Mayor Sheng Thao Speaks on Public Safety, Oakland-Vietnam Trade Opportunities

By Ken Epstein

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, just back from a Vietnam trade mission, spoke at a press conference this week to discuss the results of her international meetings and also to address community concerns about crime in the city.

She said she is “working day and night” to increase public safety: investing in violence prevention programs, seeking more funding to expand public safety resources, and collaborating with the governor to bring in the California Highway Patrol and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

As the mayor of Oakland, she said, “I was able to call the governor directly, and this is now why we have the resources of CHP here in the City of Oakland.

Pointing out that the city now has the highest number of officers in uniform in the past three years, she said there is still work to be done to put the officers where they are needed most.

Thao also discussed the recent successful trade delegation to Vietnam, which ended Aug. 8 and included the mayor, Alameda County officials and Port of Oakland board members, and was designed to promote Oakland as a trading partner with Vietnam.

“This trip was an investment in Oakland’s future, by cultivating critical relationships that will

Continued on page 10

Rise East is a collective impact initiative that grew out of a community-led vision to develop a Black Cultural Zone in East Oakland almost 10 years ago.

The effort is led by community members who were born and raised in East Oakland and is designed to keep Black families in the area and lead to the return of families who were displaced due to economic barriers and systemic disinvestment.

This privately funded initia- tive will focus on an East Oakland community known as the “40x40,” which runs from Seminary Avenue to the Oakland-San Leandro border and from MacArthur Boulevard to the Bay. This area is home to the largest concentration of Black residents (over 30,000) who remain in Oakland flatland neighborhoods today.

“As young people raised in the area and now serving as leaders, our vision is for a robust and vibrant renaissance in legacy Black communities; vibrant, thriving Black arts, cultural, and commercial areas in a thriving economy and ecosystem powered by collective efforts that assures our inalienable human right to love, health, well- ness, belonging, power, safety, and self-determination,” said Carolyn (CJ) Johnson, CEO of the Black Cultural Zone and member of the 40x40 Council, speaking at a press conference Thursday announcing the initiative.

Rise East is a joint effort between the 40x40 Council and Oakland Thrives, which is a network composed of resident leaders, major employers, and representatives of large public agencies, including the City of Oakland and Oakland Unified School District.

“Kaiser Permanente is a proud co-founding member of Oakland Thrives, whose goal is to make Oakland the healthiest city in the

Continued on page 10