Governor Brown has done it again. He has proposed in the state budget to close the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) once and for all. The DJJ drains much-needed funds from our schools and vital community programs that would help California thrive. The youth prison system promotes… Read more
On November 18, 2011, a campus police officer at UC Davis used pepper spray on a row of seated students peacefully protesting. A cell phone video of the incident went viral, made national headlines, and even inspired an internet meme. The most disturbing feature of the video, and a… Read more
I was the kind of kid that adults liked to call non-athletic. I wasn’t uncoordinated or weird enough to be the last one picked for recess games. But I also was a better cheerleader and fun teammate than I was an actual athletic asset.
Enough years of people telling you… Read more
When I was in the third grade, I had trouble reading. I mixed up letters and couldn’t spell to save my life. I soon found myself in special education courses. Most of the other students who were tracked in these classes were also poor boys of color. None of us… Read more
Growing up in the Midwest, I spent a fair amount of time at the local mall. That’s kind of where teen social life happened in my town. We would spend a lot of time anticipating what big, hip chain might set up shop next. Maybe the Gap will come… maybe… Read more
Watching the developments of the Occupy Oakland camp and activism over the past month has been at turns inspiring, complicated, challenging, and powerful. At times, it seems like finally the world is waking up to say people and our planet are more important than profits. And to demand that we… Read more
Now that you have made the decision to move your money, it’s time to get started!
1. Organize your current accounts. Make sure you know exactly which accounts you have, so you are clear about all the accounts you need to close. Stop making deposits to your Big… Read more
“If #occupyoakland was in Damascus, U.S. State department would be telling Wolf Blitzer how unacceptable it was to teargas peaceful marchers.”@techsoc
As two activists who have called Oakland home, we are appalled at the events of our city in the last 36 hours. Last night the country joined… Read more
We, at the Ella Baker Center are appalled at the City of Oakland’s violent response to the peaceful Occupy Oakland protestors. Many of our staff and community members experienced the violence first-hand. The excessive use of force was in no way warranted in response to un-armed,
Oakland politicians have proposed a youth curfew in response to the tragic death of another child. It’s almost a political ritual – every few years we return to this idea that clearing young people off the streets will solve Oakland’s problems of crime and violence.
This debate is… Read more
