Crime

Racial Harassment at Alameda’s Encinal High School

Published

10 years ago

December 20, 2013

Encinal High School in Alameda is known for its academic rigor, athletic achievements, school pride and diversity. But the recent failure of the school administration to respond to an incident of racial harassment on campus is raising concerns about a lack of cultural sensitivity at the school.

On Dec. 6, a student allegedly left a piece of paper depicting a Ku Klux Klan mask on a Black student’s desk, causing a dispute in the class. According to sources, the teacher sent both students to the office without addressing the issue.

According to a statement released by the district, “School administrators began an investigation and took immediate corrective action,” which included “talking extensively to the students involved, their parents, and staff.”

However, sources who know the student and her family are saying the victim’s parents were not informed about what happened did not learn about the incident until the student returned home.

According to staff members at the school, the incident was swept under the rug and ignored until the victim’s parents filed a police report.

It was not until Dec. 16– more than a week after the incident occurred and just a week before the school is scheduled to close for the holiday break – that the student was finally suspended.

The student who left the illustration of the KKK mask has a history of similar behavior at the school, according to a staff member. Earlier in the school year, he tied a small rope in shape of a noose and gave it to the same student. He was not reprimanded nor was he disciplined by the school, the staff member said.

Barbara Adams, Assistant Superintendent of the Alameda Unified School District, says the district is taking the student’s behavior very seriously. “ It violates school and district policies against discrimination and as such always results in discipline for the students who engage in it,” she said.

Adams insists the school district is handling the case, and school administrators and staff are “planning ways to engage the entire school community in intensive instruction and dialogue on the impact of this situation.”

“This type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable in our schools and our community,” Adams said.

However, another source at the school says that many incidents have taken place at Encinal in recent years that show a lack of sensitivity towards African American students – even from teachers.

One teacher reportedly created a PowerPoint presentation to discuss inappropriate school dress attire. The presentation focused “sagging pants,” commonly associated with Black male students but did not mention “crop tops and short-shorts,” more commonly worn by white female students, according to a staff member.

The culture and the fabric make up of the school must be addressed and changed, said the source.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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

Published

12 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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.

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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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California Black Media

Anti-Theft Bill with Jail-Time Requirement Gets Wide Ranging Support

Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24. Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.

Published

6 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman speaks as Asm. James Ramos (D-San Bernardino), left, stands beside him at a news conference in Sacramento concerning retail theft across the state.

By California Black Media

Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24.

Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.

Co-authored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and Devon Mathis (R-Tulare), AB 1772 would require jail time “of one to three years for theft crimes depending upon the circumstances.

“Offenses would include grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft or unauthorized use of a vehicle, burglary, carjacking, robbery, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or mail theft,” the bill language reads.

Ramos said the need to act is urgent.

“It’s time for us to reverse the spikes in theft crimes since the pandemic. Our law enforcement members and district attorneys need additional tools such as AB 1772. We must reverse the trend before the problem grows worse. Last year I requested a state audit of the impact of Prop 47 on Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” said Ramos.

Prop 47 is the California initiative, approved by voters in 2014, that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount for most misdemeanor thefts from $400 to $950.

According to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, the rate of occurrence of petty crimes like shoplifting and commercial burglaries have increased by double digits over the last four years.

In Orange County alone, commercial burglaries have spiked by 54%.

“Our communities are experiencing an increase in retail crime and deserve appropriate action from their legislators,” Valencia said.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus thanked Ramos.

“This bill, designed to impose stricter penalties on serial retail theft suspects, responds urgently to the escalating consequences of shoplifting and related crimes on our communities,” he said.

AB 1772 supporters who spoke at the gathering included Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman. Listed as supporters are the California State Sheriff’s Association, City of Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and Redlands Chamber of Commerce.