Economics

OP-ED: Vote on Cannabis Equity Program Set for March 7

Published

9 years ago

February 23, 2017

By Carroll Fife, Oakland Justice Coalition

March 7 could be a record day for Oaklanders. That is the day that the Oakland Council will vote on the Equity Permit program, a program introduced by Councilmember Desley Brooks to level the playing field in Oakland’s growing cannabis industry.

The cannabis industry has historically consisted of white male ownership. This includes dispensaries, cultivation centers and marijuana infused product markets. It is also quite expensive to enter the industry with high application fees and proof of funds.

Yet, disproportionately, people of color continue to be incarcerated for the same product that other demographics are getting rich from.

The Equity Permit program will require that at least half of all marijuana permits go to applicants who have at least one member who has been an Oakland resident for at least two years, reside in Oakland police beats, or individuals who, within the last ten years, have been previously incarcerated for marijuana-related offenses as a result of a conviction arising out of Oakland.

The program will require that those mentioned above will maintain not less than 50 percent ownership in the applicant. This is an incredible opportunity to protect Oakland constituents who may have a harder time gaining equity in the cannabis industry.

Recently, Brittany Moore, a Colorado resident, and manager of The Dab Marijuana Dispensary in Denver, visited Oakland and participated in the Equity Permit program discussions with Councilmember Brooks.

“The State of Colorado literally made so much money from marijuana tax revenue, they had to give money back to their residents. Oaklanders will benefit greatly from getting a piece of this multi-billion-dollar pie,” Moore said.

“The trouble is that people of color are typically employed as security guards or occasionally as “budtenders.” I believe the Equity Permit program is a win-win for Oakland and its citizens.”

Councilmember Brooks is working to ensure that people who have been the primary targets of marijuana criminalization are able to benefit from recent law changes.

Her “Do The Right Thing” campaign will help many Oaklanders who want to be in the cannabis industry but otherwise could not.

“Brooks doesn’t want to see wealthy businessmen from out of town come in and make millions while the people of Oakland become victims of gentrification. She wants the members of the community take ownership in the businesses in their neighborhood so they can create jobs and afford to continue to live in the place they call home,” Moore says.

Please call your councilmember, repeatedly, and let them know that you expect them to vote yes for the Equity Permit program.

Please support this effort and attend the Council meeting on March 7 at 5:30 p.m. to demand that Oakland do the right thing in the cannabis industry.

Oakland Post

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Activism

The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft Speaks at National Probate Reform Coalition Meeting

Evangeline Byars and Carmella Carrington lead the STOPDEEDTHEFT.org movement, fighting rising deed and title fraud, which disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities nationwide.

Published

10 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Left to right: Evangeline Byars and Carmella Carrington are gaining nationwide attention with their STOPDEEDTHEFT.org movement.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Probate Reform Coalition (NPRC) has learned that aside from rampant theft of properties occurring through probate court, deed theft extends even further with the support of banks, police, judges, attorneys and “the system” to steal Black and Brown properties.

Deed and title fraud are rising, with FBI data showing over 9,300 complaints and $173.6 million in losses in 2024 alone.

To that end, NPRC invited Evangeline Byars of The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft as their keynote speaker on May 7.

Deed theft victims reach out to Byars because she has a reputation of getting things done. Introduced to community organizing at Medgar Evers College in 2011, Byars was mentored by Harry Belafonte and gained further movement training in 2012-13 through his “Gathering for Justice.” Byars also trained with the Youth Brigade 32BJ, Union in 2012 where she learned to map, target, and execute actions.

With that knowledge as an advocacy worker, Byars ran for president of TWU Local 100 for transit workers. During challenges of the union and political changes in New York when unions no longer had friends in government, they organized.

In 2025, deed theft victims approached Byars and told their stories. Byars investigated, and discovered rampant, unrelenting theft of properties, primarily from Black and brown families, got involved and helped them with their fight, teaching them how to sustain their fight at the grassroots level while remaining politically independent. This independence gave them the ability to move without co promise.

Deed theft is the taking of someone’s deed through fraudulent mortgages or a stranger that accesses property records, prepares paperwork and files for an owner’s property. New York is a’ first notice’ state, which means whoever appears first on record is the designated deed holder.

Deed theft escalated between 2013-23, the outcome of the subprime market, when people faced mass foreclosure and short sales. By 2014 people, primary Black and Brown, were fighting for their property.

In California, title theft (deed fraud) is a fast-growing threat often targeting high-equity homes, vacant land, and rentals. As of 2024, California leads the nation in real estate fraud with over 1,583 cases costing roughly $24.8 million in losses in a single year, reflecting the state’s prime position for scammers due to high property values, the FBI reports.

Byars says, “Deed theft affects Black and Brown people: it is by design, leading to the erasure of people of color homeownership that is happening nationwide. In every big city across the United States, towns and municipalities, we are witnessing a mass exodus of Black and brown people. This theft cannot occur without judges, notaries and law enforcement, it is a syndicate of players working together for the removal of people by illegal ejectment or eviction.

The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft does court watch and constantly highlight the inequities in the court system.

Byars says, “This is a human rights crisis. Because of Wall Street and what New York signifies to the nation, know that no state is safe. Any person can come and create paper terrorism, slap forgery notes on homes; engage in illegal guardian procedures; initiate foreclosures; apply for fraudulent loan modifications; then there’s outright theft and forgery, just taking people’s homes. Believe me, it’s happening nationally and on the daily, These predators also target seniors over the age of 60 and women.”

The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft take direct actions against perpetrators and are working with the New York District Attorney to create an office dedicated to gighting deed theft.

“Two ways to protect your deed is to keep a note, never satisfy your mortgage, because the bank is the biggest gangster, but if you’re making a payment, it keeps them in check. Or put your home in a living trust, once you have a trust, it hides the owner’s name and protects the person from predators.”