Activism

Oakland City Council Deals Blow to Emerald New Deal –

“The Emerald New Deal is a historic ordinance that will fulfill some of the promises made when we first legalized marijuana and established the cannabis program. We are doing this not just for those who have suffered, but also for those who continue to deal with the effects of broken families and trauma, and for our future generations,” said Gamila Abdelhahim. “We now turn to all other City Council representatives and ask them to acknowledge the harm that has been caused, be in this monumental moment with us, and vote to lift our future generations.”

Published

2 years ago

July 18, 2022

Oakland Post

Some participants in the Emerald New Deal "END HARM" press conference at the Oakland City Hall (Left to Right) Ale Esparza, Gamila Abdelhalim, Councilmember Reid, Councilmember Taylor, Sara Chakri photo courtesy of Kiana Gums.

Rejects Plan to Bring $160M Into Black, Brown Communities

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council voted Tuesday to deny placing the community-driven Emerald New Deal (END) on the upcoming November ballot. The proposed ballot measure was designed to funnel 100% of the city’s cannabis tax revenue to Black and Brown communities in East and West Oakland.

According to councilmembers Noel Gallo, Treva Reid and Loren Taylor, who all supported it, END’s plan would help repair the damage caused by the War on Drugs. Gallo, who grew up in Oakland, also urged the Council to make a serious commitment to supporting jobs, affordable housing and support for the formerly incarcerated residents.

Despite all councilmembers claiming to be progressive and supportive of the Black and Brown community, only three of them voted in support of this community-led initiative. “No” votes came from Councilmembers Sheng Thao and Carroll Fife, while Dan Kalb and Nikki Fortunato Bas abstained.

In a response to the City Council’s denial of the Emerald New Deal proposal the supporters held a press conference at City Hall to express their frustration. Over the next 20 years, the Emerald New Deal, funded by an estimated $160 million in cannabis taxes, could have improved the lives of thousands of Oakland residents by supporting affordable housing, re-entry services, workforce development, and other restitution efforts.

“This temporary setback does not mean our work is done,” declared Taylor during Wednesday’s press conference. “There is no excuse for rejecting the Emerald New Deal except a desire to maintain the status quo and keep Black people oppressed. Having a pool of $160 million in cannabis tax revenue over the next 20 years could have healed a lot of lives, housed a lot of people, and righted a lot of wrongs – especially in the Black community.”

One community group supporting the amendment is Emerald New Deal Healing And Reparations Measure or END HARM.

“The END HARM community coalition’s call to action will rise beyond the five Council votes needed to advance the Emerald New Deal ballot measure,” said Councilmember Treva Reid, who represents District 7. “The community will remain actively involved with us to organize and mobilize support to overcome the racially inequitable impacts of the War on Drugs and decades of devastating outcomes in East and West Oakland communities

Reid said city leaders must increase targeted and intentional measures to restore communities from the “crippling effect of disinvestment, systemic injustice, and racial disparities. City Council must prioritize well-funded measures that help to deliver a just, equitable, and resilient recovery for all Oaklanders.”

END HARM organizer Charles Reed is a returning family member who saw a need in his community but left his “first fight of shaping public policy battered and bruised from baseless accusations.

“For me, this was an education in Oakland politics,” Reed continued. “Now, I understand why normal people steer clear of politics. The thing is…I’m not a normal person, I’m a community organizer who believes that the people’s voices should be heard!”

END HARM’s goal is to register 5,000 returning family members to vote in the November election. “We need to register and express the power to affect policy for the People!” said Reed.

Emerald New Deal supporters announced that they will continue to fight to get placed on the ballot.

Councilmembers Taylor and Reid joined community advocates Deacon Hellen Harvey, Gamila Abdelhahim, and John Jones III, to demonstrate their full support of END HARM charter amendment. They note that the War on Drugs, which, in Oakland, led to over 12,655 individual arrests for cannabis offenses between 1995 and 2015 with 77% of those incarcerated being Black and 15% being LatinX. Supporters of END HARM anticipate more than $12 million being allocated to support social equity investments, including but not limited to:

Reentry programs and support for the formerly incarcerated;
Community-based mental health services;
Affordable and transitional housing access; and,
Workforce development and training.
Cannabis Equity Program participants (business owners impacted by the war on drugs)

Reid said that END grew out of community organizing in Sobrante Park in District 7, which has a population of 65,000 people, 80% of which are Black and Brown neighbors struggling under the weight of decades of racism, disparities, inequities, and disinvestment.

“As national support rises for the decriminalization of cannabis use, we must ensure the Cannabis Business Tax revenue is dedicated to benefitting historically impacted Black and Brown communities,” Reid said.

The Emerald New Deal is already endorsed by more than 40 local organizations, including the Black Cultural Zone, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Urban Strategies Council, Spiritwurx and West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. Community advocates who are leading the effort to mobilize city wide support, emphasize how significant the impact it will have on Oaklanders who are healing from the War on Drugs.

Community organizer John Jones III asserted, “As it relates to the War on Drugs, it is not enough to simply acknowledge and/or apologize, but rather provide restitution and reparations for the harm inflicted upon the Black and Brown community”

“…Now that marijuana is legalized, it is only right that the very system that over-criminalized cannabis usage in certain areas, gives back to those same communities,” said Taylor. “I am grateful for Councilmembers Reid and Gallo who agree and have joined me in uplifting this legislation. I look forward to seeing the transformational impact it has on our community.”

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Activism

Oakland’s ‘Green the Church,’ Others, Host a Climate Revival

On April 20, Oakland’s Green The Church California (GTC) and the Center For Food, Faith and Justice will celebrate Earth Day and present a Climate Revival event titled “Growing Healthy Communities From Soil To The Soul” at McGee Avenue Baptist Church at 1640 Stuart St, Berkeley, CA. The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.

Published

2 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

The revival will take place at McGee Avenue Baptist Church in Berkeley on April 20. Courtesy image.

Growing Healthy Communities from Soil to the Soul in Berkeley

By Y’Anad Burrell

The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.

The keynote speaker is Rev. Danté R. Quick, PhD, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J. Quick is well known in the Bay Area, having served for more than 10 years as pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, CA.

Green The Church, founded in 2010 by Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr., and headquartered in Oakland, helps galvanize Black churches and their local communities and leaders to address issues critical to populations historically disengaged from conversations around pollution and health, climate change, and sustainability and energy efficiency.

The organization collaborates with major environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, and is committed to “creation justice”—care and justice for God’s people and the planet—and building the Beloved Community.

Environmental justice has long been a pressing concern for communities of color who bear the brunt of pollution and ecological degradation. Climate change exacerbates these issues, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities. Recognizing this urgency, Black churches across the country are taking action.

With deep roots in the African American community and its commitment to social justice, the Black Church has become an essential advocate for sustainable practices and policies.

Over the past 14 years, in a powerful collaboration with significant environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, GTC has created a cadre of Black churches engaging in the environmental justice, climate, and sustainability movement.

GTC presently works with more than 1,000 pastors and congregations across the U.S., and groups in the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK, showing that we can make a difference together.

The partnership between environmental justice advocates and the Black Church extends beyond individual congregations. Green The Church provides resources and support for faith communities seeking to address climate change and promote environmental justice.

Through collaboration, initiatives such as energy efficiency programs, solar installations, and environmental education have been implemented in Black churches nationwide. These efforts reduce the carbon footprint and save money on energy bills, benefiting the congregations and their communities.

The involvement of the Black Church in the fight against climate change is not just a participation, it’s a powerful message that galvanizes action across communities.

By integrating environmental justice into their ministry, Black churches are demonstrating that addressing climate change is not only a matter of science but also of social and moral responsibility, inspiring change at a grassroots level.

For more information, go to: www.greenthechurch.org.