By Pastor Phyllis Scott
Special to The Post

It was like any other Monday.  I would, like many Oaklanders, get up, have my coffee and prepare my granddaughter for school.  But little did I know that this particular Monday and the events that followed would forever be etched in my mind and heart, affect me unlike any Monday

For on this day in August, I would open my front door to police officers, yellow crime tape and the body of an unidentified young, Black woman lying dead in the streets of a residential area of East Oakland.  She was somebody’s daughter, somebody’s, sister, even somebody’s mother but on this Monday, she was just another unidentified dead woman in Oakland.

She was left on the streets, wrapped in a sheet.  She had been pushed into hedges with a mattress pressed against her nude body.

No one knew her name. No one seemed shocked as windows and doors closed so as not to see the horror lying in front of them. Is this the new norm?  Is there no outrage?  Have we become numb to the lawlessness that is plaguing our city?

This is a human rights issue!  A right for every citizen in Oakland to be able to live a healthy and vibrant life.

To walk the streets without fear of being assaulted.

To drive their car without being carjacked.

To live in your home without fear of home invasion.

And every woman, daughter, sister, wife, should not fear being beaten, killed and wrapped in a sheet and left on the streets like garbage.

Where is the OUTRAGE?

It is a shame to have to do this but-

Have a Safety Plan 

• Keep doors and windows locked
• While on the streets be aware of your surroundings
• Don’t walk alone — Walk with someone
• Walk with keys in your hand until you reach your destination
• Be aware of those around you while at an ATM

Become an Oakland Community Chaplain and learn how to protect yourself and your community.

For more information on how you can become an Oakland Community Chaplain contact 510-688-7437, or email oaklanccimmunitychaplains@gmail.com

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