Activism
Former Prisoners Offer Training to Youth on How to End Hostilities on the Streets
“…we need to use all forms of street credibility that we have to seek an end to these hostilities and work with the Post, the Chaplains, AASEG and the many Formerly Incarcerated groups to get the community involved with us to help end these hostilities, said Minister King X, also known as Pyeface.”
An exclusive interview with Minister King X with the Post Staff and Richard Johnson
Minister King X, also known as Pyeface, said he was inspired by Richard Johnson’s call to the community to have former gang leaders and formerly incarcerated persons to spread the word through our networks with the message that these shootings and violence activities will unwittingly play into the hands of those who want to incarcerate them as the only solution.
“We need to be smart about how to resolve our various problems by not using guns,” he told the Post.
He told Johnson and Jonathan Jones from the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) that he wants the youth, gang members and the Oakland Chaplains “to hear my story on how I wound up in the (California) Youth Authority (CYA) and did five years in federal prison for a bank robbery charge.”
“I served over 20-plus years in prison. I was a foot soldier in the beginning, upholding what I perceived as my principles and morals when I thought cleaning up my own mess was something honorable.
“Then it backfired on me when I was charged for possession of a prison-made weapon and was sent to solitary confinement, and I was subjected to a prison validation based upon false confidential information for a few more years.”
Caption B: Rapper Common joined with some groups in North and West Oakland who were responding to Richard Johnson’s call last week for groups to seek a truce to stop the violence. Common, known for his positive lyrics, also said that leaders must provide solutions and hope for youth and communities as he pledged to support Johnson’s call for a community-wide gathering to “save our youth by stopping the violence with unity around jobs, housing and family respect.” Minister King X Pyeface from California Prison Focus/K.A.G.E. Universal is shown above talking with Artivist Common regarding Richard Johnson’s initiative published in the Oakland Post. Common and Minister King X Pyeface talked about how we all could establish a parallel society and create Peace on the streets. Photos courtesy of Minister X and Jonathan Fitness Jones.
Despite his rude awakening, he said he was the youngest Black to join and help organize the California Prisoners’ Hunger Strikes at the same time that there were also elder prisoners held in solitary confinement for decades because of following the custom of settling their own quarrels among each other and other oppressed groups.
“And, while I was in Pelican Bay, I petitioned to establish an ‘anti-hostility’ campaign to promote the Agreement to End All Hostilities (AEH) inside and outside of California prisons.
“I then, through K.A.G.E. Universal, began to work inside the prison with other elders to organize an agreement to end all hostilities,” Minister King X said.
“That’s why we need to use all forms of street credibility that we have to seek an end to these hostilities and work with the Post, the Chaplains, AASEG and the many Formerly Incarcerated groups to get the community involved with us to help end these hostilities.”
While the shooting was occurring in East Oakland at the Sojourner Truth School site Minister King X said the Oakland Unified School District had given his organization a contract to teach the AEH curriculum within the 4th module of their afterschool program.
He also said the Comcast Rise program decided to help promote their AEH agenda via a 90-day campaign on all of their social media platforms.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026
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Activism
Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association
The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”
Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association
The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.
Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).
Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.
According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.
The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”
Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.
EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”
Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.
An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”
The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.
The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”
The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”
Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.
Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.
Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.
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