Oakland City Council: Good Jobs = Less Violence (Community Voices)

Rayna Smith Tue, 7 Feb at 9:56am
Oakland Army Base, http://www.459thsignal.org/Upshur%20Photos.htm

Oakland Army Base, http://www.459thsignal.org/Upshur%20Photos.htm

Tuesday, the Oakland City Council has a chance to create good jobs and make our city safer. I will be there to see if they pass the good jobs and community benefits plan for the Army Base redevelopment, which would help Oaklanders access quality, stable jobs.

I’m 20 years old, and I was born and live in North Oakland. I am part of the Urban Peace Movement. We are a group of youth working to end the conditions, like unemployment and poverty, that create urban violence. The unemployment rate in Oakland is 17% and up to 50% in some neighborhoods. It’s even higher for young people. I’m unemployed, and so are most of my friends.

I joined the Urban Peace Movement four years ago, after my friend Gary King, Jr. was killed by a police officer. On my 16th birthday I saw my friend lying dead in the street, and I didn’t think anything could ever be good again. Other young folks from North, East, and West Oakland are going through the same things and we’re looking for solutions.

One solution to help stop violence in Oakland is good jobs, like the ones recommended in the good jobs plan for the Army Base. When people work together, they can get along together on the streets. If we aren’t hustling just to survive, we will have a chance to make Oakland a safer city.

I need a job. But I know that to make my neighborhood better, I need a good job that I can count on for the long term. Our City Council can help by passing this good jobs plan, which tells the Army Base developers to hire and train local people, protect workers’ rights, and “ban the box” that asks applicants about criminal records. Without the good jobs plan, this huge project will be business as usual and we’ll be left with dead ends.

The Army Base will create thousands of construction jobs and later, permanent jobs in warehousing and other business. I hope to work there some day. A permanent job will mean I can do more than just keep my electricity turned on from month to month: I can help out my grandmother and save money to buy a home. With a job, I might survive—but with a good job, I’ll be able to really live and contribute to my city.

The CEOs of Prologis, the corporation developing the Army Base, made 13 million dollars last year. It upsets me when I think about these people coming to Oakland without committing to help our community. I want my City Council members to stand up for Oakland. We need these jobs soon, we need them to be quality jobs, and we need them to go to Oakland residents. That’s how to stop the violence.

If it’s done right, the Army Base can improve the future for all Oakland’s youth. My friend Gary’s daughter is 3 years old now, and she never met her father. When she’s my age, I want her and her friends to have a better Oakland than Gary did. I want her to see our neighborhood not just surviving, but really alive.

Rayna Smith lives in Oakland and is active with the Urban Peace Movement, a group of young people working to end the conditions and culture that lead to urban violence.

About Rayna Smith
Rayna Smith lives in Oakland and is active with the Urban Peace Movement, a group of young people working to end the conditions and culture that lead to urban violence.
Len Raphael commented Array ago

Rayna, focus on the decisions of our elected officials, not how much money the exec of the developer makes.

I hope I'm proven wrong but i think our elected city officials already blew the opportunity to make the Army Base a significant job engine for Oakland let alone West Oakland.

They will blame it on the lending market credit crisis or"the economy", but it's more their dithering over many years combined with their caving in to the demands of unions who help get them re-elected that few if any of the few new jobs wil go to residents of West Oakland.

 

Len Raphael, temescal

(for info on how to recall Mayor Quan, go to recallquan.com or emal info@recallquan.com)

 

livegreen commented Array ago

Rayna,  Less Violence = More Jobs.

Many businesses are having trouble staying in Oakland &/or won't relocate to Oakland because of the violance.  It's a double edge sword and the challenge Oakland is having is addressing both to turn the cycle around.

Also this project alone will not be able to solve the jobs problem in Oakland.  Compared to all the unemployed it will be a pittance.  Yes, it can help.  But this project and the City Council as a whole will only be a small part of the solution.  In a capitalist country the Government (especially our local government) simply does not create most of the jobs.  Private companies do and private companies have either fled or have real trouble staying here...

livegreen commented Array ago

Len,  Can you elaborate on how the dithering and union demands have created your conclusion?

Thanks, LG

homeslice510 commented Array ago

thanks, Rayna for your powerful words.  you are right-- we need good jobs so that we can take care of their families or spend money at local businesses. that's how we can make oakland thrive like you said!  We have to take advantage of the biggest project that any of us are ever going to see in Oakland -- and its happening in public land with public dollars!

Len, as i understand it, the city is still working on making this project happen and so bringing jobs to Oakland is definitely still on the horizon. The question though is whether or not they'll be good jobs and whether or not they will be for local people -- and that's what the council is taking up tonight.

 

Leslie Lee commented Array ago

Rayna, don't listen to Len. He's off topic and promoting his recall effort.

Government can be your friend but most of the time (assuming you paid all your taxes and are law-abidding ), it's neutral. But take advantage of whatever Oakland city government and non-profit is offering in terms of jobs training and work experiences.

Livegreen is correct. Most job is created by private companies. Private companies won't come because of the preceived violence in Oakland. But that does not mean you cannot commute to San Francisco to find work.

I assume you already know about the usual advice about going to college and getting a technical, science degree etc... That's only if you don't have any social connection and likes science.  A lot of people makes OK living without a college degree.

Get some financial education. Don't get into debt of $50,000 for a social science college degree. Remember, you cannot discharge a student debt.

Good luck!. Maybe Len can give some advise. He's an accountant.

Tom Lease commented Array ago

Good article. When the out of town fat cats come in and exploit poor communities while they make piles and piles of money the only result is a disaffected community with no hope and lots of violence. There has to be more fairness in the way we do business in the USA. 

Eric K Arnold commented Array ago

Many businesses are having trouble staying in Oakland &/or won't relocate to Oakland because of the violance.

oh really? name some.