San Pablo Ave Community Newspaper Edition 2

Lloyd Canamore and the Warrior House

The New Chapter

by Cindi Sharp

The story for Lloyd Canamore has moved forward into a new chapter in his life. He has temporarily lost his battle for his beloved West Oakland home, but finds some solace in his new residence on Martin Luther King Jr. Way that his good friend Ali Roth helped him secure. Ms. Roth had previously set a Go Fund Me account in the past that helped with expenses until it became clear that the lender was not going to give up.

In our last issue we reported on Lloyd and his battle for his beloved residence in West Oakland that became known as the Warrior House. Named so because of Lloyd’s fierce love for the Bay Area team. He and his mother, Clemmie, would stand in front of the house and wave and take pictures with the passers by. He took care of his mother until she passed in 2019. It was then Lloyd found out his home was in jeopardy from defaulting on a second mortgage his mother had procured without his knowledge.

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Bring

our

Library Back

Friends of the Hoover Durant Public Library

by San Pablo Ave Community News Team

WHO WANTS A LIBRARY?

The Friends of Hoover Foster Library decided about ten years ago that, yes, we do!

WE WANT A LIBRARY IN OUR COMMUNITY. AGAIN!

Big strides are being made to bring a library back to the Hoover Foster, McClymonds and Clawson communities for the first time in over 50 years since the closure of the North Oakland Branch. A group of lifelong residents recognized how a library is a crucial community resource. And in 2013 they pulled together to start the process of bringing a library back to our community and the many different services it can provide beyond just books and reading.

The Friends of Hoover Durant Public Library (FoHDPL) has been hard at work since that first meeting. Now, the Oakland City Council has unanimously voted to fund A FEASIBILITY STUDY. All we need to do as a community is work together to make our Hoover Branch Library a reality.

This summer an all-inclusive series of events will bring young, elders and in-between folx together from the neighborhood to tell their stories. To build a vision of inclusion upon

www.fohdpl.org

Sign up for email updates: bit.ly/fohdpl_info

which a community learning resource center can emerge for all. A library that is a destination space that fits all our needs. A place that supports neighborhood vitality and pride; a resource that builds hope and empowers a positive vision for the future.

“In 2013, NCPC Beat 6X residences decided to “bring our library back”. Today, Friends of Hoover Durant Public Library is a vital community resource. Along with our volunteer members, we are committed to Bringing our Library Back!!”

We want to show the City of Oakland that we are a shining example of a community that came together with common purpose to right a past wrong and build a vital neighborhood resource to serve ALL the people.

Imagine a community-centered building with a wide range of uses such as classrooms, a kitchen, special event areas, and the most up-to-date tech hardware and programs that is convenient to all with parking, near a bus stop and with bicycle access. We can make it happen if we all hold the vision and GET INVOLVED!

The Friends of the Hoover Durant Public Library Team share books and information at Hoover RAC’s Community Healing Block Party. From left: John L. Williams, Charles Jordan, Ernest Johnson. Center: Alternier Cook.

Photo by: Keith Arivnwine

-Alternier Baker Cook, Chair of FoHDPL

Above: Lloyd Canamore outside of his home in March 2023. Below: Lloyd outside of his new home, June 2023.

Photos by: Keith Arivnwine

C.L. Dellums Father of the West Coast Civil Rights Movement

by David Peters

Cottrell Laurence (C.L.) Dellums was once asked if he was related to Ron Dellums. His answer, “No, he’s related to me.” Many people are familiar with former Oakland mayor and Congressman Ron Dellums, but far fewer know of his uncle, C.L. Dellums, long-time Hoover/ Foster resident, and the father of the West Coast Civil Rights movement.

Our Lives Are Precious

This is what we’re doing all fresh and new, Come join us on the next edition, yours would be just as Important too!

Put one foot in front of the other, that’s what the “Old Schoolers”say, always “Respect” your Mom and Dad, they were raised the old fashioned way!

Our Daily Bread

As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is [God’s] love for those who fear him.

Psalm 103:11

C.L. Dellums got off the train in Oakland in 1923 from his home town of Corsicana, Texas. He wanted to go to law school, but soon realized that with his low wages as a Pullman Porter, he would never be able to afford the $30/semester law school tuition.

In the decades following the Civil War, working as a porter on one of the Pullman Company’s luxurious “sleeper cars” was one of the most coveted positions a Black man could attain. Although the job was demanding – porters worked long hours to keep the trains clean and the passengers happy – it was seen as a big step up from agricultural labor. As the railroads expanded, the Pullman Company became one of America’s most profitable corporations, but while the stockholders became fabulously rich, porters were forced to rely on tips to supplement their meager incomes.

In 1925, these workers formed the first nationwide Black union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), to fight for better wages and less exploitative working conditions. It took a dozen years of bitter struggle, but eventually the Brotherhood’s president A. Phillip Randolph won the Pullman Company’s recognition of the union, an “unprecedented and almost inconceivable” victory that could not have been achieved without the man who lived at 829 Brockhurst Street.

His nephew Ron would carry on the family’s political legacy through his tenure as a Congressman and Oakland mayor.

Mr Dellums led a 14-year fight to establish a California Fair Employment Practices Commission and was appointed to it by Governor Pat Brown, eventually becoming its Chair.

Despite his status as an iconic labor leader, C.L. Dellums never left this neighborhood, remaining in his Brockhurst St. house until he passed away in 1989. A life-size statue of Dellums in front of the Jack London Square Amtrak station commemorates his lifetime of achievements, which included fighting for better pay and working conditions for the many Pullman porters who called West Oakland home.

Stewy’s Small Business Spotlight

by San Pablo Ave Community News Photos by Keith Arivnwine

If you haven’t heard of Stewy’s Food Truck, it’s time you knew! Mickey Stewy Jr. serves delicious fish & chips, burgers, po boys, and more at his food truck. We appreciate Mickey’s commitment to supporting community events put on by Serenity House, Hoover RAC, and others. Find him outside Third Eye Soul Kitchen on Fridays or at events.

Wellness Tip

by Sister CC

Do you know somebody that’s had a rough, tough life and lifestyle?

I challenge you to go to your local pharmacy or healthstore and purchase some of these!

Great results.

During C.L. Dellums’ long career in BSCP leadership, the union played a key role in every significant civil rights struggle from desegregating Oakland to the March on Washington. Dellums helped lead the campaign to ban “whites-only” hiring practices in defense industries, setting the stage for a massive influx from the South to the Bay Area during World War II, when shipyards hired tens of thousands of Black migrants.

Mr. Dellums was elected the first chair of the Alameda County branch of the NAACP, and in 1948, C.L. Dellums became the NAACP’s first West Coast director and used his authority to challenge police brutality, employment discrimination, and other systemic forms of racial oppression, including bringing a commission of the California Assembly to Oakland in the 1950’s to hold hearings on Oakland Police Dept brutality.

Present this newspaper at Stewy’s before July 30 to receive $3 off your meal! Follow Stewy’s on social media to see more of their delicious menu: bit.ly/stewys_food

C.L. Dellums. Smith, A. (2007, January 18). C.L. Dellums (19001989). BlackPast.org.

Continued from page 1

With assistance from the Warriors and donations from Go Fund Me contributions, he was able to stay in his home for a little while longer. But the lender was insistent on taking the home for lack of payment on the loan. Neighbors and friends did all they could but Lloyd could not pay the $350,000 the lender wanted. Foreclosure was set for April, but it seems that has been put on hold.

While he awaits the outcome of things, Lloyd now lives on Market Street in Oakland in a clean new home with room enough for him and his 3 dogs. It’s not easy for him though. Even with the extensive repairs needed to the home, The Oakland Land Trust and his good friend and former neighbor are trying to get the lender to agree to a short sale of the house to them so they can then rent the house to Cannamore at an affordable price for the rest of his life.

Help Stop Illegal Dumping

Where is all this trash coming from? How does it impact you? Who is responsible? How can we hold them accountable?

Favorite Places Spotlight

by Keith Arivnwine

Oakland City Budget

Get involved!

Council will discuss the budget and proposed amendments at upcoming City Council Meetings where residents can offer input. All City Council meetings are located in the third floor City Council Chamber of City Hall - 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland.

• June 20 at 4pm: Regular Council meeting on budget

• June 26 at 4pm: Special Council meeting on the budget

• June 29 at 10:30am: Special Council meeting on the budget

In preparation for the Oakland City budget cycle the SPARC Workgroup on Equitable Recovery (WGER), developed budget recommendations with the goal of:

1. Increasing community safety in the “SPARC-o-sphere” between 35th and West Grand.

2. Increasing resident participation and voice in deciding the specific programs needed to increase community safety along the corridor.

3. Continuing to fund deeply affordable housing to help prevent further homelessness.

by SPARC SPARC Budget

Our newspaper team enjoying creative collaboration and yummy snacks at Arthur Mac’s.

Photos by: Keith Arivnwine

50 Years or so Ago, a Train Ran Through It

by Tim Fisher

Here on San Pablo Avenue at the Avalon Senior Residence we’ve got a special commemorative plaque on our outside wall that notes the historical significance of the Key Route Terminal and the site’s role during WWII. As a relative newcomer to the area, I didn’t have a clue and I wanted to know more. Longtime West Oakland residents put me on a path of discovery that started in the Hoover Foster neighborhood a few blocks away and took me up the Bay as far as Suisun City to the Western Railway Museum.

The photos generously received from the Western Railway Museum historians reveal that where Avalon sits today was a busy transportation hub pre-BART with all sorts of trolley lines running through -especially during WWII when the site was the southern terminus for a shuttle that took workers from Emeryville to the Kaiser

Where on San Pablo?

shipyards in Richmond – world famous for manufacturing wartime ships at a furious clip.

Avalon’s parking lot was actually tracks for the Key Route F train and the garden was a station stop. According to one of the Museum historians, the Avalon parking lot is still under a 75-year lease to AC Transit and is not owned by EBALDC, Avalon’s management company.

Within the next decade or so, San Pablo Avenue is slated for a major design overhaul reducing car lanes to one each way, focusing instead on lanes for public buses, biking and personal transport devices like e-scooters. Considering the adage, “what’s old is new again,” one wonders if the current day Avalon car parking lot could one day become a commuter thoroughfare once again. TBD.

Special thanks to:

Gene Anderson, Author, Oakland Wiki and Legendary Locals of Oakland

David Peters, WOCAN

Allan Fisher and Ron Hook, Historians, Western Railway Museum

Jean Banks, Resident, Avalon Senior Residence

Greyhound Bus Stop

What happened to our means of transporation?

by Annette Miller

The green San Pablo Station building on the right is the current site of The Avalon Senior Residence in Emeryville. The train is running right through Avalon’s parking lot and garden. Note the ladies’ long dresses. Are those men wearing top hats? The wooden building to the left became the Bank of America building around 1912. (Photo in 1906 in Jeff Moreau collection from negative 82634 at Western Railway Museum. Colored by Tim Lane in 2015.)

Greyhound: what happened? Who dropped the ball to allow Greyhound to up and move to outside of West Oakland BART station? The only means for low income folks to get from state to state. There is no station. No one to talk to.

The Hotel Ritz (left) and what was the American Trust Co. (right) at the current site of EBALDC’s Avalon Senior Residence on San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville, CA. A northbound No. 2 Shipyard Railway Shuttle Car 271 (foreground) used to ferry workers from the southern terminus in Emeryville to the Richmond Shipyards during WWII. (Arthur Lloyd photo January 10, 1945; Photo courtesy Western Railway Museum where Car 271 is preserved today.)

Above: The now-closed Greyhound Station. Below: The new Greyhound stop

Photos by: Keith Arivnwine

Who allowed this to happen? Does it mater to you? Get involved in SPARC to have a say on holding spaces along San Pablo Ave.

This memorial plaque on the NW corner of Avalon Senior Residence at 3850 San Pablo Avenue was once the site of a very busy East Bay public transportation hub.

An inbound F of the Key Route system coming down Yerba Buena Street crossing the intersection of Adeline Street and slowing for the Yerba Buena stop. This picture was taken from the roof of the Hotel Ritz, what is now the Avalon Senior Residence. Today, the Key Route Lofts sit on the corner occupied by the row of white façade buildings. (Photo by Don Sims in 1955, scan from mounted photo 63275 acq from WRM, colored by Tim Lane in 2013.)

Design Corner

Everyone gets a say in co-creating the future.

Julia Grinkrug

California College of the Arts

California College of the Arts in San Francisco (CCA) offers training in a variety of art and design professions, including architecture, industrial design, city making and many more. We believe that architecture and design are relevant for all people and not just for the wealthy or shiny downtowns. One of our core values is developing meaningful and long-standing relationships with local communities. Urban Works Agency is a research lab at CCA that is focused on promoting equity, social

Oh the Rain

by Cindi Sharp

You asked for rain and rain you received Every day in fact since New Year’s Eve Soggy, foggy days and frigid nights

Gusting winds felling trees too old for the fight Thunder rumbled loudly, even shaking the ground Giving pause as you assessed the grumbling sound

As lightning flashed brightly turning night skies white You wake from your slumber with a terrible fright

Outreach Team

justice and ecological vitality in the built environment. Our students work with marginalized communities to co-create strategies that positively impact cities for the people who live in them. We strive to align with all communities and, in so doing, CCA has committed to providing scholarship support to students from low income backgrounds. Scan the QR code to learn about our initiatives as well as about various ways to partner

well as about various ways to partner with us or study at CCA.

Sister CC, Community Outreach Specialist and Licensed Peer Counselor

Annette Miller, Outreach Manager and Community Member

Tyra Rhodes, Community Outreach Specialist

Rivers were rising by historical measurements And water and mud creeped into your basements

The recurring damage as the storms kept repeating Hurt so bad it made your heart want to stop beating

Day after miserable day with hardly a break

We began to wonder how much more we could take Slowly it tapered, then it starts, then it stops Then came the golf balls of hail on our rooftops

California kids and their parents were amazed at the site Snow deep enough to make snow angels with delight Everyone stayed home to toss snowballs around Making memories of the joy and smiles that did abound.

Artistic Team

Keith Arivnwine, Photographer

Tim Fisher, Writer

David Peters, Writer | WOCAN

Cindi Sharp, Writer

Design Team

Leyla Dualeh, Graphic Designer

Julia Grinkrug, Academic Partner

Annie Ledbury, Project Manager

Raine Robichaud, Graphic Designer

Jesse Williams, Lead Graphic Designer

Community Mapping Game in Hoover Elementary School. Spring 2022

AlterSpace Project. By Shreya Shankar, Vishakh Hiren Surti, Manpreet Malhi, 2022