Crime

Where student was killed, hope and song fill the street

In early September, a small memorial formed at the intersection of 54th and Gaskill Streets in North Oakland, marking the site where bullets cut short the life of Desiree Davis. On Saturday, that subtle shrine turned into a soaring tribute to the 17-year-old’s life at a street fair held by members of Humanity Baptist Church.  Voices lifted from a stage just across the street, filling the air with songs of hope, and speakers made impassioned calls for an end to street…

North Oakland meets new police chief Batts

“The Wild West was not won by a guy riding in on a white horse,” new Oakland police chief Anthony Batts told the crowd that gathered to meet him today at Peralta Elementary. “It was won by communities that took a stand.”