aide; Kieran Turan, vice president of Save Mills Coalition; and Kimberly Jones, Kaplan’s chief of staff. Photo by Ken Epstein.
lege Coalition, “It’s deeply troubling how little oversight there is in California for nonprofit small colleges, even those with the historic importance of Mills. [This council resolution] will help us take this issue up to the state and
federal level. Mills College deserves justice. Women’s colleges are particularly at risk.” Claudia L. Mercado, Mills alumnae and advisor of the Save Mills College Coalition, Continued on Page 8
Kaplan
The BWOPA Hayward/ South County Chapter and Oakland/Berkeley Chapters announced their endorsement of Rebecca Kaplan for Alameda County Board Supervisor, District 3. The announcement was signed by Hon. Rita Duncan, President Hayward/ Continued on Page 8
New Las Vegas Raiders President is Female, Black, AND Asian By Emil Guillermo
I confess to being a Raiders fan from a very early age. Even though I was born and raised in San Francisco, as a young boy I cheered Clem Daniels at Frank Youell Field. Old School. Then Daryl Lamonica. Then Kenny Stabler. Warren Wells. Gene Upshaw. Hewritt Dixon. George Atkinson. George Blanda. I loved them all. When they left Oakland the first time, they broke my heart. When they came back, I bought season tickets and broke my bank. And then they left again and broke my heart for good. I started rooting for the 49ers. I know, blasphemy. But I always keep an eye on
Opinion
Sandra Douglas Morgan
the Las Vegas Raiders. And on July 7, 2022, when they announced a new president, I took a double take. She looked like a Filipina. To me, she clearly had some Asian blood. But then they announced her, Sandra Douglas Morgan, and all the stories had some
variation of this line: “Morgan becomes the first Black woman in NFL history to ascend to the title of team president.” Almost every story I found heralded her Blackness. Hooray. Only it was partially true. From what I found, only NBC News with California homeboy Lester Holt had the story with all the facts. Morgan was Black. But as my Asian radar suggested, she was also Asian. Not Filipino, but Korean. NBC showed a picture of her mother. We’ve been here before. When something great happens to a mixed-race person, why do we ignore the mix? The Raiders in Las Vegas are trying so hard to be modern and “progressive” (for the NFL). You’ll recall the team gave Colin Kaepernick a tryout.
So why doesn’t a forwardthinking team in Las Vegas, one of the most diverse cities in the nation, just come out and announce that Morgan is both Black and Asian? Is it because we don’t want to see the Asian parts? Is it the wrong suit in a game where Black trumps? As I’ve said, we’ve been here before. Kamala Harris is from the East Bay. Her Black father was mostly absent from her life, and her mother, an Asian-Indian UC cancer researcher, was dominant in her upbringing. Still, Harris publicly identified as Black most of her life. Through her time as a politico in San Francisco, to her rise as attorney general for the state, to her announcement in Continued on Page 8
Carmen Ward-Sullivan, PhD, RN
omable decision penned by the Supreme Court in 2022. What comes to mine is freedom lost, racial and economic disparities will widen, and patient outcomes will worsen. Who does this impact the most—primarily, our Black and brown communities. As a Registered Nurse, we are taught to give patients the right to choose medical care regardless of my own personal belief system or perspective. With our historic practice of offering right of choice, why must we now erase 50 years of choice for women? The overturning of Roe v. Wade has the potential for multiple implications. Namely, a woman’s right to choose to carry her pregnancy to term or not; implications regarding contraception and type of contraceptive modality; implications regarding medi-
cal reasons why a woman may choose to take a contraception pill or not; implications regarding the mental and physical health; implications regarding rape or incest; implications regarding a woman’s socioeconomic status; and, implications regarding a woman’s right to come to terms in making a deeply and prayerfully contemplative decision weighing heavy on her heart, all of the above may have potentially significant implications. Did the Supreme Court review our Patient’s Bill of Rights, which, in part, states: a patient has a right to privacy, dignity, respect, and humane care; a right to religious freedom and practice, a right to participate actively in decisions regarding medical care. Were any of the above potential implications fully vetted by the Supreme Court justices? The answer must be no. In recent news, a 10-year-old girl was raped. She was in need of an abortion. Imagine being 10 years old and not comprehending what is happening to your body. Imagine lawmaker’s failing to believe this young girl’s story. Is this what we are now faced with? As a Registered Nurse and Continued on Page 8
Barbara Lee and Jackie Speier Arrested for Defending Women’s Choice at the Supreme Court
On July 19 Rep. Barbara Lee was detained by U.S. Capitol Police Officers after she participated in a sit-in demonstration with activists from Center for Popular Democracy Action (CPDA) in front of the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC. The CPDA held the protest with House Democrats in support of abortion rights. Rev. Dr. Martha C. Taylor Rep. Barbara Lee protesting said shortly after completing outside the U.S. Capitol. the Dr. Ward-Sullivan’s article from her continuing series on tol Police on Tuesday afternoon the overturning of Roe v Wade, as part of an abortion rights late breaking news outlets re- protest. ported that 17 Democratic Capitol Police later said they members of Congress were Continued on Page 8 among those arrested by Capi-
Every Oakland Voice Matters By Greg Hodge
Our ancestors knew a profound truth about voting. They struggled, organized, bled and died to ensure that their descendants would have the rights afforded to every American — the unsuppressed opportunity to make our voices heard thorough the vote. That right matters most at the local level. Right now, there is a “sleeping giant” of Oakland voters who deserve to have their say in the upcoming election. In each of the major political ven-
Commentary
ues that perform public service — from the mayor, City Council, School Board to the County Board of Supervisors, Oakland voices should matter. Here in Oakland, many of our elected leaders call themselves “progressives” or “liberal democrats” but often don’t act in ways that always hold up to the values embedded in those labels. For a recent example, the City Council majority voted to dismiss the desires of 12,000 petitioners. Their Continued on Page 8