Featured

Oakland High Schoolers Join Kaepernick in National Anthem Protest

Published

8 years ago

September 29, 2016

As dozens of athletes across the country are joining 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in his national anthem protest, one group of young protestors has grabbed the nation’s attention.

Students at the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) have been particularly vocal about their opposition to a lack of police accountability and the unfair treatment of Black and Brown people at the hands of law enforcement.

In the past two weeks, football players at Castlemont High School and members of the OUSD honor band have held protests similar to Kaepernick’s during national anthems.

Castlemont High School gained national attention two weekends ago when its football players kneeled with their fists raised during the pre-game national anthem.

Then, last weekend, Kaepernick came to visit the players before an away game, offering them words of support and appreciation for their action.

“You are important. You make a difference. This matters and everything you do matters,” Kaepernick told the students in a locker room before the game.

Kaepernick later knelt down beside the Castlemont team as they held another national anthem protest, during which the players laid on the ground with their hands raised.

According to Castlemont’s athletic director, Traivon Soto, students and faculty held a number of discussions before their initial protest to talk about all sides of the issue.

“We talked about Kaepernick kneeling for the American flag and do you agree and disagree and why,” Soto told the Post.

“We teach life skills and talk about social issues at Castlemont because in a lot of ways students are deprived of resources,” he said. “We try to have discussion to make kids aware of what it’s like once they leave high school.”

Social justice issues are prevalent at the high school, which has ethnic studies as part of its curriculum, and the players have received a lot of positive support from their peers and administration.

Members of the OUSD honor band kneel during the national anthem at an Oakland A’s game. Photo courtesy of OUSD.

Last week, members of the OUSD honor band held a similar action by kneeling down on one knee near the end of their performance of the national anthem at an Oakland A’s baseball game.

As the song ended with the words “land of the free and home of the brave,” students took a knee, “as if to say, no we’re not all free but we’re brave and we’re going to do this,” said Zachary Pitt-Smith, music director at Edna Brewer Middle School, which participated in the protest.

Both protests have been widely praised by the greater Bay Area community, but they have also received backlash from those who claim that students are too young to understand issues of police brutality.

Pitt-Smith, however, says those claims are unfair to students whose experiences may be personally tied to issues of state violence.

“These kids are savvy and they live in somewhat violent communities and come from all walks of life,” he said.

“A lot of times they’re looked down upon in the general community as not informed or not old enough to vote. This (protest) gave the students a voice.”

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.