Sale agreement OK’d by City Council may yield millions of dollars for immediate use plus 6% of future ticket sales

The Oakland City Council has approved a restructured $125 million agreement to sell the city’s remaining 50% stake in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum complex, marking a major step forward in long-term redevelopment plans for the historic site.

The deal transfers ownership to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) and its affiliate, Oakland Acquisition Company (OAC), and establishes a new strategic partnership with entertainment executive Irving Azoff’s Oak View Group (OVG). City officials described the agreement as a forward-looking move that balances immediate financial relief with long-term economic opportunity. 

Azoff, co-founder of OVG and a legendary figure in the global music and entertainment industries – joined Council President Kevin Jenkins, Councilmember Janani Ramachandran and Mayor Barbara Lee to announce City Council’s vote this week on the city’s agreement to sell the Oakland Coliseum.

The resolution, which passed 6-1 at the Monday council meeting, authorized the sale of Oakland’s 50% stake in the complex for a lump sum of $110 million plus 6% of all future annual gross ticket sales from events held at the redeveloped complex. Councilmember Noel Gallo cast the lone dissenting vote, citing concerns about his clarity on the position of Alameda County.

The city will receive an additional $15 million ‘payment bonus’ as OAC obtains building permits for new construction, marking a major step forward in long-term redevelopment plans for the historic site.

The provision is designed to incentivize timely progress while aligning the city’s financial interests with project advancement.

Azoff is looking forward to bringing more music to Oakland. “Oakland is one of America’s great music cities – I spent some very special times earlier in my career working with Bill Graham on Day on the Green, and I have many fond memories of those days,” said Azoff. “We are honored to have the opportunity to become stewards of this iconic arena and build upon its
remarkable legacy. I look forward to once again bringing the very best artists
and events to Oakland and ensuring that the venue remains a source of pride for
the community for generations to come.”

“By approving this deal, we will ensure that the Coliseum complex is in the hands of dedicated professionals who will be committed to transforming this space into a world-class entertainment destination,” said Jenkins. “This will mean hundreds of new shows and events in Oakland annually, which will bring significant revenue into the city.”

Councilmember Carroll Fife (D-3) expressed appreciation for AASEG’s role in advancing a plan with community benefits. “With such a valuable asset underutilized for years, I’m glad to see the Coliseum positioned to serve an underserved and underdeveloped part of the city,” Fife said.

“This deal paves the pathway for a powerful economic revitalization in Oakland,” added Ramachandran. “I am excited for the new terms of the deal and additional stakeholders involved – including entertainment legend Irving Azoff. Not only does finalizing this deal save Oakland money and provide a significant one-time cash infusion but will also create a sustainable revenue stream that will help fund City services and uplift our economy.”

“My bottom line is always what’s best for Oaklanders and the City’s ability to serve them well — and this proposal is a step forward,” said Lee. “This deal will pave the way towards creating jobs and economic opportunities, specifically for east and deep east Oaklanders. Thank you to the city negotiating team for their hard work to bring this proposal forward.”

 AASEG has emphasized its commitment to community-centered development, with plans that include entertainment venues, housing, and commercial space to revitalize East Oakland. The involvement of OVG, known for its work on major sports and entertainment projects nationwide, adds industry expertise and credibility to the effort.

AASEG President Ray Bobbitt called the agreement “a great win for East Oakland” that will benefit the entire city.

The restructured deal could also release the city from its long-standing financial obligations tied to the Coliseum by January 2027. Oakland has historically subsidized the complex, which has operated at a loss of approximately $6 million annually.

The deal includes:

• Initial Cash Sale (Arena Parcel): The city will sell the Arena parcel to OAC, receiving $50 million by early 2027.
• Subsequent Sale (Stadium Parcel): The Stadium parcel will be sold for $60 million, which includes a credit for the $5 million deposit already held by the city.
• Ongoing Revenue Stream: The city will receive 6% of annual gross ticket sales from all events at both the Arena and Stadium, a new ongoing income stream to Oakland’s General Purpose Fund.
• Financial Terms: Payments will be made to the city on a prescribed schedule without lending any funds to OAC, and the city will be immediately relieved of significant financial liabilities associated with ownership and operations.

Additional information on the project is available at www.oaklandca.gov/Government/Departments/City-Administrator/Oakland-Coliseum-Redevelopment-Project?

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Belonging to the Entire Universe: Leslie Barlow’s New Mural Reimagines Community and Cosmos

Callisto Martinez reports on visual artist Leslie Barlow’s new mural, “Belonging to the Entire Universe,” a 66-by-33-foot installation unveiled at the McKnight Foundation’s Minneapolis headquarters. Named for a quote from astronaut Mae Jemison, the piece weaves constellations, textiles from Barlow’s travels to Tanzania, and native plants into what she calls an “artistic roadmap” for sustained community care, painted in part during the height of Operation Metro Surge.

Growing up, visual artist Leslie Barlow wanted to be an astronaut. Now, her mural Belonging to the Entire Universe, titled in reference to a quote from astronaut Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel into space, brings Barlow’s vision of a future universe to downtown Minneapolis.

Unveiled on June 12, the 66-by-33-foot installation faces the U.S. Bank Stadium and is displayed on the Minneapolis headquarters of the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based foundation dedicated to advancing climate solutions, combatting housing instability and confronting other issues impacting Minnesotans.

“What I would love people to take away from it is this reminder of our relationship to the land, to each other, to our ancestors’ lineage, and then, of course, as the title says, to the entire universe,” said Barlow, a 2025 McKnight Visual Artist Fellow.

Barlow has long admired Jemison, enough to dress up as her for Halloween a few years ago, but the piece was not titled after Jemison until it was already finished. Barlow’s initial inspiration for the piece came directly from McKnight’s mission to “advance a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and [the] planet thrive.”

“With the words ‘just,’ ‘creative,’ and ‘abundant,’ I was thinking of something that showed a large amount of space, something that was really colorful and vibrant, definitely something that had plant life and spoke to the environment and the planet, so that’s where the cosmic imagery came in,” Barlow said. “I wanted it to feel like it flowed between different images to encompass people and [the] planet.”

Barlow’s piece began with digital sketches that she presented to a committee of McKnight staff and board members, who gave feedback on the design and unanimously selected her from a pool of applicants.

Barlow began rendering her drafts into a 7-foot-wide and 3.5-foot-tall oil painting in February, when Operation Metro Surge was in full force.

“It was actually very difficult for me to start painting because of the way that we were pulled toward mutual aid and on-the-ground efforts,” Barlow said. “It was a very dark time where so many of us were grieving and a lot of people were scared, rightly so, and still are. But at that time, I was also wanting to create an image that felt really hopeful and felt like another world was possible.”

Barlow describes the painting as an “artistic roadmap” that considers “if these aren’t just moments that our communities come together, but we are continually caring for each other and supporting each other, what society could look like.”

Constellations, textiles, native plants and the cosmic reconstruction of the Mississippi River function as “visual moments that could allude to multiple narratives, deeper meanings,” according to Barlow.

Much of the mural’s plant life was photographed outside the McKnight headquarters. The floral details grew out of McKnight’s photo library, inspired by the foundation’s work with local farmers of color.

Similarly, the textiles embedded within the mural “allude to a quilting of ideas, or histories, or stories” together, Barlow explained. Their designs primarily draw from Barlow’s personal collection, which she has grown since she began working with textiles in 2016.

“The textile that’s the biggest, which looks almost like DNA, which I really love, is both organic and geometric in shape,” Barlow said. “Those pieces, I actually purchased from Tanzania on my very first trip to the African continent. … That trip was very meaningful for me as a Black person, and so I wanted that one to be central in the space.”

While grounded in the local landscape, the symbols also draw from Afrofuturism and Indigenous futurisms. Barlow sees Afrofuturism and Black and Indigenous solidarity as parts of herself that she brought to the piece, given their significance in her work outside visual art. In 2023, she founded ConFluence, a two-day sci-fi convention in Northeast Minneapolis that centers Black people, Indigenous people and people of color.

Though the symbolism is personal for Barlow, she encourages viewers to form their own interpretations and connections to their own lives. The central image of three women from different generations standing together, each wearing a matching turquoise motif in a different way, was also created with this hope in mind.

“I wanted people to be able to see themselves in these people,” Barlow explained. “They are painted as individuals, but they are also kind of symbols.”

For Tonya Allen, president of the McKnight Foundation, each viewer’s personal connection with Belonging to the Entire Universe also encourages connection with others.

“This mural is both a reflection and a call,” Allen said. “Rooted in the history, cultures, and landscapes that shape Minnesota, Leslie’s work honors what has shaped us while inviting us to imagine what’s possible. It reminds us that a more just and hopeful future is something we must create together.”

Belonging to the Entire Universe is the inaugural installation in McKnight’s public art series, which will feature a different piece every three years. It is displayed at the McKnight Foundation’s Minneapolis headquarters, located at 921 Washington Ave. S.

For more information, visit https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/mcknight-unveils-new-public-mural-by-leslie-barlow-launching-rotating-public-art-series/.

Callisto Martinez is a recent Macalester graduate and contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. They welcome reader responses at martinezcallisto@gmail.com.

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Callisto Martinez

Callisto Martinez is a recent Macalester graduate and contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. More by Callisto Martinez

Based on reporting by Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

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The Plastic Problem Black Men Can’t Ignore

For generations, environmental justice in Black America has been measured in asthma rates, cancer diagnoses and poisoned drinking water. Scientists now say another consequence may be emerging: chemicals and microscopic plastics omnipresent in everyday life could be harming Black men’s fertility.

Researchers have found that Black men tend to have elevated levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which mimic or block hormones, due to their presence in consumer products and certain foods. Besides contributing to lower fertility rates, researchers have linked those chemicals, along with microplastics, to other health issues disproportionately found in Black men, like prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease.

But in the U.S., studies on environmental exposure and male reproductive health focuses almost exclusively on white men. That’s despite the fact that Black men are more likely to live in areas with heavier concentration of facilities that emit microplastics, harmful chemicals and other forms of pollution that researchers have found affect testicular health and sperm production rates.

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Rev. Lennox Yearwood, president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, says the issue of microplastics and similar health threats are the Black community’s modern-day civil rights issue. Evidence that pollution is now affecting men’s reproductive health, he says, should be a call to arms.

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“The plastic epidemic is not a “right” or “left” issue; it’s a ‘you’ issue, a ‘me’ issue, and quite plainly a global issue,” says Yearwood. “Plastics are, in fact, taking over the planet, and they don’t discriminate.”

“As Black men, we’re fighting enough battles when it comes to our health. We shouldn’t also have to worry about plastics and toxic chemicals making their way into our bodies,” Yearwood told Word In Black.

A Worldwide Problem

An astounding 450 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide each year. And nearly one-quarter of it ends up in the environment, where they very slowly degrade into microscopic pieces. Science has confirmed that these particles may be buried in landfills or released into the atmosphere, but they don’t stay outside the body.

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The issue is especially relevant because so many Black neighborhoods are “fenceline communities” — places where industrial facilities, like manufacturing plants, airports or military bases, have been built.

Black Americans are 75% more likely than white Americans to live next to industrial facilities that generate noise, odor, increase traffic or spew emissions that directly affect the population. Besides microplastic particles, those facilities also emit chemical additives that leach from plastics and have been directly linked to hormonal disruption and reduced male fertility.

A 2023 peer-reviewed Harvard study published in Environmental Science & Technology found that communities with higher proportions of Black and Latino residents are significantly more likely to be exposed to dangerous PFAS levels — so-called forever chemicals — in their water.

The researchers link this finding to the high number of major industrial facilities, from factories to military bases, located near watersheds serving these communities. Each facility was associated with an increase in certain PFAS compounds higher than 100% in some cases.

These chemicals find their way into drinking water and hit Black communities hardest.

Studies have found microplastics in human testicular tissue, a condition associated with lower sperm counts. Black men face higher rates of prostate cancer and cardiovascular issues. Microplastics and endocrine disruptors have been shown to worsen these conditions.

Black men have also been found to have elevated levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which mimic or block hormones, due to their presence in consumer products and certain foods. But in U.S. studies on environmental exposure and male reproductive health more than 80% of study participants are white while just 2% to 10% are Black Americans.

Chemical Disruptors

Another landmark 2023 study published in the journal Toxicological Sciences found microplastics in human testicular tissue and were associated with lower sperm counts. These chemicals act as endocrine disruptors that interfere or reduce sperm quality and lower testosterone.

And in 2014, a study found microplastics in heart arteries. Black men die from cardiovascular disease at a rate 38% higher than men in the overall population.

Dr. Robert Bullard, widely regarded as one of the fathers of the environmental justice movement, has documented this disparity for decades. In his 1990 book, “Dumping in Dixie,” and other works, Bullard established that industrial facilities and toxic waste disposal in Black communities is a deliberate policy decision — not an accident. While white communities experience “pollution advantage,” compared to communities of color no community … should be allowed to become a ‘sacrifice zone’ or dumping ground.”

Yearwood’s organization has been fighting for climate justice and environmental justice for two decades. But there’s more work to be done.

“We’ve seen what pollution has done in places like Cancer Alley. Families have suffered, communities have been devastated, and the effects last for generations,” Yearwood adds. “Protecting our health means standing up to the industries polluting our air and water and understanding that environmental justice is a matter of survival. We can’t pour into our families and communities while being poisoned from the inside out.”

Reducing Your Exposure

The good news is that there are steps individuals can take to reduce their microplastic load.

1. Choose tap water over bottled water. A study cited by the NRDC found that people who drink bottled water ingest substantially more microplastics annually than those who drink tap water. Those who consume beverages in plastic packaging also show higher microplastic levels in stool. Use filtered tap water when possible; a reverse osmosis or activated carbon filter reduces particles further.

2. Don’t microwave food in plastic. Scientists have confirmed that heating food in plastic packaging or containers releases plastic particles and chemicals into food. Transfer food to glass or ceramic before microwaving.

3. Replace plastic kitchenware. Plastic cutting boards, bowls, blenders, electric kettles, and sponges all introduce microplastics into food. Alternatives include stainless steel, glass, ceramic, bamboo, and stoneware. Bamboo cutting boards in particular have been shown not to transfer microplastics to food.

4. Choose natural fiber clothing and furnishings. Synthetic textiles shed plastic microfibers continuously — during wear and especially during laundering. Indoor dust in spaces dominated by synthetic carpets and upholstery carries higher microplastic concentrations. Cotton, linen, silk, wool, and bamboo are the recommended alternatives. Check labels carefully, as synthetics are often blended into natural-fiber products.

5. Replace nonstick cookware. Nonstick pans coated with PTFE (Teflon) release millions of microplastics and nanoplastics during cooking. Notably, those particles are also PFAS — toxic “forever chemicals.” The NRDC recommends switching to stainless steel, cast iron, or ceramic cookware.
Source: National Resources Defense Council

Based on reporting by Seattle Medium.

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