Youth Radio - Topic: Oakland

Suspended From School: Days Off? Or Days Behind?

rgee — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:39:08 -0600

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A group of sixth graders shared their stories with Youth Radio about getting suspended from school, and whether they thought it was a fair and a meaningful punishment. They Skyped with us from their classroom in Oakland, CA.

Listen to their stories above.

Their teacher Ms. M., who preferred her name not be mentioned, shared some thoughts after listening to her students speak. “I’m just surprised at some of the situations that my students have gotten themselves into... I feel like in my classroom these students are very respectful to me, they’re generally not behavior problems. None of these students have been sent to the office by me this year,” she said.

In general, she senses from students that suspension is not seen as a punishment. It’s the opposite. “That definitely is the feeling among kids - suspension is a time to take off or play around, a break from school... It depends on what is going on at home. If you have a parent that cares a lot about their child getting suspended, then the kid is going to be at home doing chores, and doing their homework. Other kids come back to school and say, ‘I was at Six Flags when I was suspended,’ or ‘I was watching tv,’ or ‘I was playing video games when I was suspended,’” she said.

Teen Reflects on Occupy Damage

denise — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:08:38 -0600

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Lanaya Lewis

Why come and damage a city that is not your own?

Looking back on the last few weeks of Occupy protests in Oakland, I’m angry about the damage and violence. For weeks 14th and Broadway was filled with trash, which made downtown look dirty and gloomy.

According to Alameda County Sheriffs, 103 people were arrested during the November 3rd protest and more than half were from outside Oakland.

I believe those people who came to Oakland knew that they could do what they wanted because they wouldn’t have to deal with the mess they made. If the shoe was on the other foot they wouldn’t be too happy.

I think that some of the protestors were trying to prove that they were big and bad, but what they proved to me is they know how to make people’s lives harder.

Everyone has the right to protest and voice their opinion, but it should be respectful of the people around them. Protestors have a point that middle class and poor people aren’t being treated fairly, but I’m glad to see the encampments gone. My city shouldn’t be damaged by people who don’t call Oakland home.

Teaching In The Young Lion’s Lair

denise — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:37:03 -0600

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Pendarvis Harshaw

The phrase "I don't give an F-Bomb" resonates throughout high school hallways every day, which begs the question: how do you get students to actually give a flying F-bomb?

Earlier this year I worked as an educator in the Oakland schools, in a pilot program designed to prevent young black men from dropping out. My students, all freshmen in high school, were in my class because of discipline issues, low attendance, or academic shortcomings.

Everyday there’d be a moment when one of my students would have a tiny breakthrough and I’d exclaim “hot damn.” It was a constant reminder that we were progressing.

One day I asked my students to read aloud from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Student after student read with increasing excitement. They were into it, and pleaded with me to bring in additional chapters. It was as if Ellison was narrating their lives. “I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids — and I might even be said to possess a mind.”

Teaching In The Young Lion’s Lair

denise — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:28:14 -0600

The following originally aired on KQED-FM and published on Turnstyle News.

In 2009, more than half of the African-American males who started high school in Oakland, California never graduated. Pendarvis Harshaw joined Oakland Unified School District's African American Male Achievement Initiative to reverse that trend.

By: Pendarvis Harshaw

The phrase "I don't give an F-Bomb" resonates throughout high school hallways every day, especially in Oakland public schools. Which begs the question: how do you get students to actually give a flying F-bomb?

The numbers show that young black men drop out of school at higher rates, and are more likely to be incarcerated than other groups. Earlier this year I worked as an educator in the Oakland schools, in a pilot program designed to prevent young black men from dropping out. My students, all freshmen in high school, were in my class because of discipline issues, low attendance, or academic shortcomings. We called our class the Young Lion’s Lair.

To maintain focus, we did pushups. We did wall sits. We did sets of 20 jumping jacks. And everyone had to stop at the same time, or else we’d do it again.

At the start of class- we’d toss around a tennis ball and review the prior day’s lesson. And at the end of class- we’d toss around that same ball and review what we learned that day.

Attendance shot up. Discipline issues decreased. Their grades didn’t change during the semester I worked with them, but I could tell they were learning. Everyday there’d be a moment when one of my students would have a tiny breakthrough and I’d exclaim “hot damn.” It was equivalent to getting a star in kindergarten, and it was a constant reminder that we were progressing.

One day I asked my students to read aloud from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. They were reluctant to read in front of their peers, but eventually one student began…”I am an invisible man.”

Student after student read with increasing excitement. They were into it, and pleaded with me to bring in additional chapters. It was as if Ellison was narrating their lives. “I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids — and I might even be said to possess a mind.”

Scott Olsen Injury Becomes Rallying Point For Oakland Protesters

denise — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:01:42 -0500

In Oakland, California last night, thousands of residents gathered in front of City Hall to plan for a general strike, in the wake of violent clashes between police and Occupy Oakland protesters earlier in the week. Many were also there for a vigil for Scott Olsen, a former Marine taking part in the protests who was wounded on Tuesday night.

Olsen has become a symbol for protesters, drawing attention to excessive force used by the police department, and sparking criticism of the mayor’s handling of the Occupy movement.

The video of a Olsen being injured Tuesday night spread all over the internet. His bloodied face is a big part of what's kept the national spotlight on Oakland. He’s a 24-yr-old Iraq veteran. He came to Occupy Oakland Tuesday night to support protesters after his workday at a Bay Area tech firm.

Video from moments earlier show Olsen standing in his Marine camouflage jacket and hat with his arms at his side. He’s standing next to someone in a Navy uniform with a flag that reads Veterans for Peace.org. Police start shooting projectiles into the crowd. Suddenly, Olsen is down. Protesters rush towards him where he is lying on the ground. But they scatter when a tear gas canister explodes on the ground next to Olsen. Eventually, protesters carried Olsen away and drove him to the hospital.

Twenty-year-old protester Clare Chadwick was one of those rescuers. Outside Highland Hospital yesterday, she stood holding Olsen’s wide brimmed camouflage hat. "When he was getting carried away his hat fell off. I ran back and grabbed it. His military hat, I though he would want it back," she said.

Chadwick says she screamed for medical help while she was assisting Olsen, but it never came. "I held his head in my hands," she said. "He was bleeding out of the mouth and unconscious, his eyes were rolling in the back of his head."

Images of Olsen's injuries spread quickly on social media sites, which is how fellow veterans and friends like Matt Howard heard of his accident. Like Olsen, Howard is a member of IVAW, Iraq Veterans Against The War. "When I woke up in the morning and checked my Facebook page and realized that a picture that had a Marine veteran was in fact Scott," Howard said, "I was shocked you know, the fact that one of our own guys, a veteran or an IVAW, that something like that happened was a little bit unbelievable."

Last night, Highland Hospital Chief Surgeon Dr. Alden Harken reported that Olsen was breathing on his own, and capable of moving his body. Harken said these were "huge" neurological improvements from when Olsen arrived. "He’s still having trouble articulating words. I anticipate that will improve," Harken said.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan visited Olsen in the hospital. The visit lasted 10 minutes, but according to Highland’s spokesperson, Vintage Foster, Mayor Quan said she was sorry for what happened and that the city was investigating. Oakland’s Police Chief Howard Jordan told reporters Olsen’s injury is being treated as a lethal force incident.

As of last night, Occupy Oakland protesters re-occupied the plaza. Mayor Quan tried to address the crowd, but she was heckled. Many veterans gathered along with Occupy Oakland protesters to pay tribute to Olsen. They say his story is a reminder of the dangers of excessive force used by police in Oakland. Today, the hospital reports Olsen is in fair condition and expected to make a full recovery.

Night of the Lasers

dwilliams — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:09:51 -0500

One word, phenomenal. That’s just about the only word I can think of that would best describe my first time being at a real live concert this past Tuesday, the best hip-hop concert in Oakland. The opening performers started off the night in an electrifying manner, an amazingly talented 11 year old rapper by the name of Young Marqus from Houston, Texas, female singer, Sarah Green from Chicago, Illinois, and rock out hip-hop band, Chiddy Bang from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with rapper, Chiddy raping a dope freestyle with the topics chosen from the audience such as zebras, “Chewbacca” from star wars, Wiz Khalifa, dinosaurs, Oakland, and eight other random topics. But the night became ten times as electrifying with the grand finale, Lupe fiasco. As he jumped out on stage full of energy, the crowd went delusional. I have never heard an audience so loud, and full of so much love, but I have no doubts that he deserves it. The first song he performed off of his hit album, “lasers” was “words I never said” featuring Skylar grey. When I observed Lupe standing tall, spitting every line though the mic’ with passion, I felt a huge difference of presence and delivery compared to the way he was 5 years ago when he came out with his first album, “Food and Liquor”, which marked the 5th year anniversary on Monday, September 19. He is a true professional; it had me really thinking, as a lyricist and performer myself, “I wish I could have that much influential stage presence.” Later on though the concert he revealed to us exactly how much love he has for the bay area, not only by saying “I love the bay”, but also stating a verse from the song “187 proof” that came out in the year of 1992 by the rapper who Lupe said himself and I quote “the dude who really made me want to rap”, spice 1, from Hayward, California. He was not faking at all. I could feel the sincerity. The concert was crazy fun as he threw water at everyone in the general admission audience at the beginning and end of the show. My friend and I got soaked, but still, it was a great feeling to be right in the front row, it was the best night of my life. Lupe fiasco is not just a performer who I went to see with a friend on a Tuesday night, he is, in my eyes and in my heart, the best mc of my generation. Anyone who disagrees with that, they have the right to be entitled to their own opinions and I respect that, but you also have to respect mines as well, and that’s just the way it is

Trafficked: Oakland Parents Organize To Protect Girls From Sex Trafficking

denise — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:46:52 -0500

Parents and advocates in one East Oakland, California, neighborhood have stepped up their activism in response to pimps targeting their middle school-aged daughters.

Last year, All Things Considered and Youth Radio collaborated on an investigative series from young people's point of view that revealed what it's like being trafficked and also how police efforts to combat the problem often criminalize young women.

Nhuanh Ly is the program coordinator for Banteay Srei — a group that works with neighborhood girls – to build self-esteem and to teach them how to avoid being recruited by pimps. School district officials say it’s hard to prevent because the pimps just look like regular guys.

And recruitment can happen anywhere, says Ly. “It happens at the bus stops, it happens in front of homes, and it happens in front of schools…Not too long ago, one of the girls who attends our afterschool programs called me and she was really, really distraught. She was like ‘Nhuanh! Nhuanh! I can’t believe this just happened! A pimp just tried to recruit me and he actually picked me up in his car.”

Ly says, as shocking as it seems, the average age that girls get recruited into trafficking in the US is 12 years old. It’s a common misconception that girls are trafficked after being kidnapped. But many times it’s more subtle than that. It can start with a seduction or even a relationship. So Ly encourages families to have frank conversations early about dating and sex. “Yeah, it’s awkward talking to your parents about sex, right? … A common response for parents is to try shut their children away from seeing this. But the reality is that it’s so visible and it’s so prevalent that we

can’t do that.”

It’s so prevalent that families can look outside their windows and see pimps. Reynaldo and Jody Terrazas raised two girls in this neighborhood. “See that corner over there, see that corner over there? Pimps are coming down here," says Reynaldo Terrazas. "They go down the alley…They’ll go to the hotel on the back side rather than on the front side. They kinda sneak in here.”

[Hear From Two Young Girls Who Left The World Of Sex Trafficking, Not Long Ago]

The Terrazas live a block from the National Lodge motel that the community has been fighting for years, saying pimps run their business from it. From their living room, the Terrazas also have a view of International Boulevard where girls, some barely teenagers, stand on the corners.

“Little girls, you bet. Very skinny. They probably weigh 100 pounds, maybe 115 pounds. Some of them look very confident and bold about what they are doing. And then there are times, they look like they are trying to get away, to hide. They don’t want to be here,” Jody Terrazas says.

When you walk up to the National Lodge motel you have to be buzzed in. A small woman sits behind a thick glass window, like a bank teller. She refused to answer any questions on the day Youth Radio came to the motel office. However, during a follow-up phone call, we reached Rita Patel. She is part of the family that owns the motel. Her response to neighbors fears about sexual exploitation of minors? “No we don’t accept prostitutes here…Good people come with the family and the kids.”

But a lawsuit filed by the Oakland City Attorney alleges otherwise. Andy Nelson, Deputy Director for Organizing and Public Policy at East Bay Youth Center, is pleased that the City of Oakland has officially joined the fight and is suing to shut down the National Lodge motel for allowing prostitution and sexual exploitation of minors.

“Since we started pushing, there were a couple more officers who were assigned here and there is been a lot more willingness to talk to us and to try to work collaboratively…The concern is, you know, what would happen if we stopped pushing?,” Nelsen says.

[Find Out About Organizations Working to End Sex Trafficking]

That pushing includes marches, rallies, and meetings with the mayor, the city council and the police. Andy Nelson’s motivation to keep pushing? His four-year-old daughter.

“As she gets older, it’s going to be challenging. But every time I see a young girl out there, I see my daughter,” he says.

Until recently, Nelson says a lot of neighborhood parents felt there was nothing that could be done to stop sex trafficking. He says getting rid of the National Lodge motel is not going to solve the problem, but it would be a big accomplishment. Nelson and others won’t give up the idea that Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood can be a good place to raise kids.

Youth Radio Investigates: Trafficked, on NPR’s All Things Considered tells the stories of two teenagers who were trafficked on the streets of Oakland. The investigation uncovers how the city’s law enforcement has responded to a sex trafficking industry that is thriving in plain sight. The series continues on youthradio.org and The Huffington Post, where multimedia reporting goes deeper to reveal the varied perspectives of girls sold for sex on the streets and online, and a pimp "business plan" provided by prosecuters.

Alameda County’s New EMS Corps Brings At-Risk Youth To Public Health Work

denise — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:40:46 -0500

By: Nishat Kurwa, Turnstyle News

In the San Francisco Bay Area, a first-of-its kind program rolling out next month will steer at-risk and low income youth into public health careers, a play to turn neglected neighborhoods into fertile ground for recruiting new emergency responders.

The EMS Corps, established by Alameda County’s Health Services Agency, trains young adults for internships within the department; others complete a first responder training program administered in partnership with the county. And the program has grown to include young people who have been in trouble with the law.

Errnesto Diaz is a sweet, bright 19-year-old spent seven months at Camp Sweeney, a residential facility for youth offenders. He’d been arrested on assault charges. Diaz said given the opportunities that have resulted from the mentorship and training he received, “…if I could go back in time, I wouldn’t change anything. I would go to Camp Sweeney, do that time, because it’s worth it.”

The county health department training during his sentence has put him on course to a career as an emergency medical technician. The program’s motto pretty much sums up the transformation – “save lives, don’t destroy lives.”

County health department Director Alex Briscoe led the team that developed the EMS Corps, the program that will create employment opportunities for young men like Diaz. “In marginalized communities your sense of the future gets constrained,” Briscoe said. “Young people need to be shown a world of possibility, and then given a specific and clear path to achieving it.” (Disclosure: Briscoe’s department funds programs at Turnstyle’s parent company, Youth Radio).

Briscoe said Camp Sweeney youth themselves sparked the idea for the first responder training, after meeting firefighters at a career fair there. “A colleague who was running the camp at the time said, Alex, we’re getting this really crazy stuff in the feedback — ENT, QPR — and then we realized they were saying EMT. My staff said, we should go up to camp and start preparing people for these careers.”

The county partners with a community organization called Bay EMT to provide medical training to youth offenders. Firefighters staff the program, on a volunteer basis. That includes Bay EMT’s founder, Wellington Jackson, who spends about 30 unpaid hours a week on the program. He recruits youth from low income communities, to develop emergency responders who are already invested in these neighborhoods they grew up in. About 25 percent of those youth go on to earn their EMT certification.

Jackson said sometimes the community connection is sobering, like during the section of the course that deals with traumatic injuries. “You can see a difference in their attitude because we’re talking about things they can relate to. They may have never seen a heart attack or a stroke before, but the vast majority of them have seen some type of violence.”

Briscoe said that connection is part of what informed the jobs program. “We had this thought internally, of, how do we develop a workforce that looks more like the people we serve ? We were also really focused on this idea of young men of color, who are overrepresented in juvenile justice, foster care, psych emergency, and serious emotional disturbances in schools.”

Briscoe said that’s the promise of embedding EMT training within Camp Sweeney, and pairing it with deep youth development work, which at Camp Sweeney is led by EMS Corps Program Manager Michael Gibson. Young people receive academic enrichment and mentoring, helping them build up their self esteem, and map out life goals.

In a recession, though, as soon as career plans don’t bear fruit, it would be tempting for a young offender to slip back into trouble. Briscoe said that’s where his health department has unique leverage; it doubles as the county’s EMS authority, responsible for contracting ambulance companies. “When we call up Paramedics Plus and say, we’d like you to employ our young people,’ what we’re saying is, ‘The contract under which you’re raising hundreds of millions in revenue? The person who’s managing that contract is asking us to do that.’ That’s a different type of request than, hey, I’m running an EMT program, would you be willing to interview some of our folks.”

This November, that means about ten percent of new jobs would be designated for graduates of the county’s training program, six young people like Ernesto Diaz. He has already passed the national certification.

When his paperwork clears in a few months, Diaz will be the first graduate of the county’s training program at Camp Sweeney to become an EMT. Mike Gibson said he and Diaz’s mentors in the program are hoping that Diaz continues on to medical school.

A version of this report aired on NPR’s All Things Considered.

Oscar Grant: Former BART Officer To Be Released Monday

denise — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:40:31 -0500

On New Year’s Day 2009, 22-year-old Oscar Grant was shot and killed by former transit officer Johannes Mehserle on the platform of Fruitvale BART station in Oakland. Video of the shooting, recorded on cell phone by bystanders, spread virally, sparking protests in Oakland and gaining national attention. After a jury trial in Los Angeles last summer, Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and received the minimum sentence of two years in state prison. Mehserle returned back to court on June 1st and Judge Robert Perry ruled that Mehserle will be released on Monday. He has served 11 months of his two year sentence.

Tracy Bell-borden, community activist of Onyx, an Oakland group that has been organizing ongoing protests related to the case, says Mehserle’s release is the beginning of a new chapter. “We have been waiting for this because the civil lawsuit is just starting.”

The shooting stirred up racial tensions in the city, reigniting Oakland's long history of tension between its police force and the community. Mehersle, a white man, was videotaped from multiple angles, shooting Grant, a black man. The incident was followed by violent protests and looting in downtown Oakland.

Onyx is putting together a peace rally this Sunday at Fruitvale Bart Station at 3pm.

Karina Vargas, who testified on the first day of former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle's preliminary hearing, returned to the scene of the shooting for the first time in this interview.

Downtown Oakland's Refurbished Art Deco Clock

denise — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:20:43 -0500

On Wednesday Lake Merritt/ Uptown and Downtown Oakland Community Benefit Districts (CBDs) unveiled the refurbished art deco clock on 17th street and Broadway. The unveiling of the clock is their first phase of their beautification program to enhance the look of downtown Oakland.

The clock was first introduced to Oakland in the 1930’s and was originally located on the corner of 20th and Telegraph. Throughout the years the clock was neglected and had missing arms and was in tattered condition. “For those of us managing Oakland’s Uptown and Downtown Districts, that broken clock, with its missing arms and tattered condition, seemed the perfect metaphor for what was wrong with Downtown Oakland,” said Lake Merritt/Uptown District Association President Deborah Boyer.

The clock now has a new location and the restoration of it is a reminder of the Oakland’s history.