Bay Area

Verdese Carter Park Gang Violence Forces Kids’ Football Team to Find New Site to Play

Gang violence is raging in Deep East Oakland, also known as “Bossland,” where gun shots are heard daily, and recently, youth and the East Bay Panthers football team had to duck and cover twice in one month at Verdese Carter Park at 9600 Bancroft Ave. The Park has become the epicenter of violent activity despite a police station embedded there.

Published

3 years ago

October 11, 2023

Oakland Post

Shortly after a shooting at Verdese Carter Park, the East Bay Dragon community football team, learn that they will not be practicing there anymore because of the danger. Photo by Daryle Allums.

By Tanya Dennis

Jacob Davis, coach of the East Bay Panthers says, he will no longer bring his team to the park after shooting incidents on Aug. 24 and Aug. 29 where kids ages 5 -14 were caught in gang crossfire and had to take cover.

Tamu Lopez, treasurer of The East Bay Panthers, and accountant for Adamika Village#stopkillingourkidsmovement has two children on the team, Micah Lopez, 10, and Caleb Lopez, 14. Lopez says “My children are traumatized. My youngest, Micah, has had several nightmares since the violent encounters and neither of my sons want to play football anymore. Both are afraid to go to any park and want to leave Oakland.”

Davis notes that his team is a safety net, sometimes the only source of food for the kids, when they don’t have access to school meals or school activities.

“For many, belonging to the East Bay Panthers is their only positive outlet. We thought we’d be safe in the park because, until now, we thought Verdese Carter Park was a neutral zone for the gangs, but no longer. The police don’t respond, they don’t come here after 4 p.m. and we practice from 5:30 to 7.”

The Panthers are not the only group of children who are in danger. “We have five organizations that need to practice where they are safe: The Eastbay Warriors, 510 Legacy, Bay Area Lions, Oakland Dynamite and the East Bay Panthers for our girls and boys ages 5 – 14.”

Representing Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Pati Navalta responded that the Oakland Police Department (OPD) recognizes the uptick in violent crime and gun violence. “The Department is dedicated to utilizing all available resources to focus on individuals committing violent crimes, and we have increased our presence in areas experiencing this uptick. We are also collaborating with our neighboring law enforcement partners to address the recent surge,” Navalta said.

District Attorney Pamela Price responded saying, “The District Attorney’s office does not control or regulate the Oakland Police Department however, we are committed to prosecuting gang members and others who cause death or injury in our community to the full extent of the law.”

Davis said immediate safety solution is that Oakland Unified School District allow teams to practice on their fields. The problem currently is OUSD charges a fee to utilize the fields that we cannot afford.”

When asked if Oakland Unified would consider this proposal, John Sasaki, director of Communications promised to investigate the feasibility of Davis’ proposal.

Adamika Village#stopkillingourkidsmovement believe they have the solution to ending gang violence at Verdese Carter.

CEO Daryle Allums says. “Adamika Village hosts Town Night events funded by the Department of Violence Prevention and prior to, during, and a month after our last town night, crime and violence plummets. That’s because Adamika Village brings a different type of energy and people feel it! We bring love, hope, gifts, money, testing for COVID and flu, food, entertainment, and a kid zone. We provide a safe place; we are out here actively making a difference!”

Give Adamika Village the park for one year, before the city starts remodeling, Allums said, and “we will create ongoing ‘Town Nights’ with education, cooking programs that provide food to eat while they learn good nutrition. We’ll get Alcohol Anonymous out here to intervene in the drug culture and we’ll invite the Black Muslims to speak on health, lifestyle and self-control.”

When questioned about the cost Allums responded, “As we organize in the streets, we need people to organize behind the desk. Our Black girls are being kidnapped, our elder women are getting robbed, our people have stopped coming out.

“Let Adamika rebuild what has been lost. The soil at the park is corrupted. It’s contaminated with community violence, it’s toxic. Adamika will shift that energy so we can heal our people who are addicted to violence, who know nothing else.”

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

12 hours ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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Activism

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Published

1 week ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

By Jana Lang Propel Youth Reporter

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.