Under Pressure to Resign, Alameda County’s First Black Woman D.A. Fires

Back at NAACP

By Charla Montgomery

Texas-born and Oakland-raised, Ira Coogler is the father of director, producer, writer and Academy Award nominee Ryan Coogler, SAG writer Keenan Coogler and music artist Noah Coogler.

Most people are aware of Ira’s patriarchal connection to this incredibly talented family, but few are aware of Ira’s own artistic acumen within the realm of the visual arts.

That is going to change with Ira’s upcoming virtual event titled: “A Black Life Experience Through the Eye of i-Coogler.” It will open on Aug. 11.

Those closest to him are witnesses to his keen ability for visually depicting the African American experience on canvas. Ira’s artistic nuances may tug at your heart strings or tickle your funny bone. Either way the characters on the canvas can evoke a variety of feelings.

Although color-blind since childhood, Ira uses beautiful and vividly inviting colors to captivate viewers and guide them along his visual journey.

In Ira’s own words…”My art is a mixture of my emotions and feelings about Black life. Life is my biggest influencer.” He attended the Renaissance International School where he concentrated on cartooning and ceramics. He was a cartoonist for Fremont High School and did graphic artwork at Cal State University-Hayward.

“I still refer to myself as a cartoonist who paints,” he says. “My style is “all over the place, and hard to nail down, which is why I am a non-representational artist.”

His inspiration, he said, comes from his connection to the world and the “cause-and-effect” of events, both current and past.

His perception of the world, and how we fit is the general subject his artwork addresses. “Organic, authentic, and factual, my art reflects who I am as an artist,” he said.

Ira Coogler will be sharing his talent with the world over the coming months in both virtual and inperson unveiling events. For the first time ever, Ira will debut some of his latest work during an upcoming virtual event titled “A Black Life Experience Through the Eye of i-Coogler.”

During the event, Ira will talk about what nuances in life inspire him most and share his views on the Black arts.

This first virtual event is free and will be held Friday, Aug. 11. For more details and to RSVP, please visit online: www.i-Coogler.com. Please note: You must submit an RSVP to gain access to this event.

By California Black Media

Concerned by a sharp rise in crimes, the Oakland branch of the NAACP is blaming Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price for “failed leadership.”

Price, the first Black female District Attorney in the history of Alameda County, is the target of a recall effort staged by groups that say the city is in the grip of a “public safety crisis,” Oakland NAACP branch president Cynthia Adams and Acts Full Gospel Church’s Bishop Bob Jackson stated.

“Oakland residents are sick and tired of our intolerable public safety crisis that overwhelmingly impacts minority communities. Murders, shootings, violent armed robberies, home invasions, car break-ins, sideshows, and highway shootouts have become a pervasive fixture of life in Oakland,” Adams and Jackson stated in a letter to city residents urging them to demand improved public safety in their communities.

“African Americans are disproportionately hit the hardest by crime in East Oakland and other parts of the city. But residents from all parts of the city report that they do not feel safe. Everyone is in danger,” the letter continued.

Price’s office released a statement pushing back on claims made by Adams and Jackson in the letter.

“We are disappointed that a great African American pastor and a great African American organization would take a false narrative on such an important matter. We would expect more from Bishop Bob Jackson and the Oakland Chapter of the NAACP,” said a spokesperson from the District Attorney’s office.

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