I have not written to Oakland Local before and I have to comment on this article. I read about the decreasing African-American population in the last Census 2000 when the African-American population decreased over 10% (if I remember correctly). Now the numbers are more dramatic and I applaud Kheven LaGrone to encourage others to respect Oakland as their home.

I would disagree with the interpretation that politicians have disrespected the home of African-Americans. The article I read in the Chronicle today talked about black families leaving because of the black on black violence that is pervasive in Oakland. One resident cited the last straw was having his car broken into twice in one day. Black families are moving to the burbs to escape this inane culture that celebrates violence and a mentality of "you have it, I want it, its now mine" mentality.

I work in a job that almost on a daily basis I witness the brutality of blacks on blacks whether it is drive-by shootings, domestic violence, or threats to others that are trying to do their jobs. When intervention is brought in the resulting chorus that is heard is .. "your are a racist". No I am not a racist, I live here and I respect my home and expect others to respect my home. I simply do not accept violent behavior as a social alternative.

So if development is "gentrifying" downtown Oakland and the squeeze is being put on unruly behavior then let Gentrification come on. What would Kheven suggest? More venues like Mingles, a club popular with the Hip-Hop crowd, that closed down because of shootings, a scenario that can be attached to several clubs here in Oakland. I remember the Festival at the Lake and how I enjoyed going to it as it was walking distance from my house, but I did not enjoy the riots that occurred afterward again by youths that would not respect their home.

What kind of development would Kheven suggest in downtown Oakland instead of Jerry Brown's 10K initiative? Jerry Brown simply wanted to build housing and with the housing the businesses would come. This is a living community of people that want to walk outside their doors and be able to shop locally and support others that live here without the threat of violence.

I remember a mother I worked with that pulled her son out of Oakland Tech after the second day of class there when he came home and talked about the kids with guns and knives there. She supported public schools but she put her son in a private school after that as she wanted him to grow up and raise a family. Speaking of marriageble young men ..  the population of marriageable young black men in Oakland is also decreasing mostly due to two factors: killings and incarcerations.

While I applaud Kheven's encouragement to respect your home, I disagree that the development of Downtown Oakland is against African-Americans. The daily news articles are telling us of more and more cut backs in government programs that will affect all of us, from Redevelopment to Health Care and Public Safety. We are all going to witness the austerity of paying off the debt brought on by our generation and our parents' generation.

A few best selling books on the market today describe the end of Western Democratic Civilization due to the government's inability of being able to satiate the thirst of its demanding public. The previous Democratic Societies that fell due to an excess of spending to placate the poor and the inablitity to keep the corncucopia flowing, and the resultant dictatorships that took over to stem the anarchy, were Rome and Greece. The US was the first Democracy to emerge since those times, and perhaps to be the first to fall.

Yes we all need to respect our home. To simplify the complexities for the changing demographics to politicians not planning communities to honor African-American culture is sophormoric at best. Perhaps we can look to Japan for an example of a well behaved society that is not exhibiting violent behavior or looting in the aftermath of its devastating earthquake. Will the same be said of Oakland when the Hayward fault moves?

Thank you Kheven for this piece.  I think you wrote things a lot of folks who have lived in Oakland their entire lives are feeling about everything that is going on.  And I agree that there has been a lack of respect in some of the development happening downtown as well as all over Oakland.  I drove down Broadway the other day past the street art that reads "the rebirth of our city."  I resent this statement; were we dead before the coffee shops and bars on this street got here?  People have been here for years when it was too ghetto for folks to consider living here or investing.  There is such excitement about the new businesses and shops sprouting up which is great but let's call it what it is, people are being dislocated and areas are being gentrified.  

I grew up in an area that yes had crime, drug-dealing and everything else you hear about. My neighborhood has come into fashion of late and every house that is sold or foreclosed involves Black and Latino families who have lived in Oakland for YEARS moving out.  Some people have had the resources to pick a choose neighborhoods that are up and coming to have a taste of the "urban experience" and speculators come into communities and pay cash for homes kicking out renters who then retreat to other parts of Oakland that are more affordable until those areas are "in" as well.  

Development and growth needs to be smarter and I agree more respectful.  So many parts of Oakland become bubbles and people are happy with their idea of what Oakland is but Oakland is everything, good and not so good, the nicely developed lounges and the work in progress communities trying to make things work.  We need community strategies that work for all members of this city.

Thanks again for this article...we have much to think about.

this is a complicated issue and i think that race is at the root of it all, first of all i want WHITE people to stop acting like they are not violent and disruptive, its because of white violence and race hate that blacks are in this fucked up country and are so bad off. you know how you (WHITE PEOPLE) acted when we (black people) wanted freedom, education, brotherhood/sisterhood with your people, you call out Bull Conner and his dogs and firemen to wash us off the street.

our black on black violence ( stupid as it is ) is a direct result of your violence trust apon us. this country is founded on violence against us black people and the red folks. it makes me sick to read the words of a WHITE person describing blacks as these non-humans who are less than equal to you, we learned all this bad acting from you White people, drugs (cocaine) was given to dock workers (Black men) to boost work production, and then you made law to use the addiction to put us in jail, return us to slavery.

you raped or women and killed our kids and men, the blood of our people is in the ground this rotten place. how dare you, any of you blame our condition on us. now you have asians and mexicans working to be our masters, go to hell with your white lies. all over the world your history is full of violence, race hate and lies. tell the truth about the courts and how they are used to kill the black family by taking our men from their families leaving the boys without guidance

and love. nothing Jerry Brown has done has been for all of the people, just his. be honest about your part white people, and don't say it was not me, who was it your grandfather and mother who made the conditions for blacks in america as they are? do you have the land or the company they left you as a part of their illgotten gains. it is you, all of you who say nothing about the conditions our people are forced to deal with in your hypocritical, racist stolen land. as long as you tell us to forget slavery and reconstruction you will stay blind to the truth. do you want a black son in law? will you ensure that the police don't treat us like dogs? oh i forgot white folks love dogs more than they love us and have laws for people who are crule to animals, but we are animals right? so all or a lot of you should be in prison.

as for low lifes, you have yours as well ie; skin heads and hitler lovers, we are 12% of the population but make up 42% of the prison population, why is that? oh i know we are aimals who commit crimes to live, to eat, to feed our familes. why? because white teachers miseducate us and then white business people won't hire us because we are not educated, well thats the excuse. then you bring in illegals to replace us as workers, how dare you blame us for our condition and our reaction to that condition. no sir, or master you are the cause of our condition, your legacy is dirty and your hands are not clean and will never be until you stop the lies and covert actions that keep a larg part of our people dumb and violent. how did crack and the other drugs get into our communities?

why are our schools so bad as you say? the conditions your people set up demands the results you are in such a rage about. educate us and create the oppertunities for black economic development so we can hire our own and support the schools where we live and stop wanting to be the dominate culture and we will act like good white folk. i stand by my words with my real name and say F--k you.

i gave you the answer to your question, was there any looting when the last quake hit? you are so dumb.

Yes, "our" is the key word. I get disrespected every time someone, and not neccessarily a person of color, does a drive-by and assaults me with their music, or talks so damn loud, I can't have a thought of my own, or even read a damn book on the  train. Now do I play my sh** all over you? No, because I am thoughtful and considerate about imposing myself on others. It seems here you are drawing race lines along the imposition into the black neighborhoods, by what, race? Are white people imposing on you because of their presence? That sounds racist to me. Now, making a lot of noise to the point where I can't escape it in my own damn mutherf***in home because that sh** shakes the walls? No. Somethin's wrong here. Yeah, too much damn noise distracts the children and dumbs them down. They will be much less sensitive then they would be being barraged by chaos. Keep that sh** up and they'll be giving those houses away again.

Clayton Collins. You're right. Racism still exists, but just remember, just because someone looks white, doesn't mean they hate you...I don't hate you for being black and angry...

Cal Oak, I actually lived in Japan for a long time, and I got really tired of people being afraid of me, women clutching their purses when I would walk by. Maybe you stayed for two weeks, or you were too busy being the center of attention there, but I felt like I wanted to smack people who didn't know me for acting different around me. That's when I had my "Aha" moment," wait that's what Oprah says...hey, she Black, and she lives in Santa Barbara, just self-actualizing, higher and higher, getting richer and richer, every day. What did she do to get there? She don't look WHITE to me. Why would she want to live in Santa Barbara instead of Oakland? She should have told her Dallas boss FU, but I don't think she did...maybe that's where the bruthas and sistas are going, the ones who can, they leaving, because it's too loud and violent in the hood. It seems to me, if it were made a quiet peaceful place, people would want to stay there.

But I digress...

Just turn the bass down, before I follow Oprah up the hill, I can't tune that sh** out, even with ear plugs, and I have tried...

K

Cal Oak, the violence you mentioned is a symptom of disrespecting one's home, oneself and others.  As you wrote:  "I live here and I respect my home and expect others to respect my home. I simply do not accept violent behavior as a social alternative." You are not "racist" for thinking so, every African American I know feels the same way.  

I understand that disrespect of their home has led many African Americans to move away.  Sadly, many regret it or never really wanted to leave their home.

Also, I don't believe "gentrification," "government funded programs," etc. can take the place of respecting one's home.

I think some of your argument lacks self-empowerment and accountability. I know for a fact that my Oakland neighbors, who are people of color, would much rather deal weed than go to school or work, not pay taxes on the proceeds, and draw on the system at the same time, and go no where in the process. And they are beautiful, young people. As futile as it seems, not one job or one class will get you where you need to go, you have to try many things--you may have to go through 7 jobs, and 7 co-workers, before you feel the love, and that may not be monetary love. And I do understand the fear of change, and the inertia, I have a situation that I have been dealing with for 10 years.

Some of what you say is true, but don't add everything else to it, because you are just arguing against yourself when you do, and you will be disempowering yourself within the system -- this is so damn easy to call other people on their bullshit, wish I was better at doing for myself.

"as for low lifes, you have yours as well ie; skin heads and hitler lovers, we are 12% of the population but make up 42% of the prison population, why is that? oh i know we are aimals who commit crimes to live, to eat, to feed our familes. why? because white teachers miseducate us and then white business people won't hire us because we are not educated, well thats the excuse. then you bring in illegals to replace us as workers, how dare you blame us for our condition and our reaction to that condition. no sir, or master you are the cause of our condition, your legacy is dirty and your hands are not clean and will never be until you stop the lies and covert actions that keep a larg part of our people dumb and violent. how did crack and the other drugs get into our communities?"

PS I hear things first-hand. I hear what they say about work, and I see what they do. And you really are missing the accountability of the person. I know it's so painful, when people are so cold, but you can overcome them. I can see you doing it now. I wish you luck. Now, I will stop procrastinating my own sh**, and get something done. It would be really cool to meet you sometime.

The gang injunction in North Oakland is not a tool for gentrification.  There have been roughly 100 homicides a year in Oakland, many of that gang related.  This is a tool to try to decrease the number of homicides and other crimes.

In other words, the gang injunction is like a community sh*t list.  You did some sh*t and now you're on this list because nothing you've done lately tells us that you're not going to keep doing stupid sh*t.  Once you stop doing stupid sh*t and hanging around other people who do dumb sh*t, you can get your name off the community sh*t list.  It's really not that complicated. 

Now in regards to blaming politicians and gentrification and lack of respect towards the African American community, that's just nonsense.  Barbara Lee, Ron Dellums, Chief Batts, and so many more Black politicians and African American owned businesses there's more than enough representation and impact.  There's something else in regards to the lack of respect (overall) in the Black community and that's something you all need to figure out. But I will say my Eritrean and Ethiopian neighbors in North Oakland seemed to have figured it out (self respect, respect for themselves within the community and the city of Oakland) and they're having a good 'ol time up here.

kf i feel you man, i know that its not all white folks, i do know history, i read and i too hate it when some fool rides by my house blasting their sounds. rap or rock i hate it but what can you do. music is not at the core of this issue its the condition that is forced on us as a people that no other race has had to endure, that silient agreement between white people that says " don't let them as a group enjoy the country they built at the end of the lash" the crimes america has committed in the name of progress can never be forgotten.

to exucse the history and blame the victim of white power is another crime and the africans who are still alive in this country are in more danger now than we were in 17,18 or1950. the covert kkk who wears a black robe and can put in a cage based on lies is more dangerous than a overt kkk who calls you nigger to your face and burns a CROSS on your lawn.

i have a 17 year old son and i fear for his life and his freedom based on the traps that are set out to snare him by the people who run this country and the people who elect them to the courts, congress, the white house. if there is a people who should be respected and cared for its the ones who 's labor and pain and blood built the foundation that the great lives white people have today is built on. we the africans in america are true americans, we learned from the original americans at the end of a rope how to be americans, violent,rude and disrespectful. once our teachers deomnstrate non-violence and peace so will we. and do like i do, go outside and ask them to just turn it down a little and when i get oprah's money i'm moving to the hills as well but it will be the view of this lovely bay thay i want to see not the hood i want to get away from.

i will help my people re-build their minds and re-connect with their history, get off the dope, it makse you weak as a person and as a group (i know) if i had her media power i would send out a daily message to my people, you can make it, you can make it, you can make it. 

rafael ebron, you must look at the cause to understand the problem, those people who you say has figured it out is riding on the backs of those who has suffered from 500 years of white bullshit, and those blacks you named as a example of black success will tell you that they too suffer form the roots of slavery and white supremacy and there is not enough representation on any level of the decendants of slaves, i'm not angry but i am black and i get angry. i sometimes wonder if you would be so la di da about all this if your skin marked you as a target when you left your house. put on a black face and see what you learn, right now you are suffering from conceptual incarceration and you just can't see or feel it, what it means to be black in this country, state, county , city and the black elected people you named i know personally and i would not depend on them to help us, in fact i expect them to do more harm to us which is their job and why you allow them to be there.

Like you, Cal Oak, I have not written in Oakland Local before but I just have to post a reply to your comment. I realize this post is several months old, but the content of this article in regards to gentrification remains relevant.

I respect your opinions, Cal Oak, but I think it is important you take the time to think about what you're going to post before you post it. For example, in the last paragraph of your post, you wrote: "Perhaps we can look to Japan for an example of a well behaved society that is not exhibiting violent behavior or looting in the aftermath of its devastating earthquake. Will the same be said of Oakland when the Hayward fault moves?" To answer your question, I'd like to suggest you take a 22 year trip back in time, when, in 1989, the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck.

I'm not sure if you remember, but the Cypress Freeway, which ran along what is today the "Mandela Parkway" in West Oakland, collapsed in the middle of what then was an almost entirely African-American populated West Oakland. When the earthquake struck and the Freeway collapsed, the African-Americans of that community didn't try to get to the very proximate downtown to "loot" stores in the "aftermath of the devastating earthquake", and they certainly weren't "exhibiting violent behavior". On the contrary, the African-Americans of that community risked their own lives trying to rescue people who were trapped in their cars on the doomed freeway, and were attempting rescue efforts even before any fire departments, ambulance, or news crews came on the scene.

So, to answer your question, yes, "the same will be said" of African-Americans and Oaklanders alike when the Hayward fault moves, as proven by the heroic efforts of African-Americans and Oaklanders in the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. It looks like Japan took a lesson from us.

Of about a dozen  black schoolmate of my two white sons at Oakland Tech 15 years,  who graduated and went on to 4 year colleges,  every one of those schoolmates left Oakland and never came back.

They didn't move to Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, and NY because of gentrification here or self hatred. They moved because job opportunities were much better there. They moved because they didn't want to be dragged down into the poverty and violence they left behind.

The destruction of Oakland's black community reflects the implosion of good paying blue collar employment in the entire country. Gentrification came years later and is more a symptom than a cause.

LOL if you think that Oakland city government can reverse what entire national governments in Europe and the US can't stop with various government backed programs.

I'm not a fan of Brown, but he recognized that the only chance of saving the homes of at least some poor Oakland residents, most of whom are black, was bringing in middle to upper income residents of any color (remember the huge sign on the "Isn't it Grand Building" of buppies?) whose property and sales taxes would pay for the services that poor residents need. He wanted to provide customers for the restaurants and retail stores that would provide better paying jobs than none. And he hoped it would attract better paying employers.

For various reasons his gentrification plan failed on the job creation and failed to account for the expensive services that well to do residents expect, but he certainly didn't do it because he wanted to destroy the black community here.

That community had already been devasted by job losses far outside of any local politician.

-len raphael, temescal