Bay Area

A Win for the Warriors, A Win for the Community

Fans screamed their admiration and from there, the hype was permanent. From the open-roofed buses, players waved to fans and threw merchandise like glasses and shirts. Once you heard crowds of people shouting “MVP! MVP”, you knew that the star player, Stephen Curry, came down the street.

Published

2 years ago

June 27, 2022

Oakland Post

Warriors Greeted Like Heroes by Dub Nation Fans in S.F. About 1 million people crowded the Market Street Parade route in downtown San Francisco Monday as the Warriors celebrated the fourth championship in eight years. Alongside his wife, Ayesha, Steph Curry hoists his MVP trophy to the raucous glee of Dub Nation fans who traveled from as far away as Ohio, Texas, Seattle, Washington and Ontario, Canada. NBA photo.

By Sarah Clemens, Makiah Hiley and Daisha Williams

The Golden State Warriors have proved yet again that they are winners and they showed their appreciation for the fans with the party of all parties.

More than 1 million fans reportedly came to the parade held by the Dubs on Monday in celebration of their win against the Boston Celtics on June 16 with a score of 103-90 in the sixth game of the series.

By 7 a.m., fans who had come from around the Bay Area on BART, Caltrans, bike, ferry as well as those who had traveled from as far away as the state of Washington, Ohio, Texas and Canada had lined both sides of the parade route, which ran along Market Street from Main to Eighth Street.

Before the parade began, the Warriors team members, coaches, owners and more were welcomed to a dais displaying all four of the team’s NBA Championship trophies from 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.

The parade started a little after 11:20 a.m. as the day reached its high of 81 degrees. Despite the heat and crowding, the atmosphere was one of overwhelming joy.

Upon arrival at the event, you’d see diverse warrior fans with ages as low as 2 and as old as 72 all decked out in merch, full of excitement. At different spots, hot dogs, cold drinks, jello shots and merch were all being sold in scattered areas of the street and the scent of marijuana lingered in the air.

While waiting for the parade to start, you’d see clumps of fans hustling to get a good view with a lot of fans even climbing to high ground like light poles and bus shelters.

Golden State Warrior Draymond Green shrugs wryly while holding the championship trophy while riding along in his party bus on San Francisco’s Market Street on Monday. Twitter photo.

Convertible cars holding politicians and other dignitaries including three Bay Area mayors: Libby Schaaf of Oakland, London Breed of San Francisco and Sam Liccardo of San Jose. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi was also present as was Rep. Barbara Lee who came in after celebrating Juneteenth the day before in her home state of Texas.

But the crowd roared to life at the sighting Draymond Green, whose bus was the first on the parade route.

People went crazy as Curry graced the streets alongside his wife, Ayesha.

Klay Thompson rocks his captain’s hat after losing his championship cap while traveling on his boat to the parade. Instagram photo.

Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Gary Payton II frequently got off their buses to mingle with the crowd, taking selfies, glad-handing and in Payton’s case, dousing the crowd with a water cannon.

“You guys, Steph Curry is up there!” a girl excitedly told her friends, sometimes referred to as the greatest shooter in NBA history. Jerseys saying “Curry” were most common, but so were other blue and gold outfits, including a girl wearing a Warrior’s banner as a cape.

As the parade passed, fans breached the barriers, taking over Market Street despite the best efforts of police. But there were no security problems.

The Warriors have had a tough time recently and in their remarks several players have said that the lows have made this victory all the more sweet.

After losing the past two years, no one expected them to win this year’s championship especially since several well-known players suffered injuries.

In the end, the ups and downs left everyone, both the players and the fans, in high spirits.

When asked about how winning the championship felt, especially after enduring so many injuries, Klay Thompson said, “Just going to breakfast after and seeing everyone in the neighborhood so excited…That’s what it’s about.” He continued, “It’s the small things in life that inspire you to keep going like taking a picture with an old lady or a kid.”

This sentiment, the feelings of love and joy, is what makes the Warriors such a special team, and part of what makes the Bay such a special place.

Other sources for this story include CBSNews, Kron4 News, USA Today and The San Francisco Chronicle.

Sarah Clemens, Makiah Hiley and Daisha Williams are Oakland School of the Arts students working as interns for the Post Newspaper Group.

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Oakland Post: Week of October 9 – 15, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of October 9 – 15, 2024

Published

3 hours ago

October 13, 2024

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Homelessness Committee and Advocates Urge City to Stop Confiscating Unhoused People’s Belongings

Encampment sweeps are not a new method of action to evict people from living and sleeping on the streets in San Francisco. However, recent reports indicate that city staff are not following proper policy, exacerbating the problems for unhoused people. Homeless advocates and allies held a press conference on Thursday at City Hall, condemning staff workers for destroying people’s property during encampment evictions and asking officials to ensure that important documents and medication are not being stripped from these individuals.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

"By destroying the very items that could help people regain stability, the city is not just punishing people for being poor, but actively making it harder for them to escape homelessness," Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said.

By Magaly Muñoz

Homeless advocates and allies held a press conference on Thursday at City Hall, condemning staff workers for destroying people’s property during encampment evictions and asking officials to ensure that important documents and medication are not being stripped from these individuals.

“By destroying the very items that could help people regain stability, the city is not just punishing people for being poor, but actively making it harder for them to escape homelessness,” Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said.

Friedenbach criticized the city for not fixing their housing problem or finding new ways to shelter people, instead they are further adding to the harm of the “humanitarian crisis that San Francisco is facing.”

The press conference was held before the monthly Homelessness Oversight Commission (HOC) meeting, where commissioners discussed a draft resolution to submit to city staff highlighting the importance of not separating people from their items as this might cause further distress.

The resolution lists ssential items that workers should be cautious of not destroying or throwing away including medical documents and medication, work permits, identification, and survival gear, such as blankets or tents.

City policy instructs workers to “bag and tag” items left behind after an encampment sweep. These items are labeled by Public Works and kept at their operations yard for 90 days before being discarded.

But according to several reports and videos of the sweeps, the city has not always followed this policy and has on numerous occasions thrown away people’s medications or tents, leaving individuals without their essentials.

During the meeting, commissioners suggested adding school records and family related support items, such as diapers, to the resolution because of the increasing number of families living on the streets.

Virginia Taylor, senior policy advisor for Safe & Sound, said 531 families are waiting for housing in San Francisco. Many of these families are living out of their cars or in RVs, yet the city has limited safe parking spots where people can situate themselves.

Along with not throwing out people’s belongings, advocates are also continuing to ask the city to stop the encampment sweeps because all they are accomplishing is moving unhoused folks block to block without solving the root problem of lack of consistent housing.

“We need urgent action, more family shelter beds, a stop to vehicle sweeps, expanded safe parking programs and housing solutions that keep our multi-generational families together. Our children’s futures depend on it. Let’s build a San Francisco where no family falls through the crack and every child has the opportunity to thrive,” Taylor said.

Speakers referenced the RV sweep conducted in early August on Zoo Road, where dozens of people, many of them non-English speaking immigrants, were asked to leave the parking lot or else their vehicles would be towed and they would be cited.

While people were offered shelter beds or housing vouchers, some worried about where they would stay while the city processed their applications. This drew criticism of San Francisco’s method of not always having immediate options for people yet continuing to sweep unhoused folks with nowhere to go.

Commissioners of HOC agreed that the city is not trying to exacerbate the issue and the resolution is one of many steps to ensure that there are no setbacks in the progress to ending homelessness in San Francisco.

The HOC will approve the resolution at a later meeting once amendments and changes are made.

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Bay Area

Former Mayor Willie L. Brown Endorses Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown has announced his endorsement support for Dana Lang for BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes voters from both sides of the Bay, and in San Francisco includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island. Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

“When I met with Dana Lang I asked many questions, then I asked others about her contributions. Getting to know her I realized that she truly understood transportation. At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is more than ready for this job, she is ready to meet the moment!”

Over the past 24 years Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto, CA, and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting transit riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs.

With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to serve as a transportation grants specialist.

During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality — and bringing riders back to BART. She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, the Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church, Alameda County supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, District 4 Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes San Francisco’s Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island, a large portion of Oakland, the cities of Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley.