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Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
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Miley and the PIC Rally to Help Save East Oakland Martial Arts Academy “With Black Girls Missing Training”
Oakland Coliseum/Arena Revenue Rising!
Kaplan’s proposal to use funds for vital safety needs passes board unanimously
D.A. Pamela Price Commemorates Domestic Violence Awareness Month with 21st in significantly above budget. Kimberly Jones Annual Day of By City of Oakland Media Office On Oct. 20, the Board of the Remembrance The Oakland-Alameda Coun- OACCA (made up of representa-
By Paola Laverde
Linda Taylor, Sifu Bill and Mary Owens, Nate Miley Ray Lankford and Shawn Easki Adams. Photo by JonathanFitnessJones By Post Staff For over 50 years Sifu Bill and Mary Owens have owned and operated Cascos Martial Arts Academy in East Oakland. They have specialized in teaching self-defense, cultural awareness, educational values, and selfconfidence to students of all ages. But the COVID-19 pandemic has nearly brought down the dojo located at 7415 MacArthur Blvd. The Owens hoped that students would return after the shutdown
and they did, but not in the numbers they had before. Having prided himself for never turning away a student who could not pay, last summer Bill Owens found himself far behind on his mortgage. Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley helped them secure a small grant to try to recover from the pandemic, but they have been served with a foreclosure notice anyway. Miley has again responded by making a $5,000 donation to the Private Industry Council (PIC),
Tenants Doug Stewart (left) and Alistair Monroe in the studio of the late Arthur Monroe, who made the Cannery the site of Oakland’s first live-work space in Oakland. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.
Financial Failure by Oakland Cannery’s Landlord Leads to Eviction of Longtime Residential Artists
By Magaly Muñoz Post Staff
Douglas Stewart has spent the last 15 years making his space at the Oakland Cannery into a home with artwork on every free space of the walls and vinyl records covering the tabletops. Stewart is a man of many titles, including teacher, activist, advocate and above all, artist. He’s worked in arts preservation, poetry and has helped in juvenile justice centers and prisons to support vul-
nerable communities dealing with mental health and wellness issues. The Oakland Cannery is more than a residence for Stewart and its other tenants, it’s also their workspace. However, after 47 years, the residents have been issued a 120day eviction notice. Problems at the Cannery began in 2016 when Green Sage, a Colorado-based cannabis cultivation company, acquired the property at 5733 San Leandro St. Their plan was to use this and other similar
60th Year, No. 41
Weekly Edition. Edition. October 25 - 31, 2023
which will, in turn, provide aid to the dojo. The Oakland Post is planning to match Miley’s contribution. Post Publisher Paul Cobb said he will help Miley and PIC Executive Director Ray Lankford raise the funds to prevent the dojo from closing. “We must fight for constructive programs to save our youth in the same manner that the community rallied to raise more than $80,000 to prevent foreclosure of the North Continued on page 10 sites in the area for large-scale cannabis production. “Unfortunately, however you want to look at it, Green Sage took over as landlords right around the time that the licenses and the Oakland Cannery got deemed as a ‘green zone’. And that’s when they started kicking out the commercial tenants below us and really started activating the space for cannabis operators and operations,” Stewart said. Stewart and Alistair Monroe, son of the late painter Arthur Monroe who is responsible for the Cannery’s transformation into Oakland’s first live-work residence, claim their homes became unlivable due to the property owners’ neglect. Both told stories of poor plumbing, electrical problems, lack of security and maintenance workers entering their homes unannounced. Despite numerous complaints and maintenance, requests, the property owners failed to address the problems. “They had a lawless mentality to say that we were not residential use, we were commercial use, and we had to do as they say,” Monroe said. Stewart supports safe cannabis cultivation and equal market opportunities. He is critical of Green Sage for saturating the market and hindering local business growth in Oakland. Holding a micro-license for distribution and sales, Stewart benefits from an equity program that aids Oakland residents impacted by the War on Drugs with permits, Continued on page 10
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is commemorating the 21st Annual Day of Remembrance during Domestic Violence Awareness month on Friday, Oct. 27, at the Family Justice Center in Oakland. On this day we remember the victims who have been murdered resulting from domestic violence and to empower women, children, and men who have survived physical, emotional, and mental abuse often-times by someone they once loved. “I am also a survivor of domestic violence,” said Price. “My office is committed to seeking justice on behalf of victims.” One of the first things she did after taking office was to expand the DA’s Domestic Violence Unit, because, she says, “in any given year my office is reviewing 5,000 domestic violence arrests.” The Day of Remembrance in-
ty Coliseum Authority (OACCA) voted unanimously to adopt Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan’s proposal to adopt a resolution assigning the budget surplus to the City of Oakland and Alameda County for $10 million. The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority has had significant victories benefiting the Oakland Arena and Coliseum Complex. This past year was a record-setting year for revenue, thanks to performances from legendary artists like Sir Paul McCartney, Bad Bunny, and many more. As a result of the pace-setting numbers put up by the Arena and Coliseum in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the OACCA revenues came
tives from City of Oakland, County of Alameda, and the public) unanimously approved Kaplan’s proposal to adopt a resolution assigning the $10 million budget surplus to the city of Oakland and Alameda County. This resolution restores $5 million each to the general funds of the city and county. The $5 million for the City of Oakland will address critical community safety needs, as Mayor Sheng Thao and City Council leadership have advocated for using the funds to fix Oakland’s 911 dispatch response system by acquiring upgraded technology and by hiring additional staff to answer calls for service.
Continued on page 10
Congresswoman Lee Introduces Legislation to Improve Access to Mental Health Resources for Students
Alameda County D.A. Charges Man Suspected in Oakland Shooting and San Leandro Homicides
Special to The Post
By Sean Ryan Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) reintroduced the Student Support Act to ensure all students have access to the mental health services and support they require to thrive academically and personally. The proposed legislation represents a pivotal step in addressing the growing mental health crisis among students. Recognizing the significant challenges students face today, the act aims to break down barriers to access and would provide $100 million in grants to states for additional school-based mental health and student service providers. Currently, there is a national average ratio of 1,653 students per school psychologist, despite the Continued on page 10
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price charged Joshua Ballard, 23, for a shooting at a crowded restaurant in Oakland and two fatal shootings in the parking lot of 24-Hour Fitness in San Leandro. If convicted for all charges in both cases Ballard faces approximately 88 years to life in state prison. The investigation by the Oakland Police Department shows that around 10 p.m. on Sept. 3, Ballard got into a fight with two patrons at an In N Out Burger in Oakland. Ballard reportedly pulled out a gun and shot two rounds into the crowded restaurant. One bullet hit an innocent bystander in the ankle. Ballard fled and an unregistered ghost gun was recovered at the scene. In connection with the restaurant shooting, DA Price charged Ballard with three counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, along with discharge of a
firearm with gross negligence and carrying a loaded firearm in a city. Price also charged Ballard in a pair of gruesome murders, one on Sept. 13, and another on Sept. 24. In each case the two victims were sitting in their cars in the parking lot of the 24-Hour Fitness in San Leandro. The evidence shows both victims suffered fatal head wounds after being shot during carjackings. Ballard faces two counts of murder, carjacking, and seconddegree robbery charges in this case. At the time of his arrest, he was also in possession of an illegal ghost gun. “There are too many guns in Alameda County and too easy access to guns,” said Price. “My office is committed to reducing the easy access to guns, particularly ghost guns, and working with young people to prevent the kind of reckless disregard for life that we see in this case. This case of deadly violence traumatizes our whole community and will not be tolerated.”