Oakland workers continue the “Fight for $15”

Fast food workers, union representatives and their allies converged on Frank Ogawa Plaza yesterday afternoon to call for a rise in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Photo by Teresa Cotsirilos.

Hundreds of fast food and other low-wage workers gathered outside Oakland City Hall Tuesday evening demanding a higher minimum wage of $15 per hour. The demonstrations were part of a wider national campaign, Fight For 15, which has seen over 270 cities participating in similar protests.

Read More

Residents rally against foreclosure practices and to support reforms

Community members held signs and applauded the politicians who promised their support for a senate bill requiring banks to consider a loan modification for any homeowner who applied for one.

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.

Read More