Politics
The Jules Verne-ish, Dr. Doolittle-ish, 12’6 foot high, 18 foot long, 3000 pound, glow-in-the-dark, fire-blowing, motorized, iron snail, was built atop the skeleton of a 1966 VW Bug. But it came from a dream — literally.
Despite early signs of rain, thousands of people converged in Oakland on Saturday in what organizers are billing as the largest anti-fracking demonstration in U.S. history, calling on Governor Jerry Brown to put an end to hydraulic fracturing in California.
The sounds of piano notes, falsettos, and string instruments echo through the empty hallways at McClymonds High School in West Oakland. The campus that once housed over 800 students has had a steady and rapid decline in enrollment in the past few years. Currently, one-fourth of the original population attends the school—putting the enrollment at around 250 students, the majority of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds. This school year, 2014-2015, is the first time in 12 years that a music…
Next weekend Californians will march to demand a “real” climate change leadership
The Jack London Square Christmas tree is a 55-foot Shasta fir covered in more than 5,000 sparkling lights and 600 colorful ornaments. It’s part of Oakland tradition; this year the tree was lit on Friday, December 5th, as a small crowd attended the annual tree-lighting ceremony. Mayor Jean Quan held a moment of silence for the lives of black people lost due to police violence, and a small group of peaceful protesters held up signs around the Christmas tree after it was…
Here are some of our favorite and most-read stories from 2014. We’ll be back in 2015!
Every corner in this building has something going on: La Commune, a collectively-run and worker-owned bookstore and café, is turning the entrance into a cozy place which will welcome visitors with a cup of something to drink and something interesting to read. There is a space for Food Not Bombs, a project that brings free food to parks, political events, neighborhood gatherings and social centers. The Sudo Room and Counter Culture Labs share a spacious room that was once bocce…
Animal rights groups are claiming that in Oakland, animals are being unlawfully killed; they want the shelter to sign up to the No Kill movement, which keeps euthanasia for only the most extreme cases. The new director, however, has different ideas.
After 4 years, Oakland schools’ African American Male Achievement initiative assesses how it’s doing
The Office of African American Male Achievement will release reports in January that focus on its flagship program and hopes for future growth.