Named in honor of the late African American social justice advocate Malcolm X, this year’s event took on added poignancy, coming just days after the death and subsequent funeral of Malcolm Shabazz, X’s grandson. A makeshift shrine set up across the street from the park, on Foothill Boulevard, paid tribute to X, Shabazz and other icons who have transitioned to ancestors: George Jackson, Betty Shabazz, Richard Aoki, Patrice Lumumba, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and Tupac Shakur. Several speakers, including OL contributor Reginald James and activist Yuri Kochiyama, commented on Shabazz’ passing – which some seemed to think was an recent example of counterinsurgency against revolutionary activists.

Moving on to more positive themes, the park was filled with beautiful people. They were everywhere—420ing on the hill, picnicking with family and friends, browsing local artisan stalls, listening to jazz emanating from the main stage, pop-locking at the b-boy jam, waiting in line for a plate of ndole rice at Taste of Africa. There was a lot going on, but for every person who worked the crowd, socializing, there was another who kicked back and took it all in. Thanks again to ESAA for producing this event every year.

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Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi is a triple threat: a filmmaker and photographer, he’s also known as DJ 3rd Degree. Jacobs-Fantauzzi is also the founder of the Fist Up Film Festival, currently in its 4th annual iteration. The festival opened last week with a party at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, followed by a screening of “Doin’ It In The Park,” the Bobbito Garcia film about pick-up basketball in NYC. Jacobs-Fantauzzi says the screening went so well, the New Parkway booked the film for several additional days.

The festival came about, Jacobs-Fantauzzi says, because as a filmmaker he got fed up with the rigamarole around showing films on the festival circuit, which was sometimes more trouble than it was worth. “I wanted a way for people to show their films for free and… really bring them to the community,” he related. So he chose the DIY approach, using Berkeley venue La Pena Cultural Center as the festival’s home for its first three years. This year, he adds, “we’re doing it all over the Bay,” with screenings in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley.

The remaining films in the festival are:

• “Crimes of the Police”–which screened earlier this year at the Oakland International Film Festival – a film which touches on the all-too-relevant subject of police murders of young black men, offering an alternative narrative from the mainstream media perspective by interviewing family members of the victims of police homicide. (May 22nd at Berkeley City College)
• “Coming Home,” a film about a Cuban hip-hop group, living in Miami, who visit their homeland and are forced to reconcile what they see with their own eyes with their long-held perceptions. (May 31st at the New Parish)
• “African Cypher,” a film about African street dance, which Jacobs-Fantauzzi says has parallels to the Bay’s own indigenous hyphy, sideshow, and turf dance subcultures. “The similarities are incredible,” he insists. (June 4th at the New Parkway)

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Jinho “Piper” Ferreira, the Flipsyde MC turned police officer and playwrite, recently wrote one of the more interesting guest commentaries to appear in the Oakland Tribune of late. Like much of the Trib’s reporting, the piece is on violence in Oakland. But unlike many of the if-it-bleeds-it-leads crime stories and state-the-obvious columns, the article offers an insightful look at the culture of drugs, crime and violence, from a first-person perspective.

“The first time I held a gun I was 11,” Ferreira writes. By age 13, he was “looking up to the most notorious drug dealers in West Oakland. Most were between 17 and 25 years old, the youngest 14. I was what you would call a “little homie.” I was by no means a gangster, but I loved feeling like one.”

He goes on to describe life as a young shorty on the verge of being sucked into street life by older mentors, and facing a moment of truth: “After the entire older crew was convicted of murder, I remember all of us “little homies” deciding whether we would inherit the block or walk away. I walked away.”

Perhaps not coincidentally, Ferreira currently stars in “Cops and Robbers,” a one-man play at the Kaiser Center’s Lakeside Auditorium. Drawing from Ferreira’s experience growing up on the Oakland streets, and later as a member of the Alameda County Sherriff’s Department, the play, which has been lauded for its authenticity and credibility,  touches on hot-button subject matter, such as an officer-involved shooting, told from the perspective of the officer. “Cops and Robbers” runs until June 1.

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This week’s picks:
“Crimes of the Police” screening, and Q&A with filmmaker Ansar el Muhammad plus opening performance by Young, Gifted, & Black, 5/22, 7 pm, free, Berkeley City College, 2050 Center St., Berkeley

The Oakland Slam’s All-WIDE-Open Mic Show, 5/23, 9pm, $5-$10, New Parkway Theater, 474 24th St.

Bike-In Movie: “Premium Rush”, 5/24, 6pm-10pm, Trumer Pils Brauerei, 1404 4th St., Berkeley

thePeople – Oakland, 5/25, 9pm, $5 adv., New Parish 579 18th St.

Got tips? eric@oaklandlocal.com

But green also represents the eco-friendly, progressive mentality which has inundated Oakland, a sustainable living philosophy which comes from maintaining and honoring a connection to the land—originally a Native American belief—which is where Earth Day comes in.
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Urban Releaf, an Oakland-based urban forestry non-profit I work with, was called on to participate in two Earth Day events on Saturday. Both turned out to be community-oriented  gatherings which really honored the spirit of Earth Day—something green non-profits live every day of the year. It’s hard to imagine anything more Earth Dayish than planting trees, and that’s just what happened.

The first event, held at Cesar Chavez Park in the Fruitvale and sponsored by District 5 City Councilmember Noel Gallo and the Unity Council, began with an invocation/ceremony by an Aztek folkloric dance troupe—burning sage and recognizing the four directions before breaking into song and dance. I’ve seen the Oakland Azteks many times before, but it never gets old watching them perform their native rituals. I couldn’t help but think how important it is to reconnect with our spiritual roots, something which frequently gets lost in the concrete jungle of an urban city.

The second Earth Day event was out in Deep East Oakland, at the Tassafaronga Recreation Center on 85th Avenue. Sponsored by Communities for a Better Environment, it featured a bunch of volunteers from all walks of life, including some elderly Asian Buddhists, and an African American troop of Girl Scouts. What was cool about that event was the location: as CBE’s Nehanda Imara pointed out, East Oakland is a community which really needs eco-awareness, since it suffers disproportionately from environmental health hazards. Good to see the young people getting involved too.

I wont go into too much detail about Urban Releaf’s program here, but for those interested, more info is on their website. Oh, and look for footage from the Earth Day tree plantings coming soon on KQED and NBC11.
***
After Earth Day, it was a 420 kind of evening, and what better place to honor that than a roots reggae concert? Luckily, Oakland had it covered: Alborosie played the New Parish, which has been stepping up its dreadlocks game of late (more on that later).

Alborosie’s an interesting character, to say the least. A Sicilian-born singer and 2011 MOBO Award winner for Best Reggae Artist, he currently resides in Kingston, Jamaica. One typically doesn’t think of authentic Rasta reggae emerging from the land of Rome, Mussolini, and Versace, but as the saying goes, who feels it knows it. While dancehall—the slick, pop-oriented variant of reggae—has taken over the Jamaican scene in the past decade or so, Alborosie has held it down for the purists. His track record includes scores of tunes practically indistinguishable from the classic roots period of the late ‘70s-early ‘80s, delivered with unfailingly conscious lyrics. His New Parish set hit in all the right places, capping off a memorable day. As for the 420 vibe, it was certainly evident everywhere in the venue, making it impossible not to catch a contact high (cough).
***

Speaking of the New Parish, you may have noticed that in the past few months, the venue has been featuring more reggae – both artists and DJs. It’s no coincidence that that’s happened since venerable Sunday club night “King of Kings” moved from the now-defunct Shattuck DownLow, where it had resided for a practically-unheard-of ten years.

Sunday night, KOK celebrated its 11th anniversary with an all-star lineup of local “selectas.” The next day, I caught up with promoter/DJ Smoky aka DJ Smoke 1, who reflected on the significance of running a club night for such a long time period.

Smoky, an Oakland native, told me what KOK means to him is “DJ culture, sound system culture, and community.”

The night has become more than a party, he added: “it’s a brand, a movement representing Bay Area DJs, positivity, and the progression of music old and new.”

KOK “was supposed to be dead as of last October,” he confided, but got a second life when the opportunity came to do a weekly at the New Parish, which was looking to do more world music to distinguish it from all the indie rock and hip-hop clubs. Smoky jumped at the opportunity, which was a challenge to work even harder, he said. Not only was the venue physically larger than the DownLow, but it had an ”actual stage” where big-name acts could play.

Of course, Smoky had previously crammed plenty of what he calls “heavy hitters” onto the DownLow’s tiny stage, including Jr. Reid, Cutty Ranks, Capleton, KRS-One, Ranking Joe, Shinehead, Rocker-T, Don Carlos, Buju Banton, and Beenie Man. Over the course of a decade, KOK had amassed a faithful following, who were stoked to hear reggae in a venue with actual sightlines, as well as a balcony—and a patio.

The first night in its new location, KOK featured roots harmony trio the Abyssinians, which Smoky says was a “blessing, getting the roots foundation of reggae.” Since then, he’s rotated old-school veterans and upcoming local DJs in and out of the KOK mix and hosted live concerts by Barrington Levy and Queen Ifrica and Tony Rebel, both on Sundays and other nights of the week.

Having resurrected his party, Smoky’s revitalized his promotional game, launching a new website and a merchandise line. But what he feels proudest about is his reputation for consistency—which can’t always be taken for granted in the nightclub scene.

“When you see KOK on a flyer, you know the artist is gonna show up and there’s going to be quality music,” Smoky says.
***

This week’s picks:
“Makers: Women Who Make America” Film Screening and Panel, April 23, 6pm-9pm, free (RSVP required), Hub Oakland 1423 Broadway

Oakland Poetry Slam & Wide-Open Mic, April 25, $10, New Parkway 474 24th St.

EleFUNk Gallery Wall Jam and Closing Reception, April 26, 7pm, Loakal, 550 2nd St.

 “FunkJazzCafe: Diary of a Decade,” April 30, 7pm, $10, New Parkway, 474 24th St.

Got tips? eric@oaklandlocal.com