Community

OP-ED: Safety Walks: A Call to Action in Inactive Times

Published

9 years ago

June 2, 2015

By Omar de la Cruz

Having spent my entire life in Oakland, I know the many faces and channels of the city. As a resident of the Fruitvale district, there is no bigger channel than International Boulevard.

International exists in two phases alien to one another, coexisting yet not often touching.

During the day, International is a busy thoroughfare for commuters and the sidewalks are bustling with students, small business activity, families, etc. Once daylight fades and streetlights illuminate the scarcely populated streets, the nightlife takes over.

Nightlife in the Fruitvale is not marked by clubs, restaurants and bars, but by the unfortunate souls caught in the cycle of human trafficking. The paths to prostitution are as diverse as the city itself – some abducted, others tricked, many join voluntarily – but regardless of how one gets there, the fact remains that International Blvd. is one of the nation’s hotspots for it.

For decades, people have debated the causes of prostitution to what the correct legal and social response is. Unfortunately, there has been an alarming lack of meaningful action.

On November 21, 2014, Oakland City Councilmember Noel Gallo’s initiative to rehabilitate International Blvd. began. Councilmember Gallo, who lives in the heart of the Fruitvale, was frustrated by the lack of visible action taking place in the district he was elected to represent.

With Gallo’s weekly Friday night Safety Walk program, it can no longer be said that Oakland residents remain inactive, at least not in the Fruitvale.

The project is an alternative response to waiting for policing. Its aims are not punitive but rehabilitory and focused on deterrence. Every week since the projects inception local volunteers and activists of all ages have marched alongside Councilmember Gallo down International with a rallying cry of “Safe streets, safe kids!”

The project has been a collaborative effort with the faith-based organization Victory Outreach, which offers a lifeline out of prostitution through shelters and safe houses. Every night, the organization makes a point to peacefully approach every prostitute (sexually exploited women, mostly minors) on the street. Of the countless women approached, many have accepted the help.

In a city that moves notoriously slow, in one of the nation’s sex trafficking highways, we must challenge ourselves to be better. With issues like prostitution that germinate in the city’s seedy corridors it will take a similarly grassroots effort to combat it.

The problem used to be that no such effort existed. Now a call to action has been issued and an opportunity for change has presented itself and it is our job to respond.

For more information on joining the Safety Walk program, or dates and locations, contact Councilmember Noel Gallo’s office at (510) 238-7247.

Omar de la Cruz is a resident of Oakland and works in Councilmember Noel Gallo’s office.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

6 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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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.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

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.

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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.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

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.