Community
OP-ED: Front Street – “When we turn to each other and not on each other, then game will recognize game”
By Min. Ron Linzie
As I read the enlightening weekly columns of Richard Johnson from Folsom Prison, I am encouraged and emboldened to also write sermonettes echoing his relevant themes during my own street ministry that helps promote non-violent behavior in our Bay Area communities.
I have been using Johnson’s articles alongside my biblical scriptures and I have found that his messages resonate with our youth.
While walking in West Oakland last week, I was amazed to see people reading the Post on street corners and park benches, discussing the contents in a positive way about stopping the violence that plagues us.
When Richard Johnson advised our community about the need to “Cease the Hostilities,” it caused a ripple effect where people were asking out loud about the “Black Lives Matter” movement and its meaning. They are also asking now, thanks to Johnson –who was known as the “Razor” on the streets, while I was also known as “Poison” – does the “Black Lives Matter” campaign, which sponsors marches against police and governments, also apply to marching in our community to call us out to stop killing one another?
They are daring to take Johnson’s and my advice because we have the accumulated street credibility of having been in and knowing “the game.”
Even though we are no longer a part of the “game,” we know “the game” and all its perils. Thus, we can speak from the position of having been there and done that; we also can speak truth to the powers that govern our communities. We know that it “takes game to recognize game,” which is why I constantly try to educate budding “gamesters” to do the right thing.
When I walked the streets for the city’s antiviolence outreach program, I found that our youth want to succeed and don’t want to fail. I found that they want jobs and education, even though some of them don’t expect to live to the ripe age of 30.
Johnson’s columns give them hope and point a pathway to success. I will continue to meet with clergy and ask churches and families to help raise the money so we can get subscriptions to send his columns and the Post to our imprisoned loved ones.
As I read Johnson’s letter, I am reminded how he, like Martin Luther King, Jr., has the courage to keep the faith and share his belief in God as a beacon light for all of us.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of March 27 – April 2, 2024
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
Beloved Actor and Activist Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. Dies at 87
-
Community1 week ago
Financial Assistance Bill for Descendants of Enslaved Persons to Help Them Purchase, Own, or Maintain a Home
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of April 3 – 6, 2024
-
Business1 week ago
V.P. Kamala Harris: Americans With Criminal Records Will Soon Be Eligible for SBA Loans
-
Activism2 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of April 10 – 16, 2024
-
Community1 week ago
AG Bonta Says Oakland School Leaders Should Comply with State Laws to Avoid ‘Disparate Harm’ When Closing or Merging Schools
-
Community6 days ago
Oakland WNBA Player to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame