Community
City To Create Police Liaisons For Oakland Chinatown, Fruitvale
“When I was sworn in last week, I pledged to the Oakland community that OPD would protect and serve, reduce crime and build trusting relationships in our community,” said Armstrong. “The liaison’s role is designed to bridge cultural gaps and language barriers, open the channels of communication, work together to build trusting relationships, and increase community safety.”
Oakland’s new police chief announced with the mayor the city’s plans to create two new positions to build connections with non-english speaking communities.
The plan includes two new police liaisons for the two largest non-English speaking communities in the city in Chinatown and Fruitvale. Once filled, these positions will report directly to Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.
“When I was sworn in last week, I pledged to the Oakland community that OPD would protect and serve, reduce crime and build trusting relationships in our community,” said Armstrong. “The liaison’s role is designed to bridge cultural gaps and language barriers, open the channels of communication, work together to build trusting relationships, and increase community safety.”
Armstrong said the positions were created in part in response to Chinatown residents being targeted for crimes against them based on perceived race or nationality. These neighborhood-based positions will join
other police liaisons for the African American Community, LGBTQ+ Community and Muslim Community.
Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf also pledged to fasttrack grants for additional security cameras for Chinatown
and announced a $30,000 private grant to the Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay.
The city’s announcement also included expressions of support from community leaders for these measures.
“We appreciate the creation of this dedicated resource for Chinatown and our Chinese-speaking residents, particularly our seniors,” said Carl Chan, of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce.
“Having a dedicated Spanish-speaking officer in Fruitvale, along with Oakland’s sanctuary policies, will increase our
Spanish-speaking residents’ sense of safety,” said Chris Iglesias, CEO of the Unity Council.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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