Pastors J. Alfred Smith & Bob Jackson
--Click pic for theme of march--

Last Saturday in Oakland, CA approximately 7,000 citizens, led by local religious leaders, marched over three miles from North, East, and West Oakland to converge on Oakland City Hall and raise the consciousness of City officials and parents about the increased number of young Black males who are dying in Oakland streets.

The march was a three-pronged effort from North Oakland, East Oakland, and West Oakland. The East Oakland contingent was the largest--pastors of the two largest congregations, both from East Oakland, were Pastor Robert Jackson, of Acts Full Gospel Church--6,000 members, and Pastor J. Alfred Smith, of Allen Temple Baptist Church--7, 000 members.

The march picked up participants as they entered the downtown section of Oakland. And once downtown in the amp theater, they were greeted cheerfully by about 1,000 waiting participants and officials.

This march's atmosphere was religious, as the heavily Acts Full Gospel-weighted crowd came into the City Hall theater area. They sang gospel songs, shouted praises to their God, preached, spoke in tongues, and invoked an old-fashioned church ambiance--eight ministers prayed opening prayers.

On hand were many local leaders, ministers/pastors, Muslim leader, community organizations and leaders, local media, and a substantial collection of local officials: Oakland City Councilpersons, Tony Cook, Moses Mayne, Ignacio De La Fuente, and U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

This march had a number of singers and organizations on hand at the downtown center of action: Lorrain Taylor, singer; Covenant House; Wailing Women, Women's Clergy United; Schools of Urban Ministries (SUM), Khadafy Foundation, and a number of individuals who had children and relatives killed by violence in Oakland, CA.

Mayor Jerry Brown was at the podium for a brief second, spoke briefly as usual, and slipped away quickly. While many City leaders attended this meeting and lingered, Jerry Brown exited as quickly as possible to be spotted at Cafe 817, seven blocks away, having lunch with a young female companion. While the rate of homicides among Black males is a problem of concern for most citizens of Oakland, the Mayor offered this advice: the people of Oakland had to come up with solutions to the problems of youths killing each other.

Part of the problem of Oakland's high rate of homicides may be laid at the foot of our often absent and disintereted Mayor: he removed a Chief of Police who was loved and respected by the community for no good reason other than to make his own political appointments. Yet under that chief, the rate of crime went down. Second, the Mayor has only been Mayor to the moneyed interests of the City and to his own media and political advantage. In spite of the media defaming Oakland as a city, Jerry Brown has received high praises although his accomplishments in Oakland are hard to measure.

Can Oakland bring the death rate down without a Mayor who cares about that high rate enough that he is willing to expend his political capital to achieve a reduction? Mayor Brown has only used his political currency in spitting contests with the School Board, the Port Authority, and the State Fair Practices Commission.

Last Saturday's march to end Black violence in Oakland was really a march more to raise the public consciousness about the appalling deaths of young Black males that are occurring daily in the streets of Oakland. Congresswoman Barbara Lee stated that the march was just the beginning; thereafter, the real work must be done.

A question worthy of consideration is whether our Mayor cares about young Black males dying in the streets of Oakland or whether he more concerned about making Oakland a trendy city that he and the busted dotcomers can come into and feel at home--a sort of East San Francisco? []

Gibbs Magazine conducted a number of interviews with various individuals at this rally: Lorrain Taylor[Recording Artist] , Tom Bolton [Men of Valor], Khadafy Foundation, Bently Foundation, A season of Peace.