Editor’s note: Below is the text of a media statement from Oakland & the World Enterprises (OAW), Elaine Brown’s group. The content was edited by Post staff.

This Dream Team’s Proposal is supported by a stellar lineup of the likes of Damien Lillard and Brian Shaw, 100 Black Men of America and Moms 4 Housing, according to the media statement.

The proposal was meant to influence the Oakland City Council to Vote on Proposals, Thursday, Nov. 4, in Its Closed Session and during future council deliberations.

“We found common ground in our vision of lifting up the Black and Brown communities of East Oakland through development of the abandoned Coliseum with Elaine Brown and her team,” Lonnie Murray stated on Tuesday.

Responding, Brown said, “Dave Stewart is committed to the same ideals to which I’ve pledged my whole life since heading the Black Panther Party, and that is why I reached out to him and Lonnie for partnership in purchasing and developing the Coliseum site.”

“Better Together! We are ready and have the money to purchase the City’s interest now,” Brown said. “And we have the will and the history and the legacy to co-develop the property with the A’s, who own the other 50% interest, having purchased it from the County in 2019. A’s president Dave Kaval has expressed his support of this powerful joint venture.”

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Dave Stewart

Dave Stewart is a Black man born and raised in East Oakland, a Black man celebrated all over the world as one of MLB’s greatest pitchers, who led the Oakland A’s to its last World Series championship, the statement said.

More, though, Dave is a proud Black man who brought himself up from the streets of East Oakland to a starring role in a game that remains white dominated. He had to be better than the best in the game, and he was, in the tradition of Satchel Paige. And he is ready to put all his resources on the line for his beloved community according to the statement.

Black Girl Power!

Lonnie Murray, CEO of Sports Management Partners, is the only Black woman certified as a player agent by the MLB Players Association. In addition to the constant struggle she wages to bring more Blacks into baseball and create more opportunities for women, she represents, among others, Bruce Maxwell, the first MLB player to kneel during the National Anthem; Bianca Smith, the first Black woman hired by MLB as a baseball coach, and Marly Rivera, the first and only Latina MLB writer, the statement said.

Like Lonnie Murray, Elaine Brown is a strong Black woman who has navigated male-dominated spaces with aplomb. As the only woman who led the Black Panther Party, Elaine’s commitment to Black people, particularly in Oakland, goes back 55 years, according to the press statement.

Presently, Elaine Brown, as CEO of Oakland & the World Enterprises (OAW), is driving its mission to launch and sustain businesses for ownership by Black and other socioeconomically marginalized people, particularly formerly incarcerated people. With co-developer McCormack Baron Salazar, OAW is currently co-developing a 79-unit, 100% affordable housing complex at 7th and Campbell Streets in West Oakland, set to break ground in December, the press statement said.

“Show Me the Money”

“Incredibly, Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan,” according to the media statement, “is working against the Stewart-Brown union to support a proposal from a group that does not offer to pay the full purchase price on signing an agreement, does not have the experience to develop the site, but more, does not have the support of the Oakland A’s as a necessary partner.”

“The Stewart-Brown team is urging the Council not to be swayed by the smoke and mirrors of an ambitious politico who has no real commitment to the Black community,” the statement said.

“In a few days, the people of Oakland will know whether or not its Council is committed to a real community benefit that the Stewart-Brown team offers or will surrender to the personal ambition of one Council member,” the media statement concluded.

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