The Story of Oakland

For the past four months, the city of Oakland has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Only months after the killing of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer on New Year's Day, just yesterday three police officers and a suspect were killed in a shootout. For a city still reeling from the Grant shooting and the protests that followed, this is more bad news the city does not need.

The city has experienced many highs and lows over the past 60 years. Known as the less glamorous of the two major cities in the Bay Area, Oakland has often played little brother to progressive, stylish San Francisco. Many Black people emigrated to the city from the South seeking work in the shipyards and service industries and were attracted to Oakland's opportunity for growth. As with other major cities in the 1950s and 60s, the relationship between the Black citizens of Oakland and the Oakland Police Department were tenuous at best. Routine harassment and unlawful arrests were commonplace from an openly-racist 'protector of the people'.

Enter the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, an organization built around protection and community self-determination founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The Panthers were in direct opposition to the police department and the elected officials in Oakland, but were a welcome change to the only people they sought to please: Oakland residents. I find it ironic, but not to surprising that the Panthers are known more for their "violence" when in fact, 9 times out of 10, they were the victims of brutality from law enforcement. The people of Oakland remember the Panthers for feeding their children, setting up medical clinics and running youth programs that taught Black History. For many, Oakland and the Black Panther Party are synonymous.

So the question is ultimately asked...what happened? What happened to all the progressive advances made by the Panthers and the citizens of Oakland? A couple of factors can be considered. First, in-fighting amongst the Panthers in combination with the increasing influence of drugs ultimately crippled the party. The increasingly detached Newton became disillusioned with the Panther and was eventually killed in 1989. As the Panthers influenced decreased, the influence of the drug trade did the opposite. This in combination with the massive loss of staple industry jobs, the cutback of social programs and a deteriorating educational system became a serious obstacle for Black citizens of Oakland. Even the election of a progressive-minded mayor like Ron Dellums (who served as Mayor from 1971-88), did little to stem the increase in violence that made Oakland one of the more notorious homicide cities in the country.

Modern-day Oakland still has remnants of its glorious past (one of my favorites happens to be Marcus Books on MLK blvd), but has been known more for its violence. This is unfortunate for a city that has citizens with many talents. Despite its trials, the city has produced many musicians, scholars and athletes who still look back at their hometown with fond memories. As it stands now, the issue continues to be Black-on-Black crime, prison recidivism, and a crumbling infrastructure.

Now adding to this powder-keg are three murdered cops. Because of how society and public opinion works, the murder of Oscar Grant will undoubtedly be forgotten in comparison to law enforcement officers being killed. The tension between the main protagonists, the OPD and the citizens of Oakland will no doubt increase as each look across at each other with suspicious thoughts.

Article on the latest incident
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090322/ap_on_re_us/police_shot_ca