Bay Area

City Council Scheduled for Discussion Impacting the Fate of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle

On Jan. 16, the Oakland City Council is scheduled to decide whether to greenlight a new up-market estate tower, despite overwhelming opposition in the Black community. If approved, it would threaten the future of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a longtime entertainment venue and cultural institution at 410 14th St. owned by Geoffrey Pete, and the surrounding downtown area in the Black Arts Movement and Business District that the council created in 2016 as a way to protect and enhance the historic and cultural legacy of the city’s African American community.

Published

4 months ago

January 9, 2024

Oakland Post

Rendering of Tidewater Development’s proposed 1431 Franklin Street residential tower. Rendering by LARGE Architecture.

By Ken Epstein

On Jan. 16, the Oakland City Council is scheduled to decide whether to greenlight a new up-market estate tower, despite overwhelming opposition in the Black community. If approved, it would threaten the future of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a longtime entertainment venue and cultural institution at 410 14^th St. owned by Geoffrey Pete, and the surrounding downtown area in the Black Arts Movement and Business District that the council created in 2016 as a way to protect and enhance the historic and cultural legacy of the city’s African American community.

San Francisco-based Tidewater Development corporation’s proposal, which already has the full backing of the city’s planning commission and planning department, would construct a 40-story residential tower with 381 dwelling units, of which 10% (38 units) might be affordable for low-income Oakland residents.

At stake for many people in Oakland, who spoke with the Post about what this vote could mean for the city’s future, is whether the culture and heritage of Oakland’s Black community will be honored and maintained and whether Pete’s club will be allowed to flourish in an economic environment that is hostile to small business and in which everything is subservient to gentrification and the interests of corporate market-rate real estate interests.

Many point to the policies and decisions that have led to the dramatic decline of the African American population in Oakland, which has decreased from 47% in the 1980s to 22% currently. City efforts to privilege the desires of wealthy developers over the needs of the Black community have been a major contributing factor this decline.

The conflict over Geoffrey’s and the Black Arts district reached the Oakland City Council Dec. 19 after working its way through the city’s planning process for several years.

According to backers of Geoffrey’s and the Black Arts Movement district, there were many flaws in the process that led to the planning commission’s approval of Tidewater’s proposal.

Planning commissioners acknowledged publicly that they were unaware that the Black Arts Movement and Business District even existed when they were conducting their hearings.
. The commission ignored the fact that Geoffrey’s was entitled to critical protections as a recognized historic resource.
The commission ignored the fact that Tidewater had not sought permits or permission to alter Pete’s building, although such alterations are an integral part of Tidewater’s proposal.
Ignoring mandatory deadlines, the commission also failed to provide, in a timely manner, relevant Public Records Act information requested by Geoffrey’s.

Further, the planning department staff has refused to meet with Pete throughout the appeal process, nor did the city utilize its own Department of Race and Equity to examine the equity implications of this matter.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

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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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.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

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.

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”