Crime

Booker Tells Mayors to Work for Safe Communities

WASHINGTON INFORMER — Sen. Cory Booker recently addressed a familiar audience about fighting gun violence and encouraging Americans to reach a middle ground of morality.

Published

7 years ago

February 4, 2019

Oakland Post

By James Wright

Sen. Cory Booker, who has announced a 2020 presidential bid, recently addressed a familiar audience about fighting gun violence and encouraging Americans to reach a middle ground of morality.

Booker (D-N.J.) spoke before a plenary session of the 87th annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, an organization to which he once belonged, at the Capital Hilton in Northwest on Jan. 24.

Booker, who served as mayor of Newark, N.J., before his election to the Senate in 2013, said Americans need to be more intelligent about their actions.

“We need to stop doing what is stupid and expensive and do things that reflect our values,” he said, referring to President Trump’s attempt to build a wall on the U.S. southern border. “It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat a non-fatal gunshot wound and it would be cheaper to give a child an education.”

The senator somberly addressed the public-water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where thousands of residents were exposed to lead-contaminated water.

“Flint isn’t an anomaly but an ongoing reality,” Booker said.

He also spoke about making investments in the nation’s infrastructure, commenting that “other nations are out-investing us in that area.”

During his speech, Booker told two stories that many members of the audience found stirring. The first had to do with a friend who worked at an IHOP restaurant across the street from where he lived and how often she had to decide between working extra hours for money or spending more time with her child on such things as doctor appointments.

The other story dealt with when he first moved to Newark and opted to live in the inner city. The senator said one of the leaders in the community took him to an intersection and asked him what he sought.

When Booker told the female leader he saw blight, crime, poverty and lack, she quickly turned from him and walked away. When he caught up with her he asked why she left him.

“She said, ‘Boy, you can’t help me,’” Booker said. She told him that he looks at the world in a negative lens instead of focusing on its positive side and the chance to make things better.

The senator said that the country faces dark times but “we as a country will rise again.”

“And it will be the mayors that will lead America to the mountaintop,” he said in closing.

The senator served as one of the many speakers at the conference. Columbia, S.C. Mayor Steven Benjamin presided over the meeting as the president of the organization that consists of mayors of cities that have populations of 30,000 people or more.

Kenneth Gibson of Newark served as the first Black president of the organization in 1976.

The plenary sessions and symposiums focused on a range of topics such as gun violence in the cities that featured Gary, Indiana, Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson and former D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey. While both Ramsey and Freeman-Wilson said community involvement and better police relations with people of color help the problem, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh made it clear that more work needs to be done.

“We need to get guns off of the street and this has to be done now,” said Pugh, whose city had 309 homicides in 2018.

Flint Mayor Nancy Weaver said in a conference on women mayors that she and her female contemporaries aren’t listened to as much as their male counterparts.

“Many people in the political and bureaucratic realm want to see a man in charge and we as women mayors have to work hard to change that perception,” she said. “There have been times when men want to see the mayor and they will go over to my chief of staff. I have to tell them that I am the mayor.”

Chirlane McCray, wife of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, talked about how her city tackles mental illness. She started an initiative NYC Thrive in 2015 that connects residents with the appropriate agency to deal with their mental health challenges.

“We need to get to people who suffer from mental illness a lot earlier than we do,” McCray said.

Some of the conference participants served as mayors such as Adrian Fenty of the District, Shirley Franklin of Atlanta, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore and Michael Bloomberg of New York City.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told The Informer that he enjoyed the conference. Houston ranks as the fourth-largest city in the country with 2.5 million people.

“I really like the panels especially the one on gun violence,” Turner said. “I like coming to this conference so I can learn best practices to solve problems in my city.”

Even small-city mayors found the conference productive.

“It is good to network with people and learn what others are doing in their cities,” said Port Arthur, Texas, Mayor Derrick Freeman. “I am building relationships with other mayors and seeing what they are doing.”

Freeman said he knows of past great Black mayors such as Kenneth Gibson of Newark and Richard Hatcher of Gary and honors their legacy.

“One of my mentors was the late Ronald Dellums of Oakland,” he said. “Dellums pulled me aside at my first meeting and told me what I needed to do.”

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

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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

11 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.”

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Activism

Mayor Barbara Lee Joins National Public Safety Leaders to Advance Proven Violence Reduction Strategies

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee attends a two-day meeting with other mayors and public safety leaders to discuss violence reduction strategies; Oakland has seen a 39% drop in homicides.

Published

12 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Oakland was one of four cities participating in a public safety convening. Courtesy image.

By Post Staff

Mayor Barbara Lee this week joined Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and public safety leaders from Oakland for a two-day meeting focused on advancing cutting-edge public safety strategies, including focused deterrence and violence reduction.

The meeting brought together civic and public safety leaders from Oakland and Indianapolis to locations in Baltimore and Philadelphia to share lessons learned and identify innovative approaches to crime prevention, intervention, and enforcement.

The participating cities are widely recognized for pioneering community-centered public safety models that prioritize prevention, accountability, and sustained investment in neighborhood-based solutions

Oakland’s delegation included Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) Chief Holly Joshi, Oakland Police Department Assistant Chief Casey Johnson, and Ceasefire Director Annette Jointer.

Oakland’s participation underscores its continued leadership in advancing evidence-based violence reduction strategies and building a public safety system that integrates law enforcement with community intervention and prevention programs.

Oakland continues to see historic reductions in violence, reflecting coordinated efforts across the Department of Violence Prevention, Oakland Police Department, Ceasefire, and community-based partners, including:

Violent crime down 22%
Homicides down 39%
Lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years

These gains reflect sustained investment in focused deterrence strategies, real-time intervention, and expanded community violence interruption programs.

“Public safety is not achieved by any one agency alone—it requires coordination, trust, and a shared commitment to prevention and accountability,” said Lee. “We are proud to stand alongside cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Indianapolis that are proving what works. We are seeing real progress in reducing violence in our communities, and we remain committed to building on that momentum through strategies that center prevention, intervention, and strong partnerships with residents.”

“Oakland’s progress shows what is possible when cities invest in focused deterrence and wraparound supports that reach people most at risk,” said Joshi. “Our work is grounded in building trust, responding quickly to emerging conflicts, and connecting individuals to services that interrupt cycles of violence. This convening was an opportunity to strengthen that work through shared learning with peers who are advancing similar strategies nationwide.”

Said Johnson, “Effective public safety requires a balanced approach that combines accountability with deep collaboration across agencies and communities.”

“We are seeing meaningful reductions in violent crime because of strong partnerships between law enforcement, DVP, Ceasefire, and community organizations,” said Johnson. “Engaging with peer cities allows us to refine and improve the strategies that are making Oakland safer.”