Samantha Bryson

Residents rally against foreclosure practices and to support reforms

The sanctuary of East Oakland’s St. Louis Bertrand Church was filled with house keys on Saturday morning—keys on string encircling the room and hanging from the balcony, keys in jars, in pockets and around necks, keys in hands being jingled in uniform outrage, all because there are fewer house keys in Oakland than there used to be. The display of keys was a symbolic part of Saturday’s rally as over 1,200 people protested the recent wave of home foreclosure.

Community leaders gather to celebrate the Khadafy Washington Foundation’s 10th anniversary

An intimate gathering was held Thursday night to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Khadafy Washington Foundation for Non-Violence, an organization founded by heartbroken parent turned community leader, Marilyn Washington Harris. In August 2000, Harris’ 18-year-old son Khadafy Washington was shot and killed. In 2001, she started the foundation to meet the needs of homicide victims’ family members.

City officials and public weigh in on proposed gang injunction

On Tuesday night, Oakland City Council’s public safety committee heard a report from the City Attorney’s Office about the effectiveness and cost of gang injunctions, but despite nearly three hours of heated public commentary, the committee decided not to take actions regarding the report on the proposed Fruitvale gang injunction.

Neighbors bring safety concerns to town hall meeting

On Saturday, Oakland City Councilmember Jane Brunner, whose district covers a large portion of North Oakland, held a town hall meeting to discuss violence prevention. The meeting, held at Peralta Elementary School, drew roughly 60 people from Oakland and Berkeley, many of whom came prepared with questions.