For decades, the law enforcement and justice systems have treated juvenile sex workers as criminals, not victims, arresting and locking them up. Now the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and an Oakland nonprofit that works with sexually exploited youth are exploring alternatives to incarceration. But what’s the best way to do it?
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Nola Brantley, right, talks with some of her MISSSEY staff members at the Safe Place Alternative, or SPA, at the Alameda County Family Justice Center. The SPA is a drop-in transition and recovery center for sexually exploited children in Oakland.
As more Oakland youth join the sex trade, law enforcement explores alternatives to incarceration
March 13, 2010 – 10:02 am
Going green? Oakland fair shows you how
March 10, 2010 – 12:38 pm
At last Saturday’s Greening Oakland Homes fair at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club, contractors were on hand to explain the options for going green.
Bargain hunters descend on Oakland Museum’s White Elephant sale
March 7, 2010 – 9:00 am
By 9 a.m. on Saturday, dozens of people were in line outside a warehouse in East Oakland, waiting for the people inside to lift the heavy metal door to the building. They had been there—in some cases for hours—waiting for the mother of all rummage sales: the Oakland Museum Women’s Board’s 51st White Elephant Sale.
Oakland cab outfit goes hybrid
February 24, 2010 – 10:52 pm
Friendly Cab in Oakland has put 15 Ford Escape hybrids on the road in the last month in an effort to reduce its carbon emissions.
On the road with the Tour de Taco: Visiting Oakland’s taquerias by bike
February 22, 2010 – 3:35 pm
The cold, gray skies and wind didn’t deter people from riding through Oakland’s Fruitvale district on Saturday to partake in the Tour de Taco.
The Loan Modification Mess
February 21, 2010 – 12:40 pm
The federal government launched Making Home Affordable, a loan modification program, last year to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure. But as one Glenview woman is finding out, getting lenders to participate isn’t easy.
$70 million for airport connector project to be diverted to regional transit agencies
February 21, 2010 – 12:39 pm
$70 million in federal stimulus funding denied to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Agency for the Oakland Airport Connecter project will be reallocated for regional rail and bus improvements instead.
Beer: The beverage of the people
February 19, 2010 – 8:04 am
There are those who say that every beer has a story. A growing number of women in the Bay Area say that every story…should have a beer.
Rockridge boutique participates in Princess Project dress drive
February 18, 2010 – 7:53 pm
Bay Area residents have the chance to be fairy godparents by opening their closets and hearts to help a young women attend their high school proms. The Princess Project, now in its eighth year, is a volunteer effort to give accessories and new and gently used prom dresses to teens who otherwise couldn’t afford them.
Not just another wifi shack
February 17, 2010 – 1:36 pm
Coffee shops used to be the social hub of the community until laptops and wireless Internet turned them into libraries that serve food. In North Oakland, one coffee shop is trying to get the conversation started again. Shilanda Woolridge reports.
Bridge to Nowhere: Visions for Reusing the Bay Bridge
February 17, 2010 – 1:06 pm
As most people are focusing on the construction of the new Bay Bridge—slated to be finished by 2013—others are thinking of ways to reuse parts of the old one
Bakesale Betty’s to get second home
February 15, 2010 – 2:27 pm
Many other Oaklanders have a feverish attachment to the famed Bakesale Betty’s fried chicken sandwich and to the cheerful Temescal corner where it is currently housed. But in April, Betty will have a new way to serve her faithful patrons, a second location on the corner of West Grand and Broadway.
Former Oakland medical marijuana supplier in legal limbo
February 11, 2010 – 2:36 pm
It’s been almost a year since the Justice Department announced it would no longer go after medical marijuana providers who comply with state law. For Mickey Martin, whose Oakland shop distributed edibles laced with cannabis, the decision came a little too late. Mario Furloni and Patrick Kollman have the story.
Actual Cafe in Golden Gate goes laptop free on the weekends
February 6, 2010 – 11:21 am
In an effort to keep Actual Cafe an actual cafe, starting this weekend owner Sal Bednarz will embark upon a month-long social experiment to create the kind of social atmosphere that existed before wireless internet and mobile computers. Bednarz wants people to step away from their Facebook profiles and connect face-to-face.
Oakland to be a model city for stimulus spending
February 6, 2010 – 9:42 am
On Thursday, Mayor Ron Dellums said that federal government officials will visit three cities, including Oakland, to learn about how the cities have used stimulus money. Dellums said that federal officials are planning to visit Oakland on March 1.
City Attorney files lawsuit against immigration consultants
February 3, 2010 – 8:27 am
A civil suit filed Thursday by the Oakland City Attorney’s Office against immigration consultancy American Legal Services alleges that the company made false promises to clients and damaged their cases.