Community
On Monday evening, parents, students and providers of special needs education in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) gathered at the Cole Campus to watch the premiere of Intelligent Lives, a documentary by filmmaker Dan Habib. “This movie is a tool to transform and change the label of intellectual disability from a life sentence of isolation,” he said as he spoke from New York in a recorded message to the viewing audience. Parents and educators watched attentively as the documentary…
On the otherwise quiet and dimly-lit Clay Street, a group of roughly 50 people gathered for a candlelit vigil in front of Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Oakland headquarters on Thursday evening. Protestors held tea light candles as they gathered around speakers, who led the crowd through moments of somber observance, followed by chanting: “PG&E is a convicted felon!” referring to a ruling by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) that PG&E was responsible for the…
On Wednesday afternoon, Oakland residents prepared for the power to go out, anticipating cuts that were initially expected to begin in Alameda County at noon. Parts of the Oakland hills and East Oakland are the most likely to be affected by the outages, which Pacific Gas and Electric estimates will affect 32,680 county residents. PG&E officials plan to cut power to parts of more than 30 Northern California counties as a wildfire prevention measure. This decision followed the last two…
It’s a Wednesday night and the crowd at the Oakland Public Library in the Dimond District is buzzing. The facilitator rings a green cowbell. “Get ready for your first date. You have five minutes,” she says over the PA in the corner. The daters rush to their assigned tables, some stopping to lift a last cookie from a table in the middle of the room that’s piled heavy with pastries. Though eager, these daters aren’t looking for love. Tonight, this…
Oakland is expected to be among the Bay Area cities affected by PG&E power cuts starting today. According to a release sent out by the mayor’s office, the cuts will begin in some parts of Oakland at noon on Wednesday. The cuts are part of the power company’s effort to avoid sparking fires caused by downed power lines during hot, windy weather. Oakland North reporters will be out in the field all day to learn how the cuts are affecting…
Amidst chilly Friday night winds, people gathered at Lake Merritt Tower to watch Undeterred, a film highlighting the effect that the increased militarization of border towns has on surrounding communities. The event included a screening of the film and a gallery exhibition titled “Recognition: Labor Meets Art in Explorations of Social Justice and Identity,” which was open for its last night of public viewing. The event was organized by National Nurses United union and featured talks by members of the…
Chris Colter, who has been working as a licensed barber for over a decade, hopes to open a barber academy in East Oakland. His mission for the academy is to provide opportunities for young African-American men to learn a viable trade.
Students, staff, parents, and other members of community gather outside of Garfield Elementary on Friday to call for stricter traffic safety enforcement.
It was a record shop. Then it sat empty. Now it’s a community hub for non-profits. And at its housewarming party on Friday night, a crowd of roughly 250 people crammed into the space belonging to Restore Oakland, Inc. to learn about how it would be available for Fruitvale residents to use. Before making their way into the space, guests and curious onlookers watched a powerful and colorful performance from Danza Azteca Cuauhtonal, a group that practices indigenous cultural rites….