Oakland Post, week of December 20 - 26, 2023

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Dis Montgomery Bus Boycott at 68: Event Revisits Black/Jewish Collaboration ... see page 2

COMMENTARY: Christmas Gifts from Our Democracy ... see page 2

California/Hawaii NAACP Conference: Dismantling Racism and Disrupting Inequality ... see page 6

Oakland Organizations Champion Financial Literacy ... see page 7

Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18

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60th Year, No. 49

Weekly Edition. Edition. December 20 - 26, 2023

California Attorney General Announces $700 Million Multistate Settlement Agreement with Google Photo: iStock photo image.

Oakland’s Messy Police Chief Search Narrowed to 3 Candidates

Some of the speakers at the hearing on Geoffrey’s appeals to the Planning Commission’s rulings at Oakland City Council,Tuesday, Dec. 19. Photo by Ken Epstein.

By Brandon Patterson

The search for the next chief of Oakland’s police department may be nearing an end, as the Oakland Police Commission sent Mayor Sheng Thao a list of three final candidates last week. Thao now has the option of choosing from the three candidates or sending the list back for more options, which would draw out the already 10-month-long process even longer. The city’s search of a new police chief has been long and messy. Oakland has been without a chief since February, when Thao fired former Chief LeRonne Armstrong for going to the press while on leave during an investigation into his handling of officer discipline at the department. Armstrong accused Oakland’s federal police monitor, who had made the original findings against Armstrong,

Former Chief Armstrong of “corruption,” and denied any wrongdoing. In the fall, a third-party hearing officer hired to review the circumstances found that Armstrong had not necessarily broken any rules — but he also did not say whether he should be reinstated as police chief. Armstrong has been pushing to be reinstated, but Thao has said she will not do that. Thao’s office told KTVU that the names of the three finalists will not be made public. “This is an important Continued on page 8

Terry Wiley, Former Pamela Price DA Opponent, Named SF Inspector General

California Attorney General Rob Bonta stands with his legal team at a press conference on Tuesday, December 19 to announce a $700 million settlement with Google for anti-competitive practices in their Play Store. Photo by Magaly Muñoz. By Magaly Muñoz On Tuesday morning, in down-

town San Francisco, Attorney

General Rob Bonta announced that Google has agreed to a $700

million settlement with Google for monopolizing the Android application market.

The multistate, bipartisan set-

tlement is a rare victory for two sides of the political aisle that often cannot agree on much, Bonta emphasized at the conference, but they were all in fast agreement to fight for changes and restitution for the impacted consumers. Google will pay $630 million to over 100 million Android conContinued on page 8

100 Black Men of the Bay Area Gala Chair/Vice Chair Danny L. Williams with singer Chanté Moore and 100 Black Men of the Bay Area president, Chuck Baker at the 100 Black Men Scholarship Benefit and Awards Gala at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Photos By Auintard

After Geoffrey’s Challenges, Fight to Save Historic Black Cultural Venue Still Mired in City Council Conflict

Council rejects one development proposal, while another remains undecided.

By Ken Epstein

The fight to save Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a longtime entertainment venue and cultural institution at 410 14th St. and an anchor of the Black Arts Movement and Business District in downtown Oakland, has finally reached the Oakland City Council after working its way through the city’s planning process for several years. The Planning Commission had approved two alternative development proposals submitted for the same site by San Francisco-based developer Tidewater Corporation, one for an apartment tower and an-

other for a residential tower. At the Council meeting Tuesday, following hours of debate and many speakers — most of whom were strongly in favor of Geoffrey’s and its owner Geoffrey Pete and opposed Tidewater’s proposals — council members voted unanimously to uphold Geoffrey’s first challenge, rejecting the proposal to allow the developer to build an office tower at the site of a parking lot next to Geoffrey’s historic club. Ultimately, the vote to deny Tidewater’s application won 6-0, with two council members absent. Continued on page 8

Oakland STEAM Internships Get $750,000 Boost from State Grant

The 100 Black Men 35th Annual Scholarship Benefit and Awards Gala

By Carla Thomas Photo, from left to right: Xochitl Carrion, Vice President of the Sheriff’s Oversight Board; Paul Henderson, Executive Director of the Bar Association of San Francisco; Terry Wiley, SF Inspector General; Paul Miyamoto, SF Sheriff; Julie Soo, President of Oversight Board. Photo by Magaly Muñoz. By Magaly Muñoz

Former Alameda County prosecutor Terry Wiley has been named the inaugural San Francisco inspector general who will oversee the city’s sheriff’s department and its two jails. Wiley was sworn in at city hall on Wednesday morning in a ceremony held by the Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board. Xochitl Carrion, Vice President of the Oversight Board, explained the year-long recruitment process that extended nationally to find the best fit for the job. They went out multiple times into the city to ask San Franciscans what they would want to see in an inspector general and how that person could help uplift the city values. Visits to the local jails were also conducted to ask those

incarcerated what their living conditions were like and how the inspector could address the issues they were facing in the jails. “October and November was the grind time for us. It was looking at all these applicants who came nationally and then determining who were the highly qualified, who were the best of the best, and we are lucky that Terry Wiley was in that pile,” Carrion said. Wiley had a 33-year career in Alameda before stepping into the new inspector general role. He had previously run for Alameda County District Attorney in 2022, but ultimately lost to current DA Pamela Price. In November 2020, the city voters passed Proposition D, Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board Continued on page 8

The 100 Black Men of the Bay Area hosted their 35th Annual Scholarship Benefit and Awards Gala at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis on Saturday, Dec. 9. Themed “Making a Change 100 at a Time,” the event was headlined by singer Chanté Moore with performances by 16-year-old saxophone jazz musician Ayo Brame. Community service award recipients included Alton Management Corporation, Roots Health Center and Bay Area broadcaster Dave Clark. Maxine Reynolds, the widow of Alton Management Corportion’s late principal Al Reynolds, who passed away in April, graciously accepted the award. Over 31 years ago her husband and his business partner, Billy Hutton joined forces to form Alton Management Corporation with the intent on training and hiring young brothers and sisters in the housing industry. The property management firm worked with housing cooperatives and other organizations specializing in affordable housing throughout the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Atlanta recovering financially troubled

properties. “Many families have access to safe and affordable housing because my husband and the company are committed to serving clients in a dignified manner,” said Reynolds. “Billy Hutton carries on the company’s legacy.” Kevin Mitchell, Director of Resource Development for the Roots Community Health Center in Oakland accepted the organization’s award. “There is a life expectancy difference of 15 years for individuals living in the hills as opposed to the inner-city flatlands,” he said. “We are changing the narrative because we are not fighters, we are healers.” Roots, through its medical and behavioral health care, health navigation, workforce enterprises, housing outreach and advocacy supports of those impacted by systemic inequities and poverty. Beloved KTVU Channel 2 broadcaster Dave Clark was also honored for his community coverage. Clark spoke from the heart about his pursuit of reporting the good news in the Black community in the midst of the often negative news of the world. Originally from Continued on page 8

Photo: iStock photo image. By Brandon Patterson

Oakland city efforts to provide young people with internships in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) will get a boost from a new grant from the state Department of Education, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and city officials announced on Monday. Oakland Unified School District will launch the Bay Area STEAM Career Accelerator, funded by a $750,000 state grant, with the goal of supporting more young people ages 13-24 in seeking internships in STEAM fields beginning next summer. The grant will primarily be used to build out infrastructure to support students pursuing internships, said OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell, according to Oaklandside — especially students in West and deep East Oakland, where students are

overwhelmingly Black, Brown and lower income. That could include hiring more staff to help students find internships and provide career counseling, JohnsonTrammell said, adding that she wants to target chronically absent students. The state is currently recruiting partner companies to host interns, said Thurmond, and similar programs could also be launched in Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles. African Americans are underrepresented in STEAM fields. According to a report released by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education in February, Blacks made up just 9% of all workers in science, technology, engineering, and math fields despite being 12% of the U.S. adult population. About 18% of all Black workers were employed in STEM fields Continued on page 8


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Oakland Post, week of December 20 - 26, 2023 by postnewsgroup - Issuu