Coalition of faith, civic and business leaders declare support for Johnson in bid to lead Oakland from COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery, address rising crime and homelessness

Derreck Johnson has announced his candidacy for mayor of Oakland. As an entrepreneur and community leader, Derreck has spent the last 30 years creating jobs and hiring from Oakland, including formerly incarcerated populations, while working shoulder-to-shoulder with stakeholders to uplift marginalized communities.

Johnson is running to bring a fresh and bold perspective to City Hall at a time when thousands of struggling families are being pushed out of the City due to the pandemic and rising rent costs while homicide and property crimes are at an all-time high.

“Oakland faces a critical moment,” said Johnson. “For too long, our politicians have over-promised and under-delivered — from homelessness and illegal dumping to lack of affordable housing — while rising crime has cost so many innocent lives and crippled our businesses. But we cannot keep electing the same people with the same mindset and expect different results. Otherwise, Oakland will always be broken.”

Born and raised by a single mother in the ACORN Housing Projects of West Oakland, and later educated at an HBCU, Johnson understands the plight of working families. And Oakland needs a tested fighter, like Johnson — not the same politicians from the same broken institutions that have exacerbated the City’s problems — to lead Oakland out of its darkest moments and into its finest hour.

Over the years, Johnson has worked to improve the lives of Oaklanders. While on the City’s Measure Y Committee, Johnson fought for violence prevention funding. On the City’s Workforce Development Board, he oversees critical employment and job training programs.

Through his work with the Summit Bank Foundation, he provided scholarships to low-income youth. Most recently, he was sworn in to the Oakland LGBTQ+ Community Center to help combat hate against trans and nonbinary Oaklanders, provide access to resources for HIV+ folks and increase economic opportunities for LGBTQ+.

“This has been an incredibly difficult year as COVID and gun violence on our streets continue to claim so many lives,” said Maria Reems, senior pastor at Center of Hope without formally endorsing Johnson. “We need a leader, like Derreck, who listens and has a proven track record of getting things done — and not more of the same.”

“I am no stranger to the devastating toll of gun violence in our communities,” said Marilyn Washington Harris, founder of the Khadafy Washington Foundation For NonViolence. (Harris is not speaking on behalf of the foundation.) “Like many grieving parents who have lost loved ones to senseless tragedy, I speak for many when I say the status quo is simply not acceptable. We need change — and that change is Derreck.”

“We need a leader and experienced entrepreneur like Derreck — not more of the same —who understands what it’s like to navigate a tough economic environment to put Oakland back on track,” said Ali Obad-Albasiery, an Oakland business leader. “Many businesses are still struggling to hire — and not because of a lack of talent. We need someone in City Hall who has dedicated his life and career creating jobs to chart a new path for our city.”

As mayor, supporters say, Johnson will build a coalition of law enforcement, business, civic and faith leaders, educators, labor and environmental advocates to address head-on the City’s most pressing challenges and create an Oakland that works for all – from the Hills to Eastmont, from Fruitvale to West Oakland and from Chinatown to Lake Merritt.

“The cynicism of our politics may lead some to think that somehow this is the new normal,” said Johnson. “But the challenges we face today do not define who we are – and I have faith that better days are ahead of us. But it will take grit and determination, and unwavering faith in each other. It will take Oaklanders of all creeds and faiths coming together in pursuit of one Oakland. I hope you’ll join me.”

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