Government

City Council approves agreement with MLB for Youth Academy

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — The Birmingham City Council voted 8-1 on Tuesday to approve an agreement with Major League Baseball for a Youth Academy at George Ward Park. Council President Valerie Abbott was the lone “no” vote.

Published

7 years ago

March 21, 2019

Oakland Post

By Erica Wright

The Birmingham City Council voted 8-1 on Tuesday to approve an agreement with Major League Baseball for a Youth Academy at George Ward Park.

Council President Valerie Abbott was the lone “no” vote.

The matter has divided the council and was delayed for several weeks because of community opposition.

After a lengthy discussion during Tuesday’s council meeting, it appears the youth academy could come to George Ward Park in Bimingham’s South Side.

“The process moves forward for Major League Baseball to be at George Ward Park and the council was very supportive of it and I appreciate their support,” said Council President Pro Tempore William Parker, chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee.

MLB must now decide whether to open at George Ward Park or another location in Birmingham. City officials believe George Ward is still the best option.

“ . . . we’re moving forward to making sure we bring MLB here to George Ward Park,” said Parker. “I’m confident and hopeful that as we move forward and get all the agreements signed and executed that we can move forward with the academy at the park.”

Councilor Steven Hoyt said the academy was important for the development of young people.

“We’re talking about the future of our children, we shouldn’t be debating about that at all,” he said. “. . . baseball and this program gives them some balance as it relates to development . . .this program presents an opportunity to give them some self-esteem about themselves.”

Opposition from some community members led to weeks of debate on the council and on social media.

The MLB first proposed having the academy at George Ward but after concern from residents of the Glen Iris neighborhood decided to reassess the academy at that location to consider other sites such as Banks Middle School, Cooper Green Park and East Lake Park.

Abbott said her “no” vote was based on concerns from her constituents in District 3 which is where the academy would be located.

“I do not believe that there is one person on this council who would vote in defiance of their constituent’s wishes,” Abbott said. “I have had two constituents who have contacted me in favor of this and everyone else has been opposed to it . . . I don’t think there is one person opposed to Major League Baseball Youth Academy, the location was the only issue. We have a city that is 150 square miles and there are other places that the youth academy could go if anyone would put any effort into it. I believe that.”

Residents Still Concerned

Later in the day, a special called Parks and Recreation committee meeting was held to hear from citizens to speak on the academy.

Kristina Scott, a resident of the Glen Iris neighborhood said she moved from Homewood to Birmingham two and a half years ago to be a part of a more diverse community.

“I’m a huge baseball fan and I could not be any more excited to see the resources of the MLB Academy . . . come into the city of Birmingham and make those facilities available for the youth of Birmingham,” she said. “For me, that is something that is important is that we’re welcoming of people from all over the city and from all over the community.”

Keith Graham, a member of the New South Softball League that plays at George Ward, said, “at the end of the day we’re arguing over dirt or kids and what’s more important, dirt or children,” he said. “We’re bringing a program that’s going to help get our children where they need to be and get them the structure because some of them don’t have any structure at home and this program will help them get that.”

Steven Foster, president of the Five Points South Neighborhood Association, still had concerns with the lack of communication from city officials.

“I think a lot of the differences that we’ve had, and what it’s come down to, is the lack of transparency and I think what was intended got lost in the weeds . . . with projects like this, if notice is given at least six months . . . I think a lot of this [the opposition] could have been avoided if more transparency or more communication had been put forth.”

Jennifer Powell, who lives on the south side, expressed concern over what happens to green space at the park.

“Part of why I bought my house eight years ago in Birmingham on South side is because of the green areas, the trees … I’m not opposed to people coming in but my question is why choose a park with these beautiful trees and that’s being so well used by so many people already from all over this city instead of choosing somewhere else that doesn’t have the trees or is not already being used and that you don’t have to tear down to build up, why not just choose another area?” she said Powell.

Parker acknowledged the matter could have been better handled.

“Communication, miscommunication, there were some mistakes,” he said. “Moving forward, we’re going to take corrective action to make sure those mistakes don’t ever happen again. . . this is the first in a series of meetings I want to talk about and we’re going to have with the community, I think we need to have them ongoing because I think it’s important that we make sure we’re all on the same page and build that trust but it has to be a two-way street. There’s a lot of mistrust from both parties in this but we’ve got to work together and the communication has to be better.”

The Parks and Rec Committee will meet again on April 16 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall to update residents and hear again from the public on the park.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

Published

2 days ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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NPRC Joins National Grand Jury Proceedings Seeking Accountability, Constitutional Restoration

Organizers state that testimony will explore historical and political developments that they believe have contributed to the expansion of corporate influence over public institutions and governmental decision-making. Participants are expected to discuss concerns regarding constitutional governance, individual liberties, property rights, and the protection of vulnerable populations, including seniors and persons with disabilities.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Billie Powers.

Special to The Post

The National Probate Reform Coalition (NPRC) has joined Toll and Roll and a growing coalition of advocacy organizations, victims, whistleblowers, and citizen groups in support of a nationally broadcast People’s Grand Jury proceeding scheduled for July 1 and July 7.

Organizers describe the event as a public forum designed to examine allegations of government abuse, judicial misconduct, legislative failures, and the erosion of constitutional protections affecting millions of Americans.

The proceedings will feature testimony from victims, families, advocates, and organizations from across the country who contend they have experienced harm through government actions, institutional neglect, and failures of oversight.

According to organizers, the People’s Grand Jury will focus on concerns involving probate courts, guardianships, conservatorships, child welfare systems, property rights, civil liberties, and what participants view as a growing disconnect between government institutions and the constitutional rights of the people they are sworn to serve.

NPRC is participating because many of the issues being examined mirror the concerns raised by advocates, victims, and families who have participated in its monthly town halls. For years, families have reported cases involving exploitation of elders, questionable guardianships, estate depletion, denial of due process, and a lack of meaningful oversight within probate court systems.

“This proceeding gives victims and advocates an opportunity to place their experiences on the public record,” said Tanya Dennis, lead facilitator of NPRC. “For too long, families have struggled to have their voices heard regarding elder abuse, probate exploitation, and government inaction. This forum allows those stories to be shared before a national audience.”

In keeping with principles of transparency and fairness, invitations have been extended to legislators, members of the judiciary, law enforcement representatives, and other public officials who may wish to respond to concerns raised during the proceedings or defend actions taken by their respective institutions.

One of the primary outcomes sought by organizers is public consideration and support for the People’s Remedy and Restoration Act, a proposed legislative framework that advocates believe would strengthen oversight, increase accountability, provide remedies for victims of governmental abuse, and restore constitutional protections.

The proceedings are expected to be broadcast nationally, providing citizens throughout the United States an opportunity to observe testimony, review evidence presented, and participate in an ongoing conversation regarding government accountability and the protection of individual rights.

Advocates hope the hearings will encourage meaningful dialogue, legislative reform, and renewed public engagement in the democratic process.

Individuals, organizations, public officials, and members of the media interested in attending or obtaining access information may contact the organizers at tollandroll2025@gmail.com.

As Americans continue to debate the future of constitutional governance, judicial accountability, and the protection of vulnerable citizens, the July proceedings are expected to serve as a significant forum for public testimony and civic engagement. For more information, go to https://tollandroll.com

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Local Civil Rights Attorney, Activist Walter Riley Reveals Life Lessons from 70 Years in the Movement

Widely known in Oakland for his unifying leadership on issues of social justice and human rights, Riley is also recognized for his famous son, Raymond “Boots” Riley, a rap artist, political activist, and successful filmmaker, whose latest film, “I Love Boosters,” is now in theaters and capturing national attention.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Walter Riley. Courtesy photo.

By Ken Epstein

Prominent civil rights attorney and activist Walter Riley recently went on radio station KPFA 94.1 to discuss his new book co-authored with local veteran organizer Jesse Strauss: “Civil Rights and Structural Attacks: Conversations with Walter Riley.”

Born in North Carolina, Riley has lived in San Francisco, Chicago, and Detroit, but his longtime home is Oakland, California.

Over the years, he was a leader in the South against Jim Crow, participated as a student in the historic 1968 San Francisco State University strike that created Black Studies and Ethnic Studies in the U.S. and scored victories in the fight for open college admissions.

He was also a labor organizer and was involved in early Black Panther Party formations, anti-war protests, and was a leader of the Progressive Labor Party, a pro-Mao, Marxist Leninist party.

In an interview on KPFA’s “Upfront” with host Brian Edwards-Tiekert on June 18, he discussed some of his formative experiences, born in 1944 to a family of sharecroppers who worked on a tobacco farm near Durham, North Carolina.

“I came from a farming family, the ninth child of 11 children,” Riley said. “My mom and dad got married as teenagers, and they were together for their entire lives. Growing up in this large family, we had to deal with various aspects of what it meant to live in an economically depressed area with parents who had come through what they called “Hoover times” (the Great Depression) in the South.

“They were proud of every one of their children when they took some stand, to develop and show some sense of dignity,” he said.

In his neighborhood, slavery was not a distant memory. There are many people “who knew firsthand what it was to have family members that had lived as enslaved people and lived in communities where enslaved people had lived.

“(Under tenant farming), the landowner negotiated for the entire family: the farmer, the wife, the children – everybody was involved on the farm. Kids were often engaged. We had to shovel, hoe tobacco to keep the weeds from taking over, to make sure that tobacco worms didn’t eat up the tobacco. If a child was old enough to plow, they would walk behind a horse or mule and plow a field, working from sunup to sundown,” he said.

The houses did not have indoor bathrooms, running water or electricity. “A lot of the names in the Black community were the same names as these slave owners. We could see the names of folks on the streets, street names of people who had enslaved people, and they were symbols to me of a world that did not see me as a human being, that has not treated my ancestors as humans, has treated us as chattel to be sold, to be owned, to be property,” Riley said

“When we were counted by our government, we were counted only for the purposes of allowing white people, white men, to have a vote.”

By 1950, when he was 6 years old, his family moved to another house, leaving tenant farming. His father took a job in construction.

“My parents wanted the younger kids to have education,” he continued. “The older kids had to work on the farms. By the time I came along, I was the second child born in a hospital. “My parents looked forward to younger kids to have more sense of independence from the economic and social depravities that they saw around them.”

Watching television, he became aware of the suffering under Jim Crow, including the lynching in Mississippi of Emmett Till in 1955 and Mack Parker in 1959.

When he was 13, he joined a picket line in town in front of a variety store chain that did not hire Black people and became active in the Civil Rights Movement. By time he was in high school, he had become a leader in the local chapter of the NAACP and met Malcolm X and later Medgar Evers, leaders who were both assassinated.

Married and with a child, he moved with his family in the early 1960s to San Francisco, attending San Francisco State University while working full time.

He participated in the San Francisco State University strike, the longest student strike in U.S. history, where students and their supporters prevailed in the face of mass arrests and daily violent police attacks.

While many people remember the strike for its historic victory – the creation of the first Black Studies and Ethnic Studies programs in the country. “But open admissions was the thing,” he said. “Open admissions had to do with people being able to go to school for free. People should be able to go to school just because they come here and say, ‘I want to go to school. I want an education’ (because) we live in a rich country.”

Studying Marxism, including dialectical materialism, he gradually began to understand structure of the system that needs to be changed, he said. “It requires a lot of study, and it still does.”