Bay Area

FAME’S Pastor Smith Claims “Triumph Over Tragedy” — Fire Mobilizes a City and a Nation

FAME, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Oakland, held its first service at a temporary location, Temple Beth Abraham on MacArthur Blvd, after their Telegraph Avenue building went up in flames last month. The temple is just 12 walking blocks away from FAME’s charred structure.

Published

2 years ago

March 6, 2023

Oakland Post

Pastor Rodney D. Smith of FAME, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Oakland addresses the media after Sunday services at Temple Beth Abraham on MacArthur Blvd., it's temporary location. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

Amidst the music notes of an organ and shouts of “Amen,” throughout the super-charged service, Pastor Rodney D. Smith encouraged his congregation to stand on their faith. He also predicted that FAME, with the help of friends throughout the nation, would rise above the ashes be better than before. Smith’s sermon topic dealt with the concept of liminal space, which is defined as a period of transition. He cited the biblical scripture of three Hebrews engulfed in fire, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednago, but miraculously unburned and protected by God’s liminal space.

“You make sure the history books say, ‘They rose above the ashes and whatever was before, it’s greater now!’ We didn’t give up or throw in the towel,” said Smith.

On Sunday night Feb. 26, fire fighters doused the FAME building with water hoses for over 5 hours. Video footage of the fire, which burned into early Monday morning was tweeted initially by the Oakland Fire Department. The footage went viral, allowing people across the nation to view the fiery flames and billowing smoke, causing the tragedy to resonate beyond the local community. The fact that FAME is the oldest Black church in Oakland further fueled empathy toward a homeless congregation and a piece of American history burning down.

“Family you are no longer FAME, you are now America’s church,” said Smith, as parishioners stood from their pews, cheering in agreement.

Rev. Smith said Rabbi Mark Bloom, Temple Beth Abraham’s leader, welcomed FAME’s congregants with open arms and has offered space for their services through March. During the week, Bloom spoke to the media saying he was familiar with Pastor Smith, so extending the invitation was natural. Rabbi Bloom also expressed that the commonality of the history struggles and abuse of Black people and Jewish people being “othered and ostracized” throughout society added to the significance of the FAME Oakland’s use of the synagogue.

Pastor Rodney Smith said he was grateful for the outpouring of support and is “laser-focused on keeping hope, a bright future and continuity of services for our members at the forefront.”

Smith, originally based in Atlanta, Georgia, began pastoring in Oakland two years ago. “Rabbi Bloom was one of the first faith leaders to reach out to me at that time, giving me a tour of this very facility,” said Smith of the synagogue. “We had lunch and became friends. We had no idea we’d (FAME) be here two years later.”

While FAME will worship at the temple for a short time, they have yet to determine a long-term plan.

Smith also plans to produce an ecumenical service to celebrate Oakland’s resilience. “The building is burned down, but the ministry doesn’t stop. The church is not the building, the church is what’s in your heart. And with our faith, we believe that this happened for a reason giving us an opportunity to bring people together,” he said.

While the start of the fire is still under investigation, there has been some speculation that a homeless person may have started a fire to create warmth. “The frustration is that California and the city have many resources and with homeless people living under bridges and in their cars, this is an old topic that needs to be addressed. This fire presents an opportunity for us to do something about it,” said Smith.

Pastor Smith strongly feels that his church’s tragedy will change the trajectory of the entire city.

Smith said, “FAME is Oakland. FAME is Black History. FAME is strong. Oakland is strong. FAME was one of the first institutions in the area to educate Black people.” He described a scenario that would have made Martin Luther King Jr. proud: The city re-examines itself and billionaires, millionaires, the middle class, the poor, the elected officials, public officials and faith leaders of all faiths rise up together to not only rebuild the church — but transform the community and city.

“It’s going to happen. The history books will show how the tragedy at 3701 Telegraph led everyone to step up to the plate and change everything.”

After Sunday service and a brief press conference on site, Smith was chauffeured to Acts Full Gospel Church of God in Christ in East Oakland to gain fund-raising support to rebuild FAME.

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Oakland Post: Week of October 9 – 15, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of October 9 – 15, 2024

Published

47 mins ago

October 13, 2024

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Homelessness Committee and Advocates Urge City to Stop Confiscating Unhoused People’s Belongings

Encampment sweeps are not a new method of action to evict people from living and sleeping on the streets in San Francisco. However, recent reports indicate that city staff are not following proper policy, exacerbating the problems for unhoused people. Homeless advocates and allies held a press conference on Thursday at City Hall, condemning staff workers for destroying people’s property during encampment evictions and asking officials to ensure that important documents and medication are not being stripped from these individuals.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

"By destroying the very items that could help people regain stability, the city is not just punishing people for being poor, but actively making it harder for them to escape homelessness," Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said.

By Magaly Muñoz

Homeless advocates and allies held a press conference on Thursday at City Hall, condemning staff workers for destroying people’s property during encampment evictions and asking officials to ensure that important documents and medication are not being stripped from these individuals.

“By destroying the very items that could help people regain stability, the city is not just punishing people for being poor, but actively making it harder for them to escape homelessness,” Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said.

Friedenbach criticized the city for not fixing their housing problem or finding new ways to shelter people, instead they are further adding to the harm of the “humanitarian crisis that San Francisco is facing.”

The press conference was held before the monthly Homelessness Oversight Commission (HOC) meeting, where commissioners discussed a draft resolution to submit to city staff highlighting the importance of not separating people from their items as this might cause further distress.

The resolution lists ssential items that workers should be cautious of not destroying or throwing away including medical documents and medication, work permits, identification, and survival gear, such as blankets or tents.

City policy instructs workers to “bag and tag” items left behind after an encampment sweep. These items are labeled by Public Works and kept at their operations yard for 90 days before being discarded.

But according to several reports and videos of the sweeps, the city has not always followed this policy and has on numerous occasions thrown away people’s medications or tents, leaving individuals without their essentials.

During the meeting, commissioners suggested adding school records and family related support items, such as diapers, to the resolution because of the increasing number of families living on the streets.

Virginia Taylor, senior policy advisor for Safe & Sound, said 531 families are waiting for housing in San Francisco. Many of these families are living out of their cars or in RVs, yet the city has limited safe parking spots where people can situate themselves.

Along with not throwing out people’s belongings, advocates are also continuing to ask the city to stop the encampment sweeps because all they are accomplishing is moving unhoused folks block to block without solving the root problem of lack of consistent housing.

“We need urgent action, more family shelter beds, a stop to vehicle sweeps, expanded safe parking programs and housing solutions that keep our multi-generational families together. Our children’s futures depend on it. Let’s build a San Francisco where no family falls through the crack and every child has the opportunity to thrive,” Taylor said.

Speakers referenced the RV sweep conducted in early August on Zoo Road, where dozens of people, many of them non-English speaking immigrants, were asked to leave the parking lot or else their vehicles would be towed and they would be cited.

While people were offered shelter beds or housing vouchers, some worried about where they would stay while the city processed their applications. This drew criticism of San Francisco’s method of not always having immediate options for people yet continuing to sweep unhoused folks with nowhere to go.

Commissioners of HOC agreed that the city is not trying to exacerbate the issue and the resolution is one of many steps to ensure that there are no setbacks in the progress to ending homelessness in San Francisco.

The HOC will approve the resolution at a later meeting once amendments and changes are made.

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Bay Area

Former Mayor Willie L. Brown Endorses Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown has announced his endorsement support for Dana Lang for BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes voters from both sides of the Bay, and in San Francisco includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island. Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

“When I met with Dana Lang I asked many questions, then I asked others about her contributions. Getting to know her I realized that she truly understood transportation. At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is more than ready for this job, she is ready to meet the moment!”

Over the past 24 years Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto, CA, and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting transit riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs.

With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to serve as a transportation grants specialist.

During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality — and bringing riders back to BART. She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, the Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church, Alameda County supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, District 4 Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes San Francisco’s Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island, a large portion of Oakland, the cities of Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley.