Bay Area

Remembering Chauncey Bailey – Oakland Journalist Murdered 13 Years Ago

Published

4 years ago

August 6, 2020

Late Post Editor-in-Chief was murdered while walking to work in Oakland on Aug. 2 — 13 Years Ago

Chauncey Bailey was editor-in-chief of the Post Newspaper Group when he was gunned down on 14th street as he was on his way to work on Aug. 2, 2007.

Bailey had been working on a series of stories about the Bey family, which owned several Oakland businesses, including the Your Black Muslim Bakery, and was known for training and hiring Black people in the community.

However, the reputation of the Bey family and its businesses had begun to slip: scandalous associations with underage girls, financial irregularities and intimidation tactics against tenants were among the issues.

Bailey had recently confirmed with a source within the Bey family for a story he was working on when he was approached in the morning on 14th street in downtown Oakland by a man wearing a ski mask who shot Bailey twice before escaping in a car that had been waiting.

Born and raised in East Oakland, Bailey’s family moved to Hayward when he was in 6th grade where he got a job delivering newspapers. A white woman objected to him having the job and that was what impelled him to work as a journalist because a byline did not reveal a person’s color.

He worked on his high school newspaper, attended Merritt College and graduated with a degree in journalism from San Jose State University.

He would work as a reporter at newspapers in Hartford, Conn., and Detroit, Mich., before returning to the Bay Area to work in radio and television and then the Oakland Tribune followed by the Post Newspaper Group, for which he had written freelance stories early in his career.

Bailey was known for being a trusted journalistic voice, especially in providing equitable coverage for the Black community.

A prominent leader in the African American community, in 2007 Bailey became the first American journalist murdered since 1976 in the line of duty in response to his investigation of an alleged crime syndicate.

Eventually, three men were arrested, charged and convicted in Bailey’s death. Devaughndre Broussard confessed to having killed Bailey at the behest of Yusef Bey IV who was tried with Antoine Mackey and found guilty of murder in 2011.

On July 28, District 3 Oakland City Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney introduced the commemorative renaming of  14th Street between Alice Street and Webster Street, in the heart of the Black Arts Movement and Business District, as ‘Chauncey Bailey Way.’

City Councilwoman-at-Large Rebecca Kaplan supports the action. She remembers Bailey for his dedication to covering local issues and mentorship of young people interested in entering the field of journalism.

Bailey’s murder remains a symbol of the importance of defending free speech and democratic values, McElhaney said. “My hope is that this commemoration continues to build awareness among future generations of Oaklanders of Chauncey’s contributions and passion for the betterment of Oakland.”

Post Staff

Posts by Post Staff

Related Topics:Chauncey Bailey Your Black Muslim Bakery

Up Next

Oprah Installs 26 Billboards in Louisville, Kentucky: Demand Justice for Breonna Taylor

Don't Miss

Vallejo City Councilmember Hakeem Brown Victim of Hate Crime

Post Staff

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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

Published

19 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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

6 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”