Oakland Post
New District Attorney Drops Criminal Charges Against West Oakland Recycling Plant
‘This terrible decision is a sign of the return to the old days of a double standard of justice in Alameda County,’ said former D.A. Pamela Price
By Post Staff
By Paul Cobb
Mayor Barbara Lee and the leaders of Rise Oakland announced that the community had raised $50 million to match a foundation grant challenge to provide funds to assist a comprehensive development strategy to improve the quality of life in Deep East Oakland.
After more than 10 years of planning, organizing and educating community organizations around potential solutions for schools, employment, affordable
housing, business development and anti-violence programs a steering group composed of leaders of the Black Cultural Zone, Roots Community Health Center, the 40x40 Initiative, Oakland Thrives and the Brotherhood of Elders led an intensive two-year fundraising effort that Greg Hodge of the Brotherhood of Elders said “allows us to raise enough money to make a down payment on the future of Deep East Oakland.”
Hodge says the collective sweat equity and volunteer-led fundrais-
ing would put their East Oakland community-led initiative in a position to trigger institutional partnerships and investments.
Hodge said the incredible success of the leadership of the Black Culture Zone, East Oakland Youth Center as well as the emergence of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group serve as networking examples to build upon.
“This is an historic milestone,” Mayor Lee said. “The Rise East Initiative has reached its $100 mil-
Alameda County District At-
torney Ursula Jones Dickson this week dropped charges against Radius Recycling, a West Oakland metal crushing plant formerly known as Schnitzer Steel, which was facing a criminal indictment and $33 million in fines for a 2023 massive fire that spewed a plume of dark smoke across Oakland and the East Bay.
Before she was recalled, former District Attorney Pamela Price had filed charges against
Recycling, located at 1101 Embarcadero in West Oakland, and two of the company’s employees for alleged recklessness, conspiracy, and concealing evidence.
Recently appointed Alameda County DA Ursula Jones Dickson said she withdrew the charges because she was not sure she could prove the case and convict those responsible.
Prosecutor Casey Bates, a spokesperson for the DA’s office, said, “We took a deep dive in the
Special to The Post
Anna Lee Blackman was born on Oct. 23, 1941, in Earlsboro, Oklahoma to proud parents Elgie Lee Perry and Clarence Yates. She enjoyed the early years of her life in Oklahoma prior to her mother and Aunt Esther making a historic move during the Great Migration to settle in Santa Maria, California. Anna Lee’s family was joined by many other families of the era; the Fosters, Joneses, and later the Hamiltons and Gilders, and a close-knit small community was born. With it came friendships that would last a lifetime. As Anna grew up, she showed signs of being musically inclined; especially in playing the piano. And being a natural born leader, she taught piano lessons to the other children in the community. She attended Monterey Bay Academy and then Pacific Union College (PUC) in Angwin, California. After graduating from PUC, she began her career teaching German at Golden Gate Academy in Oakland, California. The Market Street Seventh-day Adventist Church in Oakland became her home. Anna utilized her musical
The Case Against Probate: Wills and Trusts Versus Judge’s Opinion
By Tanya Dennis Part 3
People with assets are advised to obtain a will and trust to avoid probate, as wills and trusts assure that the wishes of the deceased regarding their estate are met. However, when family members disagree with the documents, too often, judge’s opinions overrule the wishes of the deceased and trusts and wills are nullified.
Dr. Laura Dean Head, a Black Studies professor at San Franciso State University, left her estate to former student Zakiya Jendayi in the last days of her life. The judge invalidated the trust stating Dr. Head was unduly influence by Jendayi.
Jendayi says, “The three allegations against me -- undue influ-
ence, lack of mental capacity and forgery came from Della Hamlin, Head’s sister, utilizing the hearsay of Dr. Head’s colleague Eunice Aaron, who passed away before the trial. To hold a trial based on allegations from someone who can’t authenticate allegations and be cross-examined is against the law. Della Hamlin and Helaine Head, Head’s sisters, also accused me of unduly influencing Dr. Head, of writing the trust and will and signing her name which I didn’t do, and that Dr. Head lacked mental capacity and that Head was admitted into John George Psychiatric Hospital for a three-day observation which proved untrue.”
In Judge Sandra Bean’s Statement of Decision dated March 28, 2023, the court ruled that Laura Dean Head had capacity. The court also ruled that Laura Dean Head signed the trust. Judge Bean stated, “the court has no credible evidence of forgery and thereby finds that Laura Dean Head did execute the trust.”
Attorney Lee, Dr. Head’s Estate Planning Attorney testified she wrote the trust and will and witnessed Dr. Head signing. Notary Trina E. Jackson submitted two declarations and testified that she witnessed Dr. Head signing her trust and will. There were two
witnesses present when Dr. Head signed her trust and will. Despite these facts, Judge Bean ruled that Jendayi named herself beneficiary and that Jendayi unduly influenced Head to execute the trust.
Attorney Lee, Notary Trina E. Jackson and Jendayi’s testimony fell on deaf ears regarding undue influence. Judge Bean ruled that Jendayi unduly influenced Dr. Head, even though both of Dr. Head’s sister’s, Della Hamlin and Helaine Head testified that they did not witness Jendayi unduly influence Dr. Head, as did Dr. Derethia DuVal, Dr. Head’s colleague, Dr. Fowler, Dr. Head’s previous student, Jennifer Hopping, Kaiser social worker, Dolly Woodson, Kaiser nurse, Jenna Noe, hospice social worker, and Dr. Sarafian.
Ten individuals testified and/or wrote a declaration that they did not witness Jendayi unduly influence Dr. Head. Not one person testified that Jendayi unduly influenced Dr. Head. Nonetheless, Bean ruled that Jendayi unduly influenced Dr. Head, based on fact that Jendayi called Attorney Lee to request trust preparations, filled out the client intake form and signed the attorney client fee agreement, which Jendayi did at Head’s request. Says Jendayi, “Judge Bean ruled I had no rights to Head’s estate. She made this ruling based upon her opinion despite overwhelming facts to the contrary, which is no due process. That’s why I’m taking my case to the Supreme Court.”
Radius
Zakiya Jendayi had been named beneficiary of the trust of the late Dr. Laura Dean Head. Courtesy photo.
Smoke rises from a fire at Radius Recycling in West Oakland, August 2023. Photo courtesy Nik Altenberg/KQED.
At the announcement on the success of the Rise East fundraising effort last week, Mayor Barbara Lee, speaking, praised the organizers. From left to right are: Tracy Wilson, of the 40x40 People’s Advisory Council; Kevin Hill, Brotherhood of Elders Network; Carolyn Johnson, Black Cultural Zone, Mayor Barbara Lee; Selena Wilson, East Oakland Youth Development Center; and Gregory Hodge, Brotherhood of Elders. Photo from Mayor Barbara Lee’s Facebook page.
Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh Praises U.S. Senate for Voting
on Service Workers’ Tips ... see page 7 Popular Castlemont High Teacher Killed After CHP High-Speed Chase ... see page 8
Anna Lee Blackman. Photo courtesy of the family.
Local Students
The San Francisco Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will hold its inaugural Scholarship Brunch on Saturday, June 21, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the San Francisco State University Student Life Events Center (1 North State Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132).
Themed “Unapologetically Scholars, Unstoppably Brilliant,” this powerful fundraising event will honor local college-bound students and celebrate the chapter’s continued commitment to educational advancement. The brunch will feature a keynote address by Fredrika Newton, CoFounder and President of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation and Co-Founder of the Black Panther Party Museum, as well as live entertainment by Mickala Cheadle Josey, a catered brunch buffet, and special presentations for this year’s scholarship recipients.
Proceeds from the event will directly benefit the chapter’s annual scholarship and public service program which provides financial support to San Francisco and Marin County-based students pursuing degrees at four-year colleges and universities. Scholarships are renewable and offered throughout each scholar’s undergraduate career, reinforcing the chapter’s longterm investment in their success.
Founded in 1913 and now with over 350,000 members worldwide, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is an organization of college-educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and public service with a primary focus on the Black community. The San Francisco Alumnae Chapter, chartered in 1948, continues that legacy through programs that promote educational equity, economic development, social action, physical and mental health, and community empowerment.
For 77 years, the chapter has awarded approximately $780,000 in scholarships to more than 500 youth.
“In a time when education is under attack, recognizing the brilliance of our scholars is one of the most impactful ways we serve San Francisco and Marin communities,” said Dr. Saidah Leatutufu-Burch, President of the San Francisco Alumnae Chapter. “This brunch is more than a fundraiser—it’s a celebration of academic excellence, a space for joy, and fostering the collective power of sisterhood and service.”
Individual tickets are $150. Tables of eight may also be purchased and sponsorship packages are available.
Tickets can be purchased at: www.sfacdst.org/events For sponsorships, donations, or more information, visit www. sfacdst.org/events.
By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media
Several Black-focused organizations from across California convened in Sacramento to engage with elected officials and lobby for policies that would affect Black communities around the state.
On May 19, the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA) Far Western Region, Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), National Coalition of 100 Black Women, California Black Media (CBM) and the Black Women Collective (BWC) either jointly or separately participated in legislative advocacy during events and meetings held in
and around the State Capitol.
“We are still faced with a number of challenges. That’s why it’s important for you, the media, to educate the public, to tell the stories that are important to you because if you don’t, who do you expect will?” said Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who spoke to Black media outlets represented there about the importance of expanding access to voting and pushing back against the SAVE Act.
CBM and the Black media owners who participated in the legislative day event shared a number of their priorities with lawmakers at the Capitol, including stating their interest in being included in the communications and implementation plans of the state’s
Cap-and-Trade investment program and the California Film and TV tax credit program. They also thanked the Black Caucus for elevating their concerns about Assembly Bill (AB) 1414, authored by Assemblymember Heath Flora (R- Ripon).
Rick L. Callender, President of the NAACP Cal-Hi State Conference, shared that the “Day at the Capitol is a powerful opportunity” for the Black community leaders and the youth to engage directly in the legislative process and advocate for the policies that impact Black Californians.
“From Sacramento to San Diego, we showed up and made our voices heard,” Callender said.
By Bo Tefu California Black Media
By Bo Tefu California Black Media
California will now allow public funds to pay for students with learning disabilities to attend religious private schools, marking a major shift in longstanding state policy. The change follows a court settlement reached May 19 between state officials and a group of Orthodox Jewish parents who had challenged the state’s exclusion of religious schools from its funding program.
Since 1993, California law has permitted the use of public funds to cover the cost of private school education for students with disabilities, but only at nonsectarian institutions. That requirement was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge after the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
ruled in October that the law appeared to violate the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom.
“For too long, California has discriminated against children with disabilities simply because of their faith. This settlement puts that injustice to an end,” said Daniel Mitzner of the Teach Coalition, affiliated with the Orthodox Union, which backed the legal challenge.
The plaintiffs included three Orthodox Jewish families in the Los Angeles area, each with children diagnosed with autism. One family described their 14-yearold son being served nonkosher meals at his public school, while another struggled to afford speech therapy for their 4-year-old enrolled in a private Jewish school
that had no access to state funding.
Eric Rassbach, senior attorney at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said the resolution “ensures that Jewish kids with disabilities can access the resources they need and deserve” without compromising their religious beliefs.
The challenge drew support from 22 states led by Idaho and religious groups such as the California Catholic Conference and the Rabbinical Council of America. The California Department of Education, led by Superintendent Tony Thurmond, did not issue a statement, but attorneys for the department agreed in court that the settlement was “fair and equitable” and would not be appealed.
Against the guidance of the Senate Parliamentarian, the U.S. Senate voted 51-44 on May 22 to revoke a federal government waiver that allows California to set its own clean air emissions standards.
Responding to the vote, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that they will sue the federal government for the move they say will “make America smoggy again” and undermine U.S. leadership in the global race to green energy conversion.
“This Senate vote is illegal. Republicans went around their own parliamentarian to defy decades of precedent,” said Newsom.
“We won’t stand by as Trump Republicans make America smoggy again — undoing work that goes back to the days of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan — all while ceding our economic future to China. We’re going to fight this unconstitutional attack on California in court,” he added.
Before the vote on May 20, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) condemned
his Republican colleagues for their plan to bypass Senate rules and revoke California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Padilla accused Republicans of using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to rescind the waivers with only 50 votes, thereby avoiding the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Speaking on the U.S. Senate floor, Padilla made clear that this move would set a dangerous precedent and threaten the health of millions. “I will be back here again and again throughout this process to make sure that everyone knows what these votes mean not just for the precedent and procedures of the United States Senate, but for the health of my constituents in California,” he said.
Padilla criticized the Republicans for a “total 180-degree reversal” on their previous defense of the filibuster, noting that Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) had earlier described overriding the Parliamentarian as “totally akin to killing the filibuster.” He emphasized that what Republicans are attempting is “more than going nu-
clear on the Parliamentarian. They are going nuclear on the Congressional Review Act itself.”
The senator warned that such a precedent would allow the next Democratic administration to face similar attacks on agency actions, stating, “All bets are off. Every agency action that Democrats don’t like — whether it’s a rule or not, and no matter how much time has passed — will be fair game if Republicans go through with this.”
Padilla highlighted the broader consequences of ignoring Senate rules and law. “By voting to go nuclear on the CRA, they are ignoring the law — not just Senate rules but the text of the law,” he said. “By voting to overrule the Parliamentarian, they are saying the rules are whatever Republicans say they are.”
He concluded with a reminder of the stakes. “We’re in the minority today. But Democrats will be in the majority again one day. We will not forget what happened here. History won’t forget. And Mr. President, California won’t forget what’s at stake today either.”
Continued
Special to The Post
Asm. Corey Jackson and Rick Callender, President of the CA-HI NAACP. Photo credit: Robert Maryland, California Black Media.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). Screenshot form C-Span 2.
Pictured are six of the scholarship recipients. Photos courtesy San Francisco Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Adult Day Program
Dedicated staff needed to work with individuals with developmental disabilities in communitybased settings, or environments. Qualifications: High school or equivalent. Driver’s license. Dependable and efficient. Background check. Physical exam and TB test. Training available. Decent wages. Please call (510) 690-9570.
By Tamara Shiloh
History has a curious way of choosing who it remembers. Some names rise easily to the surface — tethered to fame, wealth, or proximity to power. While others remain hidden. Among those overlooked is Ann Lowe, a woman whose hands stitched not only silk and satin but a legacy of grace and excellence.
Born in 1898 in Clayton, Alabama, Lowe came from a long line of dressmakers — her mother and grandmother both renowned in the South for their skill with needle and thread. Sewing was not just a craft in the Lowe household; it was a language, a form of survival, and eventually, a gateway to artistry. By the time Lowe
was a teenager, she was already crafting gowns for Alabama’s social elite.
But Alabama was never big enough to contain her ambition.
After her mother passed, Lowe took over the family business, then later enrolled at S.T. Taylor Design School in New York City in 1917. Even though she was the only Black student, she was required to study in a segregated space, separated from her White peers. Still, talent recognizes itself. Lowe’s skill spoke louder than any barrier. Her instructors marveled at her abilities, even showcasing her work to other students as examples of excellence. By the 1920s and 1930s, Lowe had begun to establish herself as
MacArthur Fellow Dorothy Roberts’ Advocates Restructure of Child Welfare System
erts is excerpted from the MacArthur Fellows web site.
A graduate of Yale University with a law degree from Harvard, Dorothy Roberts is a legal scholar and public policy researcher exposing racial inequities embedded within health and social service systems.
a designer for the country’s most prominent families like the Rockefellers, Roosevelts, and DuPonts. Yet her own name rarely made it to the headlines. She once described herself as “an awful snob,” when it came to her clients. She wanted the best. And they came to her because she was the best. She had a particular mastery of delicate, hand-crafted floral motifs — roses, lilies, and camellias sculpted from fabric with precision and care. Her gowns floated like whispers, their elegance undeniable.
Sine 2012, she has been a professor of Law and Sociology, and on the faculty in the department of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Roberts’s work encompasses reproductive health, bioethics, and child welfare. She sheds light on systemic inequities, amplifies the voices of those directly affected, and boldly calls for wholesale transformation of existing systems.
Roberts’s early work focused on Black women’s reproductive rights and their fight for reproductive justice. In “Killing the Black
Her most famous creation, however, would come in 1953, when she was commissioned to design the wedding gown for Jacqueline Bouvier’s marriage to Sen. John F. Kennedy. The dress, with its intricate ivory silk taffeta and more than fifty yards of fabric, became an instant classic — photographed, admired, and archived as one of the most iconic wedding dresses of the twentieth century. Yet, when asked who made the gown, Bouvier reportedly replied simply, “a colored dressmaker.”
Lowe never publicly challenged Kennedy said. She carried herself with quiet dignity, though privately she admitted disappointment that her name was not spoken. Despite her achievements, Lowe often worked at a financial loss, refusing to compromise the quality of her work for profit. “I love my clothes,” she once said, “and I’m particular.”
While she was regarded as elite society’s “best kept secret,” Lowe was well-known to those for whom it mattered — her clients and peers in the world of fashion.
Lowe’s accomplishments are not just in the gowns she designed and created, but in the story of a Black woman who found a place for herself in an industry that never fully acknowledged her worth.
In the last five years of her life, Lowe lived with her daughter Ruth in Queens. She died at her daughter’s home on Feb. 25, 1981, at the age of 82, after an extended illness.
Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty 1997)”, she
nied agency to Black women and
This work prompted Roberts to examine the treatment of children of color in the U.S. child welfare
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Author: Karida L. Brown, c.2025, Legacy Lit Books, 30.00, 256 pages
“Use your brain!”
If you had a dime for every time a teacher, parent, or supervisor told you that, you’d be rich. Stop fooling around. Consider what you’re
After nearly two decades of research and advocacy work alongside parents, social workers, family defense lawyers, and organizations, Roberts has concluded that the current child welfare system is in fact a system of family policing with alarmingly unequal practices and outcomes. Her 2001 book, “Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare,” details the outsized role that race and class play in determining who is subject to
about to do. Act with resolve, not impulse. It’s the best way to work, the optimal method for learning and, as in the new book “The Battle for the Black Mind” by Karida L. Brown, it’s what so many have fought for.
state intervention and the results of those interventions.
Through interviews with Chicago mothers who had interacted with Child Protective Services (CPS), Roberts shows that institutions regularly punish the effects of poverty as neglect.
In the months after the Civil War ended, it became apparent to both Black and White people in both the North and South that education for four million suddenlyfreed former slaves was “a matter of national security.” It was obvious that those citizens would require formal learning soon, maybe job training — but what kind and how much?
CPS disproportionately investigates Black and Indigenous families, especially if they are lowincome, and children from these families are much more likely than white children to be removed from their families after CPS referral.
In “Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World (2022),” Roberts traces the historical, cultural, and political forces driving the racial and class imbalance in child welfare interventions.
While Mary Smith Peake had “laid the foundation” for Hampton University already by then, two White men with vastly different intentions traveled south after the war to seize control of Black education. Edmund Asa Ware, who became the first president of Atlanta University (now Clark At-
These include stereotypes about Black parents as negligent, devaluation of Black family bonds, and stigmatization of parenting practices that fall outside a narrow set of norms.
lanta University) built schools that “aimed at nurturing Black intellectualism and potential,” while General Samuel Chapman Armstrong, who was the first president of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) had plans to “’civilize’” formerly enslaved people through physical labor and farm work. Booker T. Washington was one of Armstrong’s best-known protegees.
She also shows that blaming marginalized individuals for structural problems, while ignoring the historical roots of economic and social inequality, fails families and communities.
Roberts argues that the engrained oppressive features of the current system render it beyond repair. She calls for creating an entirely new approach focused on supporting families rather than punishing them.
In 1881, Washington became the first president of Tuskegee Institute and was later instrumental in forming the “Tuskegee Machine” which, says Brown, didn’t altogether help “Black families and shoved a singular curriculum down their throats.” There were forty-five Black colleges and universities in America then, though education for most Black children was still lacking. It remained so in the Jim Crow
Her support for dismantling the current system of child welfare is unsettling to some, but her provocation inspires many to think more critically about its poor track record and harmful design.
By uncovering the complex forces underlying social systems and institutions, and uplifting the experiences of people caught up in them, Roberts creates opportunities to imagine and build more equitable and responsive ways to ensure child and family safety.
a five-year period to spend as they
min, Jericho Brown, Tony Cokes, olds, and Dorothy Roberts. This is the eighth and last in the series highlighting the Black awardees.
Ann Lowe: The Hidden Architect of American Elegance
Cover of The Battle for the Black Mind. Courtesy of Legacy Lit.
Public Notices, Classifieds & Business
NOTICE AND DIGEST
AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO EXECUTE A SIXTH AMENDMENT TO THE LEASE DISPOSITION AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF OAKLAND AND OMSS, LLC, FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AN ANCILLARY MARITIME SUPPORT FACILITY FOR TRUCK
PARKING AND RELATED SERVICES AT 10 BURMA ROAD AND 2307 WAKE AVENUE, TO EXTEND THE OUTSIDE CLOSING DATE BY THREE MONTHS (RETROACTIVELY, IF NECESSARY)
SUBJECT TO AN EXTENSION PAYMENT OF $12,500, WITH AN ADDITIONAL THREE MONTH ADMINISTRATIVE EXTENSION SUBJECT TO AN EXTENSION PAYMENT OF $12,500; AND ADOPTING CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT FINDINGS
This Ordinance authorizes a sixth amendment to the Ancillary Maritime Support Project Lease Disposition and Development Agreement (as amended, the “LDDA”) between the City of Oakland and OMSS, LLC, for development of an ancillary maritime support facility for truck parking and related services at 10 Burma Road and 2307 Wake Avenue in the Gateway Area of the former Oakland Army Base, to extend the Outside Closing Date (as defined in the LDDA) by three (3) months to from May 1, 2025 to August 1, 2025, subject to an extension payment of $12,500, with an additional three (3) month administrative extension subject to an extension payment of $12,500; and adopting California Environmental Quality Act findings.
Notice of Publication
This Ordinance was introduced at the Special City Council meeting, Tuesday afternoon May 20, 2025, and passed to print 7 Ayes; 1 Excused - Gallo. Final adoption has been scheduled for the City Council meeting Tuesday evening June 3, 2025, 3:30 P.M., at One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Council Chamber, 3rd floor, Oakland, California, and via Teleconference.
Three full copies are available for use and examination by the public in the Office of the City Clerk at One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 1st floor, Oakland, California.
ASHA REED, City Clerk
NOTICE AND DIGEST
ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE AN AMENDMENT TO THE LEASE DISPOSITION AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH LIBERATION PARK RESIDENCES, L.P., FOR A PORTION OF CITYOWNED PROPERTY LOCATED AT 73RD AVENUE AND FOOTHILL BOULEVARD (PARCEL 2), TO REVISE THE GROUND LEASE TERMS OF RENT PAYMENT BY REPLACING THE PROVISION OF A 55-YEAR CAPITALIZED LOAN IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,505,004 AT A 3% INTEREST RATE WITH AN ANNUAL GROUND RENT PAYMENT OF $90,331 CAPPED AT $1,505,004, TO BE PAID TO THE CITY DURING THE 99-YEAR GROUND LEASE TERM
This Ordinance would authorize the City Administrator to amend the ground lease payment structure for the Lease Disposition and Development Agreement (LDDA) between the City of Oakland and Liberation Park Residences, L.P. The existing LDDA authorized a capitalized ground rent loan of $1,505,004 at a 3% interest rate. This Ordinance would authorize an annual base rent of $15,000 and $70,331 deferred rent, to be capped at total payments to the City of $1,505,004 over the 99-year term.
Notice of Publication
This Ordinance was introduced at the Special City Council meeting, Tuesday afternoon May 20, 2025, and passed to print 8 Ayes. Final adoption has been scheduled for the City Council meeting Tuesday evening June 3, 2025, 3:30 P.M., at One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Council Chamber, 3rd floor, Oakland, California, and via Teleconference.
Three full copies are available for use and examination by the public in the Office of the City Clerk at One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 1st floor, Oakland, California.
ASHA REED, City Clerk
Black Orgs Converge on California State Capitol
...
Continued from page 2
“We’re here to remind lawmakers that Black policy matters. The NAACP remains the oldest, the boldest, and the most revered civil rights organization in America — and we’re not slowing down.”
Before meeting with lawmakers, the NAACP Cal-Hi State Conference and AKAs held a breakfast meeting a couple of blocks away from the State Capitol at the Sheraton Grand Hotel.
Far Western Regional Director Nichole Starr-Jordan said she and over 150 AKAs were focused on advancing legislative change through civic engagement, public policy education, and social justice advocacy under the theme, “Soaring to Greater Heights of Service and Sisterhood.”
In addition to meeting with lawmakers, leaders of the Black organizations that participated in the legislative action day were recognized on the Assembly floor by Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom
(D-Stockton) and Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) on the Senate floor.
Among those leaders were Starr-Jordan, event co-organizers LaNiece Jones (Oakland) and Patrice Marshall McKenzie (Pasadena), NAACP board member LaJuana Bevins from Stockton, BWOPA President Dezie WoodJones, and 100 Black Women Oakland-Bay Area President Shari Woodridge, CBM Executive Director Regina Wilson, and founder of the BWC Kellie Todd Griffin were recognized for their contributions.
They were accompanied to the Senate and Assembly chambers by former Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, who represented a Southern California district covering areas in San Bernardino County.
“We are proud to recognize another Divine 9 organization,” Ransom said on the Assembly floor, referring to the historically Black Greek-letter fraternities and sororities. “These individuals and the many members with them today represent what Black collective action looks like.”
planned upgrades to the State Water Project. CBM screenshot.
$20 Billion Water Battle: Delta Lawmakers and Tribes Push Back on Newsom’s Tunnel Project Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh Praises U.S. Senate for Voting to End Taxes on Service Workers’ Tips
By Tanu T. Henry California Black Media
“I want to be crystal clear. Fasttracking the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) is a direct attack on our region’s environmental integrity, economic stability and public trust,” Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) warned Gov. Newsom.
Wilson, a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), was speaking at a press conference on May 20 at the State Capitol organized to push back against the Governor’s plans to speed up $20 billion worth of improvements to the State Water Project (SWP), a tunnel that delivers water from Northern California to areas in the south of the state.
Wilson, who is also co-chair of the legislative Delta Caucus, was joined at the press conference by Sen. Jerry McNerney, the other cochair of the caucus, and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ranson (D-Tracy), also a member of the CLBC.
Other Delta Caucus members — a bipartisan group of lawmakers representing counties in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, where the tunnel begins — also attended, along with officials from the Delta Coalition of Counties, regional environmental leaders and tribal leaders from the Delta.
Almost a week before, on May 14, when Gov. Newsom presented his May revision of the state’s 2025-26 budget, he announced his plans to make improvements to the water supply infrastructure he called “critical.”
Planned upgrades include a 45mile tunnel with intakes to draw water from the Sacramento River; a connection to the California Aqueduct via the Bethany Reservoir; new earthquake-resistant features; a pumping plant, and other improvements.
“For too long, attempts to modernize our critical water infrastructure have stalled in endless red tape, burdened with unnecessary delay,” said Newsom, referring to opposition to the project by environmental leaders and others.
“We’re done with barriers — our state needs to complete this project as soon as possible, so that we can better store and manage water to prepare for a hotter, drier future. Let’s get this built,” the Governor added.
Newsom is urging the State Legislature to create policy that will simplify the process to obtain construction permits and expedite the time judicial reviews take.
Wilson said the construction on the tunnel will damage the San Joaquin Valley ecosystem.
“Shifting water from one farming region to benefit another farming region does not solve our water problem,” she said. Wilson also pointed out that the project will become a cost burden for utility ratepayers.
According to the Governor’s office, California is expected to lose 10% of its water supply and the reliability of the existing tunnel to deliver water could reduce by 23%. The project, expected to begin in 2029, is designed to respond to that eventuality by making key improvements to the tunnel that “captures, moves and stores water used by 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland.”
Ransom said the project would “steal water” from the Delta.
“I’m disappointed to see this proposal to override legal protections and statutes to violate both water and property rights. Let’s be real- this is a $20 billion water grab that shifts wealth from the San Joaquin Delta to wealthy Southern California interests,” said Ransom.
NOTICE AND DIGEST
ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING THE WILDFIRE PREVENTION COMMISSION, PROVIDING FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS THEREOF, AND DEFINING THE DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF SAID COMMISSION
This Ordinance establishes the Wildfire Prevention Commission in accordance with the requirements of Oakland City Charter section 601, which provides that the City Council shall create all advisory boards and commissions by Ordinance and that the Mayor shall appoint all board members subject to confirmation by the City Council. This ordinance establishes the jurisdiction, duties, and powers of the Commission as delineated by Measure MM.
Notice of Publication
This Ordinance was introduced at the Special City Council meeting, Tuesday afternoon May 20, 2025, and passed to print 8 Ayes. Final adoption has been scheduled for the City Council meeting Tuesday evening June 3, 2025, 3:30 P.M., at One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Council Chamber, 3rd floor, Oakland, California, and via Teleconference.
Three full copies are available for use and examination by the public in the Office of the City Clerk at One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 1st floor, Oakland, California.
ASHA REED, City Clerk
By Tanu Henry
California Black Media
In a unanimous vote on May 20, the U.S. Senate voted to eliminate federal taxes on tips for service workers.
California State Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Redlands) praised the U.S. Senate for passing the bill, which was introduced by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
“I applaud the U.S. Senate for putting service workers first and providing much-needed tax relief. Now it’s California’s turn,” said Ochoa Bogh, who has authored similar legislation in California, Senate Bill (SB) 17.
The U.S. Senate bill, which codifies into federal law a campaign promise made by Presi-
dent Trump, establishes a tax deduction of up to $25,000 for tips for employees who earn less than $160,000. The deduction is limited to cash tips workers earn and report to employers for withholding on their paychecks.
“Tipped workers are taxed on inconsistent and unpredictable income causing instability in their families already struggling to make ends meet,” said Ochoa Bogh.
However, on May 23, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to send Ochoa Bogh’s nostate-tax-on-service-workers bill – along with hundreds of others –to the “suspense file,” where bills are sent for further consideration of costs to the state.
if the reform law never existed. Fortunately, Congress is taking action with new legislation to keep the Postal Service delivering like it should. Called the “USPS Services Enhancement and Regulatory Viability Expansion and Sustainability for the U.S. Act” (or USPS SERVES US Act), the bill would give the Postal Regulatory Commission — the agency that regulates the USPS — the power to stop onerous stamp hikes and delays. The bill, introduced by Congressman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), would also limit price increases to once per-year, and institute other reforms aimed at accountability, efficiency and success.
By Emil Guillermo
Jemele Hill is an African American writer and broadcaster
I respect, so I take great umbrage at a Right-wing writer’s description of her as a “race hustler.”
MAGA media loves to call any truth teller a “race hustler.”
It’s a despicable slur.
But that’s a reminder to reject the idea that diversity and identity politics is dead.
Identity politics is very much alive.
Yes, the landscape is bleak with the attacks and roll backs on DEI in public and corporate settings.
And, yes, on the 5th anniversary of George Floyd’s death, we are watching rollbacks of police reform initiatives at the Department of Justice level, where a conservative Asian American, Harmeet Dhillon of the Bay Area, is playing a major role in all the undoing.
What lives matter in 2025? Few dare to be so specific during Trump 2.0.
But not Trump. All this time 47 is playing MAGA identity politics just the same.
treatment of the 54 Afrikaners who are welcomed with open arms.
With the White population numbers dropping, Trump’s got to get those White numbers up. He’s embarked on an unprecedented identity politics strategy — the importing of White racists to America.
THE CENSUS And therein lies the value of the importance of the Census. Numbers matter. We need to make sure the country maintains the trend in the 2020 Census — where Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians are growing at an unprecedented pace.
And while this is not the big Census year, it is the year for the American Community Survey (ACS).
So even the ACS is important. It’s also the law. You must fill it out.
The form is nosier than I recalled. It’s not anonymous, and it asks for your name, your address, your employer, their address.
By Kevin Yoder Special to California Black Media Partners
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can stop the U.S. Postal Service, but the mismanagement of former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy might. Although DeJoy resigned this spring, the U.S. Postal Service continues to follow his failed “Delivering for America” plan.
DeJoy’s 2021 Delivering for America plan has been a disaster. It kicked off stamp and postage rate increases twice per-year at amounts far above the inflation rate — something that had never been done throughout the Postal Service’s 250-year history. Still following DeJoy’s foolish plan, the Postal Service is plotting yet another price hike this July.
Postal officials are making mail prohibitively expensive for consumers and businesses alike, but they are also making mail services increasingly slow and unreliable. As a result, the Postal Service is hemorrhaging customers — and we’re not even halfway through DeJoy’s 10-year plan.
Congress stepped up in 2022 with a series of bipartisan reforms, including removing a requirement for the Postal Service to pre-fund its retiree health benefits 75 years in advance. That reform alone has saved the Postal Service billions of dollars. And although it was intended to preserve service and prevent the need for massive postage hikes, DeJoy still plowed ahead as
While there are many issues in today’s tumultuous world that deserve attention, there is no doubt that the mail is essential and needs help. If Congress doesn’t enact the USPS SERVES US Act, the price of a stamp could be $1.19 by 2030. By then the Postal Service could even be defunct — destroying our ability to send and receive mail and putting its 8 million employees out of a job.
Remember that for millions of Americans, mail isn’t just a convenience; it’s a lifeline. The Postal Service is the only courier that delivers to every address in the U.S., no matter how rural or remote. No private company could — or would — deliver to our country’s most remote locations because profits are the first priority for any private enterprise. And that’s exactly why the U.S. Postal Service should be reformed, not privatized.
Like our country, the Postal Service was established by the people, for the people — and we must take action to keep it that way. If you would like to help save the mail, please ask your member of Congress to support the USPS SERVES US Act.
Now is the time to raise our voices and save the mail before it self-destructs.
About the Author
Kevin Yoder is a former Republican congressman from Kansas and executive director of Keep Us Posted — a nonprofit advocacy group. To learn more and easily ask your member of Congress to support the USPS SERVES US Act, visit www.KeepUSPosted.org to take action.
Who was spreading lies about a “South African Genocide” that doesn’t exist? It was Trump from the Oval Office last week spewing propaganda about genocidal murders in South Africa. The official stats say the actual numbers of deaths in South African farms is in single digits. That does not a genocide make.
And yet claims of genocide are being used to justify refugee status for White Afrikaners.
Maybe he should put them on that bribe plane he got from Qatar and send them all back to South Africa?
Meanwhile, Trump is deporting legitimate refugees like the Asian Americans he’s cruelly relocated to Sudan. Then there’s the more than 9,000 Afghans who worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Department of Homeland Security terminated their temporary protected status this month.
That’s a far cry from Trump’s
Book Review: The Battle for the Black Mind ...
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grew, education beyond a few years of elementary school was “rare” for Black Americans. By then, says Brown, Black women had stepped up to do the work, becoming teachers, bookkeepers, experts in strategy, fundraisers, staffers. managers, and marketers — sometimes, all at once.
Blending personal observations and experiences with good backgrounding, Brown tells this story in a conversational tone that invites readers to peek down the halls of HBCU history and into classrooms. She writes to readers, rather than at them, which helps to open minds for what’s inside “The
If I were undocumented (I am not), I’d hesitate for sure.
I never reacted that way in the past.
Under Trump, will the Censustaker be an ICE person in Department of Commerce drag? WHAT TO DO?
We all need to be counted. And who knows what forms will be discarded by the counters. I’d rather we flood them with the truth — despite all the lies from the Trump administration on everything from Kilmar Abrego Garcia to South African genocide. About the Author Emil Guillermo is a veteran Bay Area journalist, commentator, and stage monologist. See him at the Marsh SF/1062 Valencia St., June 2, 7pm, performing an excerpt from his latest “Amok Monologue.” https:// ci.ovationtix.com/36078/production/1225946
Watch his microtalk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1
Battle for the Black Mind.”
You may not need to be reminded about racism in Black American education, but the secrets she shares and the lines she draws are highlighted to seem like new information. Here, readers can see more clearly the connections between the early twentieth century and now, and how Project 2025 could change the trajectory. Fortunately, Brown also offers advice and ideas for taking action and ensuring that upcoming generations can win the next “battle.”
“The Battle for the Black Mind” is a lively book that you can read for information, history, or just because. But beware: it might make you want to get up, contact your Representative or Congressperson, and act. It’s the kind of book that’ll make you think.
Kevin Yoder.
At the podium, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), flanked by members of the Delta Caucus, speaks at a press conference organized to push back on Gov. Newsom’s
Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R- Redlands).
Popular Castlemont High Teacher Killed After CHP
High-Speed Chase
killed by a driver who was fleeing the CHP on Wednesday, May 28.
Boomer was walking on a sidewalk with his partner at E. 21st Street and 12th Avenue when a driver who was fleeing the CHP crashed into a fire hydrant, which struck Boomer, killing him immediately, according to witnesses.
Boomer headed Castlemont’s Linked Learning Department, a career education program for school students. Previously, he worked as a math teacher for four years at the school.
By Post Staff
Marvin
Boomer, a teacher at Castlemont High School,
was
While at Castlemont, Boomer completed a Ph.D. in philosophy focused on educational research and policy analysis from North Carolina State University.
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case, and after a thorough review of all the facts and evidence, we determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed further with the case.”
However, Assemblymember Mia Bonta released a statement Wednesday criticizing the decision to dismiss what many considered a “historic” case against a “notorious East Bay polluter.”
“Serial polluters shouldn’t be allowed to fill our lungs with hazardous waste, including lead, and get away with it with nothing more than a slap on the wrist,” Bonta wrote.
“The repeated fires from this facility threaten the well-being of the entire Bay Area, particularly the surrounding community in Oakland. Located within a mile of this metal shredding facility are 18 daycare centers, 10 parks, eight schools, four senior centers, and two hospitals. Since 2018, the local air district has issued 13 notices of violations to the Oakland-based shredder, resulting in lawsuits for violating various emissions rules,” Bonta said.
On June 28, 2024, an Alameda County Grand Jury indicted Radius Recycling; Daniel Woltman, the company’s regional general manager; and Dane Morales, terminal manager for the scrapyard.
The company, Woltman, and Morales were accused of mishandling, improperly storing, and recklessly treating hazardous waste that led to the Aug. 9, 2023 fire.
In a press conference announcing the charges last year, Price said, “Today is a historic
moment,” alleging the company and its employees destroyed and concealed evidence and violated other environmental laws.
The fire “blew toxic smoke across the East Bay for approximately 15 hours,” said Price. “We believe Radius has often shrugged off the regulations when it was convenient to them, treating minor administrative penalties and fines as the cost of doing business, resulting in a terrible legacy of environmental racism and poison in Alameda County.”
The fire, which was the fourth at the recycling plant since 2009, spread smoke that was detected from as far away as San Pablo in Contra Costa County to Livermore in Alameda County.
In a statement to the Oakland Post this week, Price said, “The new DA’s decision to dismiss the charges in her first 100 days is an outrageous decision that victimizes all of the residents of the Bay Area and the brave firefighters who risked their lives to fight the dangerous fire.”
“We brought the charges based on the evidence of felony health and safety code violations, including recklessly emitting an air contaminant and knowing or reckless treatment, handling, disposal, or storage of hazardous waste in a manner causing an unreasonable risk of fire, explosion, serious injury, or death,” Price continued.
“Public safety includes the right to live in a community with clean air, free of dangerous toxins. This terrible decision is a sign of the return to the old days of a double standard of justice in Alameda County,” she said.
$100 Million Granted to the Deep East Oakland Community ...
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lion fundraising goal--an unprecedented investment in the heart of Deep East Oakland.
“When East Oakland rises, all of Oakland rises and today Oakland is rising,” Lee continued.
“This is what community-first collaborative investment looks like. Let’s keep the momentum going. We need more partners, more residents, and more belief in what’s possible. This is just the beginning.”
Rise East was born out of the vision and efforts of Deep East Oakland natives Carolyn Johnson, CEO of the Black Cultural Zone; Dr. Noha Aboelata, MD, founder, and CEO of Roots Community Health Center; Selena Wilson, CEO of East Oakland Youth Development Center, and Greg Hodge, CEO of the Brotherhood of Elders Network, and a 40-year resident of West Oakland.
Rise East is enabled by the
Residents in Unincorporated Cities of Alameda County Demand a ‘Fair Share’ of Budget Spending
By Magaly Muñoz
A recent report by a UC Berkeley City Planning student researcher shows the discrepancies of underfunding in unincorporated cities of Alameda County and the challenges residents are facing due to the lack of spending for resources.
The study focuses on the six unincorporated cities (San Lorenzo, Ashland, Castro Valley, Cherryland, Fairview, and Hayward Acres) that make up what is known as the Eden Area. The cities span 25 square miles and are home to almost 150,000 residents, most of whom are Black, Latino, and lowincome.
The 82-page report titled “A Fair Share for Eden Voices” describes the lack of spending in the county’s general budget in the Eden Area over the last 20 years, along with lack of political representation, oversight, and historical inequities.
The cities are represented by county supervisors and do not have their own representation, such as mayors or city council members, like their recognized neighbor municipalities. According to the report, the Board of Supervisors holds discretion over the policy direction and budget of services for unincorporated areas.
The limited representation for unincorporated cities like Eden Area come from the Municipal Advisory Councils, or MACs, that advise supervisors on relevant issues and concerns from residents in these places, but even then, the councils have no authority — fiscal or otherwise.
The study reports that residents are unsatisfied with this representative structure and say that without elected officials, they are missing out on federal funding or grant opportunities.
Eden Area’s budget was $310 million in 2023 and is made up of revenues and appropriations from county departments such as the Community Development Agency, the county library, fire department, public works, and the sheriff’s office. But according to the reports’ author, each department gets to decide what parts of their budget goes to unincorporated services.
County reporting shows that the unincorporated cities only spent $255 million of their proposed $310 million budget in 2023, leaving over $50 million unused. But the author and residents question where that unused money is going and whether there are necessary services that are being left underfunded.
The Eden study shows that in 2020, $100 million was not utilized in the appropriated $300 million budget, meaning one-third of funding was underspent for resources in these cities. The county has alleg-
edly underspent in the Eden Area by $1.4 billion (inflation adjusted) from 2002 to 2023.
Recommendations and community voices
The report outlines low to high effort improvements to increase transparency and engagement with residents in unincorporated cities.
The recommendations fall under more details for the Eden Area budget, improving area governance and management, and increasing dedicated resources and services in these cities.
Carmen Lopez, a San Lorenzo teacher, said she’s seen firsthand how little the county allocates resources to families in unincorporated areas. She said the local school district partnered with agencies to address needs on housing, mental health, food, and school resources, but the assistance was limited to families living within the official districts, leaving little to those in the unincorporated parts.
My Eden Voices, a community group that assisted with the study and advocates for residents inside of the unincorporated cities, has attempted to make up for the lack of adequate services from the county. They’ve conducted a variety of workshops, advocated for food distribution, and hosted vaccine clinics and recreational events for children.
But Lopez said that My Eden Voices only has so much power to make up for the underspending in the budget that is not going toward local services.
“We need county leadership. My Eden Voices continues to work diligently to identify our needs, but we need the county to help with the needs of our families in partnership with our groups,” Lopez said.
Ashland resident and founding member of My Eden Voices Barisha Spriggs said that residents in these cities are contributing just as much as any other resident living in places like Hayward or Oakland and deserve just as much.
Spriggs was a strong advocate for a renters’ protection program in the area, but it was never made permanent, leaving residents vulnerable and without a safety net to protect against unjust housing practices. She said there is also little to no support for unhoused residents, as most of the assistance goes to resources outside of the unincorporated areas.
“We demand that the unincorporated communities receive our fair share of all Alameda County budget,” Spriggs said. “We are not asking for favors. We are demanding justice, dignity, and the investment that we have long been denied as residents who call the unincorporated Eden Area home.”
Anna Lee Blackman, 83 ...
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gifts to play for soloists, the church choir, the 11 a.m. service, as well as community choirs and singing contralto in Handel’s “Messiah” with various groups.
partnership of many leaders, including Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, superintendent of Oakland Unified School District, born and raised in East Oakland, and Brandi Howard, president, and CEO of the East Bay Community Foundation, also born and raised in East Oakland.
Editor’s Note: Starting in the next issue, the Oakland Post will present a series of articles, reports, and updates on how the community is included and involved and who the leaders are. We will also investigate the extent to which the city, county, regional, and state governments participate in the Rise East project. The Post will arrange, town halls, social media reports, streamed video coverage, financial accounting reports, and open forums for residents and elected officials that represent East Oakland.
In 1966, Anna joined the Richmond Unified School District and taught mathematics at Juan Crespi Jr. High (now Betty Reid Soskin Middle School). While there, she served as department chair and boasted one of the most innovative math programs in the district. She also taught mathematics in Champagne, Illinois, during the 1966-72 summer months. After Anna left Crespi she served as a dean at Kennedy High School in Richmond, California. From there, she became a vice principal at Helms Middle School, then Richmond High. In 1982, Anna was appointed principal of El Cerrito High School and served in that position for six years. She then moved to the district offices and served as the assistant director of Secondary Education for a year, before becoming the director of Secondary Education from 1989-1991. After this she became the associate superintendent for Curriculum, a position she held for six years. In 1997, she emerged as West Contra Costa Unified School District’s deputy superintendent, a position she held until her retirement in 2000.
For the next 25 years, she spent time coaching teachers, going on
Juneteenth in Hayward— Festival, Flag Raisings and HPL Book Displays and Programs
Special to the Post Juneteenth, the oldest nationally recognized commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, will be celebrated in Hayward on June 21, with live music, spoken word, dance and drama performances, exhibitions, vendors, refreshments and activities for children.
The annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration festival will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 21, at Heritage Plaza, 835 C Street, across from the downtown Hayward Public Library. Admission is free. The festival performance schedule is available online here.
Throughout the month of June, Hayward Public Library will also commemorate Juneteenth with book displays and special programs. For more information, view the HPL calendar of events here. Additionally, at noon on
Wednesday, June 18, the City of Hayward will host ceremonial raisings of the Juneteenth and Pan African flags in recognition of the long history of African American liberation efforts, which inspired racial equity and freedom movements around the world.
Celebrated each year on June 19, Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, is an observance of the effective end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, almost two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union Army Major Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of both the Civil War and slavery to more than 250,000 enslaved Black people, one of the last groups of slaves to be freed in the United States. While Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday in 2021, it has been celebrated in African American communities for more than 150 years.
Hoover’s Commutation Divides Chicago as State Sentence Remains
By Stacy M. Brown BlackPressUSA Neswire
WASC visits, and returning to Golden Gate Academy as its principal. She kept up with former students and colleagues on Facebook and around the Mahjong table. Anna and her husband, Marcel, loved their evening fishing trips to the Berkeley waterfront or San Pablo Dam, Memorial Day picnics which she and Marcel hosted for many years. She also enjoyed bowling, travel to Europe, camp meetings at Soquel, her siblings, children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Her presence will truly be missed; she was “always” there to give advice, or to bite at you with a little lighthearted banter.
Anna leaves behind to cherish her memory her sisters, Helen Darty and Margaret Montgomery of Lubbock, Texas; Carol Thompson (Ron) of Roy, Washingtonshington; children: Rosalyn Casas (Alex) of San Antonio, Texas; Sheila Blackman-Bahan (Roland) of Stockton, Ca; Benjamin Falls (Robin) of Antioch, Ca; Camisha James (Sean) of Clinton, Md., Courtney Blackman of El Sobrante, Ca; 17 grandchildren, 14 greatgrandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Her husband Marcel, parents Elgie Lee and Clarence, siblings Melvin, Shirley Marie, William LeRoy, Timothy, and Mae Helen, daughter Roxanne, and grandson Lovell preceded her in death.
The federal sentence for Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover has been commuted, but he remains incarcerated under a 200-year state sentence in Illinois. The decision by Donald Trump to reduce Hoover’s federal time has reignited longstanding debates over his legacy and whether rehabilitation or continued punishment is warranted. The commutation drew immediate public attention after music executive Jay Prince and artist Chance the Rapper publicly praised Trump’s decision. “I’m glad that Larry Hoover is home,” said Chance the Rapper. “He was a political prisoner set up by the federal government. He created Chicago Votes, mobilized our people, and was targeted for that.” But Hoover, the founder of the Gangster Disciples, is not home— not yet. Now in federal custody at the Florence Supermax in Colorado, Hoover was convicted of murder and running a criminal enterprise. Although some supporters describe him as a political prisoner, the legal and public safety concerns associated with his name remain substantial. “There is a divide in the Black community here,” said Chicago journalist Jason Palmer during an appearance on the Let It Be Known morning program. “Some view Hoover as someone who brought structure and leadership. Others remember the violence that came with his organization.” Palmer explained that while Hoover’s gang originally formed for protection, it grew into a criminal network responsible for extensive harm
in Chicago. He also noted that Hoover continued to run his organization from state prison using coded messages passed through visitors, prompting his transfer to federal custody.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is widely considered a potential 2028 presidential contender, has not issued a statement. Palmer suggested that silence is strategic. “Releasing Hoover would create enormous political consequences,” Palmer said. “The governor’s in a difficult spot—he either resists pressure from supporters or risks national backlash if he acts.” According to Palmer, Hoover’s federal commutation does not make him a free man. “The federal sentence may be commuted, but he still has a 200-year state sentence,” he said. “And Illinois officials have already made it clear they don’t want to house him in state facilities again. They prefer he remains in federal custody, just somewhere outside of Colorado.” Palmer also raised concerns about what Hoover’s case could signal for others. “When R. Kelly was convicted federally, state prosecutors in Illinois and Minnesota dropped their charges. If a president can commute federal sentences based on public pressure or celebrity support, others like R. Kelly or Sean Combs could be next,” Palmer said. “Meanwhile, there are thousands of incarcerated people without fame or access to public platforms who will never get that consideration.” “There are people who are not here today because of the violence connected to these organizations,” Palmer said. “That has to be part of this conversation.”
Photo courtesy The Hayward Stack.
Marvin Boomer, a teacher at Castlemont High School in East Oakland, was killed by a driver fleeing the CHP, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of OUSD.
Screenshot: Instagram.