Activism

COMMENTARY: Highland Park Is a Tragedy, But So Is Akron, Ohio, And Jayland Walker.

The eight officers were placed on administrative leave. And last weekend hundreds protested in downtown Akron. We just didn’t see much coverage on it. It would have only reinforced what we know—that police violence, specifically toward the BIPOC community is real and keeps happening again and again.

Published

4 years ago

July 11, 2022

Oakland Post

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a talk show on www.amok.com

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist and commentator. See his work on www.amok.com.

By Emil Guillermo

If you were celebrating on the Fourth of July, you have to be troubled on the fifth, sixth, seventh, and all the rest of our days.

This past weekend, some of our fellow Americans were flinching from gunpowder blasts. And it’s not from the fireworks.

It’s from guns. And it’s a reminder that our freedoms just don’t seem to be working right now for all of us in America.

We may have to think seriously about giving up some rights for the greater good.

It surely can’t go on much longer the way it is.

Not when seven are dead and more than 30 are injured when a gunman shot up a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Ill.

Not when the police chief of Akron, Ohio, finally released officers’ body camera videos of the killing of Jayland Walker on Sunday, nearly a week after Akron cops put more than 60 gunshot wounds into an unarmed Walker.

The Sunday release of the body-cam footage and the NAACP-led protest that occurred over the holiday in Akron would have led the national news most weekends.

But not when you have a live shooting at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb considered one of the safest places in America.

If you don’t know Highland Park (population 30,177), it’s to Chicago what the Lamorinda area is to Oakland. Affluent ($147,067 plus median income), 80-90% white. As a “white flight” suburb, mass shootings aren’t supposed to happen there.

So, when it does, the media get super-focused on Highland Park.

Meanwhile, Akron barely got mentioned in the news. You need both instances together to give you the rich, full picture of America’s gun problem.

It’s not the same for everyone.

For people of color, we have to fear the bad guys and the good guys.

Surely, minority communities know the Highland Park kind of gun violence perpetrated by an alienated male with an AR-15 type weapon. The Black community felt the pain at the Tops Supermarket shooting in Buffalo where 10 people died in May. The Hispanic community suffered in Uvalde when 21 people were killed last month.

But then you have the kind of shooting that took Jayland Walker’s life.

Reports say Walker had a handgun on a seat in his car. It wasn’t loaded. And he didn’t use it. Walker was stopped by the Akron police during a routine traffic stop. He had one traffic ticket and no criminal record. So why did it take eight officers to stop him, ending in a seven-minute pursuit that left Walker dead?

At one point, Walker stopped, exited his car wearing a ski mask, and fled on foot. Police used tasers at first, but when that didn’t stop Walker, the officers opened fire.

Akron Chief Stephen L. Mylett confirmed Walker was unarmed when confronted and told the lawyers for Walker that evidence he’d seen, indicated the officers were not threatened.

Who knows if Jayland Walker and his family will ever see justice? We only know for sure that Walker won’t be the last Black man who dies by police violence.

That’s why we need to keep shining a light on Walker’s case, so that in a year people won’t wonder, “Jayland Who?”

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist and commentator. See his work on www.amok.com

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‘Hire Oakland’ Job Fair Draws 2,000, Connecting Residents to Immediate Job Opportunities

Oakland’s Hire Oakland job fair, hosted by Mayor Barbara Lee’s office, connected over 2,000 job seekers with employers, highlighting a strong demand for quality jobs and career pathways in the city.

Published

21 minutes ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Left to right: Yawo Tekpa, OPIC Manager, One Stop Operator; Sofia Navarro, Deputy City Administrator; and Ray Lankford, CEO of the Oakland Private Industry Council. Photo by Jonathan Fitness Jones.

By Post Staff

The Office of Mayor Barbara Lee, in partnership with the City of Oakland and regional employers, hosted a successful Hire Oakland job fair this week at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, bringing together job seekers and employers for a day focused on opportunity, connection, and economic mobility.

With more than 2,000 RSVPs, the event on Wednesday reflected strong demand across Oakland for access to quality jobs and career pathways. Attendees participated in on-site recruitment, application support, and hands-on workshops designed to help job seekers navigate hiring processes and prepare for interviews.

Over the course of the day, employers and community partners engaged directly with residents in a welcoming, high-energy environment centered on opportunity and hope. Participating employers included EBMUD, Samuel Merritt University, the City of Oakland, BART, PG&E, AC Transit, East Bay Regional Parks District, Southwest Airlines, FedEx, and many others offering immediate openings and career pathways across sectors.

Workforce development partners Oakland Private Industry Council (OPIC) and Lao Family Community Development provided connections to résumé support, interview coaching, and individualized job search assistance throughout the event.

The strong turnout underscores a clear reality: Oakland residents are eager for pathways into meaningful work, and sustained investment in youth and workforce programs is essential.

That is why Mayor Lee has prioritized relaunching the Oakland Police Cadet Program and the Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program (MYEEP)—ensuring young people have early access to paid work experience, mentorship, and long-term career pathways, according to a City press statement.

“The turnout shows what we already know—Oaklanders are ready to work, ready to grow, and ready to build their futures here at home,” said Lee. “When we connect people directly to employers and invest in young people early, we are not just filling jobs—we are changing lives and strengthening our city’s future.”

The Hire Oakland job fair is part of the City’s broader effort to strengthen workforce pipelines, expand access to good-paying jobs, and ensure Oakland residents are first in line for local opportunity.

About Hire OaklandHire Oakland is a citywide workforce initiative led by the Office of Mayor Barbara Lee in partnership with City departments, workforce development organizations, and regional employers. The program connects Oakland job seekers to real-time hiring opportunities, training resources, and career pathways.

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Activism

Cassie ‘Mama C’ Lopez Honored as Oakland’s Mother of the Year

Cassandra “Mama C” Lopez, a dedicated parent, teacher, and activist, was honored as Oakland’s Mother of the Year for her unwavering commitment to community and justice.

Published

31 minutes ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Cassandra Lopez, known as “Mama C,” is surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors at Oakland’s annual Mother of Year celebration at the Morcom Rose Garden, Saturday, May 9. Photo by Mateenah Floyd-Okanlawon.

By Ken Epstein

The City of Oakland recognized Cassandra, “Mama C,” Lopez – parent, teacher, community activist, and justice warrior – as Oakland’s Mother of the Year in a celebration at Oakland’s Morcom Rose Garden on Mother’s Day weekend.

Long recognized as a leader in her community, she was nominated by District 3 City Councilmember Carroll Fife to receive the city’s 73rd annual Mother of the Year award.

Speaking at the crowded ceremony on Saturday, May 9, where Mama C received roses and a proclamation from Mayor Barbara Lee, Fife said she felt honored to nominate Lopez, an “amazing woman – a hell-raising humanitarian, for the energy, the passion, but most of all the love for community” that makes her one of those “exceptional women whose lives, exemplify love, sacrifice, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the family and community they serve.”

Cassie Lopez was born in 1945 to Pauline and Calvin Weaver, a family that had left Florida and Jim Crow for the east side of Detroit. From an early age, she was instilled with a sense of Black awareness, love, and the importance of community in the face of hardships, including poverty, freezing winters, low pay, and slum landlords.

Fifty-five years ago, she married Juan Lopez. The couple has three children and has lived for decades in a neighborhood on the edge of downtown Oakland near Mosswood Park.

Said her husband, Juan, “Mama C has been a selfless mother of our own children, and she also became a teacher. Our home became a second home for many young people. For some, it was refuge from difficult home situations, and for others, a safe place to hang out.

“Throughout the years, Mama C was sometimes a foot soldier and other times a leader, immersed in some of the biggest national and citywide struggles of the day,” Juan said. “But less known to many is the role she played day in and day out where the rubber hits the road.

“For 35 years, she has shepherded the Mosswood Park and Recreation Center – through its good and bad times. If the Center exists (and thrives) today, it has to do with Mama C, working alongside neighbors, center directors, community advisory council, and when necessary, community coalitions, city officials, the religious community, and the labor movement.”

Said Mateenah Floyd-Okanlawon, “I am an old friend of my sister here. We met in 1970 in the sugarcane fields of Cuba, where we were helping the Cuban government harvest their sugar. We have been friends ever since. She has always been someone who does not give in to despair.”

David Johnson, an educator in Oakland, was one of the neighborhood children who grew up in the community created by Mama C and her family

“Cassandra Lopez is a beacon of light, full of compassion. She has dedicated her life to quality education to the poor and working class,” serving for 40 years as a Spanish teacher in Oakland schools, he said.

“She has dedicated her life to speak truth to power, justice to the silent, and as a member of the community, she advocates for programs and resources,” he said.

In her remarks, Mama C recognized the influence and power of all mothers. “Together, we all stand on the backs of our mothers. Mothers play a special role in society. We give when we have almost nothing left to give. We hurt when some people don’t see the hurt and the pain that our families endure. But we keep on moving forward.”

Looking at what African Americans, other people of color and working people face in the country today, she said, “We are deserving of the very best because our hands, our bodies produce the wealth of world, and yet we get the least. We see our country wholesale being stolen away from us, and we are told to grin and bear it. We’re not bearing it; we’re fighting against it.”

Continuing, she said, “There’s enough wealth in this world that there should be no hunger in the world. There should be nobody without a decent place to live. Nobody should be sleeping on the street. Teachers should get the freedom to be creative and tell the stories that exist in this nation that make us strong and great.

“We have a lot to do. We cannot despair. We cannot run. People are learning, and together, collectively, we can do it.”