Uncategorized

Fighting Crime Richmond-Style

Published

13 years ago

March 31, 2013

By Lloyd Madden
BAPAC President

At 5 p.m. every Wednesday, they file into to the Richmond City Council Chamber for a one-hour gathering hosted by Vice Mayor Corky Boozé.
The first five minutes are devoted to communication with family members serving time in state prison.
And everybody chips in $2, not unlike the passing of the church basket.
“It goes to get a kid out to a game or other event, or we send it to prison for a relative without any money on account,” Boozé said of the weekly collection.
Welcome to crime-fighting Richmond-style. During a period when homicide has been on a worrisome rise in Bay Area urban centers, Richmond—once ranked as one of California’s most dangerous cities—has been headed in the opposite direction.
Back in 2005, the city of about 100,000 people recorded 35 killings, about one every 10 days on average, with more than half those killed being African-American boys and men in their early 20s.
By last year, Richmond had cut the annual number to 18, still a lot for a city of its size, but a dramatic improvement. Now, with the first quarter of 2013 at a close, there have been three killings, the latest the March 14 shooting death of a 34-year-old San Pablo man outside the Richmond BART station.
While nobody associated with the city’s response to violent crime is claiming victory, the Richmond approach is garnering more and more attention from the media, criminologists and others.
The Richmond way is aggressive community and neighborhood-focused outreach, both governmental and nongovernmental. The common trait: engagement not just at the neighborhood level but with former perpetrators of gun violence themselves and those affiliated with them.
In 2006, the city hired a new police chief, Chris Magnus, from Fargo, N.D. He revamped the Richmond Police Department from top to bottom, making officers and their supervisors accountable for reducing crime as well as blight in their geographic zones.
The city also added 50 more officers, while elsewhere in the Bay Area forces have been reduced. And the chief made greater use of data and technology to sharpen deployment of scarce resources.
In 2007, Richmond launched the Office of Neighborhood Safety, a city department whose mission is to identify and work directly with young people known to be responsible for most of the gun violence.
Its most controversial program is a fellowship in which those enrolled earn up to $500 a month as incentive pay to steer clear of violence and attain goals, ranging from getting a GED, going through drug treatment, or participating in job training.
“We don’t focus on hot spots, we focus on hot people,” said DeVone Boggan, the Office of Neighborhood Safety Director.
But there also have been multiple community-based responses with organic beginnings. Some have been faith-based, others not.
Operation Richmond is a faith-based, collaborative organization that seeks to unite communities across boundaries, and advocate for disenfranchised and economically challenged people.
It was founded in response to the high incidence of violent crimes in Richmond, notably the tragic shooting that took place during a worship service at New Gethsemane Church on Feb. 14, 2010.
Launched through the vision of Bishop J.W. Macklin of the Glad Tidings Church of God in Christ, it is now led by Pastor Henry Washington of The Garden of Peace Ministries in Richmond, who serves as its executive director.
Operation Richmond is moving forward to bring about a cease-fire and change in Richmond. “Much has been accomplished through collaborative efforts,” said Washington, “But we still have far to go.”
The latest addition to the landscape is One Richmond, the brainchild of Boozé and Pam Bilbo, president of Men and Women of Valor, established with the assistance of Lori Reese-Brown, of City Manager Bill Lindsay’s office.
“People doing the shooting are now part of the group,” said Boozé. “They came in and now they are doing the work.”
One Richmond serves as a bridge for ex-cons and their families between prison and Richmond civil life.
“The message is nonviolence,” said Boozé. “Stop shooting people when you get out.”
One Richmond’s other focus is heading off trouble before it starts and giving young people alternatives to turf battles.
“We go to all of the middle school and high school basketball and football games to diffuse rivalries,” said Boozé.
One of the group’s closest calls, the vice mayor remembered, was at a Richmond High School dance early this school year. “A shot gun was taken and potential bloodshed avoided, without the involvement of Richmond PD.”
Boozé said One Richmond will soon start meeting and working out the old YMCA building in North Richmond.
“I’m going to get a building of their own built for them someday, a place to sit down and talk and have an employment center,” he said.

Oakland Post

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Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

8 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

12 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

1 year ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.