Orientation for College of Alameda warehouse and forklift program

Two orientations for the College of Alameda’s Warehouse and Forklift training program will be held on Tues. Jan. 11 and Wed. Jan. 12. at the Workforce Collaborative.

As a part of the Alameda Transportation and Logistics Academic Support program, ATLAS, training prepares students for jobs as forklift drivers, packagers and freight, stock and material movers.

The 11 week training program begins February 7, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. -4:30 p.m. Students must attend a two-hour orientation to participate in the class. Orientations take place Tuesday, January 11 and Wednesday, January 12 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Other ATLAS programs include Green Diesel Truck Technician and Office Administration for the Logistics Industry. The ATLAS program is collaboration between The Workforce Collaborative and the College of Alameda, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. For more information, call the Collaborative at 510-891-8773 x 301. The Collaborative is located at 1433 Webster St in Oakland.

Photo: Moodboard/Corbis Images

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Vigil held for Chris Jones, high school student slain in East Oakland on New Year's Eve

UPCOMING SERVICES Sunday, Jan. 9: A musical celebration in honor Chris Jones. 6 p.m. at Seventh Avenue Baptist Church, 1740 Seventh Ave., Oakland. Monday, Jan. 10: 11 a.m. funeral service, St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 1909 Market St., Oakland. The family requests memorial donations be sent to Xperience Ministries Inc., P.O. Box 262, Oakland, CA 94604.

Oakland, CA – A sunset vigil for 17 year old student Chris Jones was held on Friday, January 7 in East Oakland. Jones was "cowardly" gunned down New Year's Eve in the driveway of his home by unknown shooters while putting his niece in a car seat. Police believe it is a case of "mistaken identity."

Jones was a student at the East Oakland School for the Arts located on the Castlemont High School campus. He played piano and drums. He recently had enrolled in classes at Laney College and planned on attending Cal State East Bay to study music.

During the Friday night vigil, Jones' mother, Brenda Grisham said, "We need to stop this violence. It makes no sense."

Friday night vigil attendees, including many who have been involved in the Justice for Oscar Grant Movement, hoped that the same type of energy could be used to stop horizontal violence ("Black on Black" violent acts).

"We must take a stand about this senseless violence and murder in our community, said Mama Ayanna Mashama. "It is important for us to come together and create a culture of resistance to the conditions that create these acts." Two of Mashama's children were also senselessly taken by violence.

When one attendee noted that people had not come out like other protests, Minister Keith Muhammad of the Nation of Islam mentioned previous "Stop the Violence" protests that had taken place earlier last decade in which many walked the streets, and that they were not only in response to law enforcement shooting Black people.

"We must take a stand about this senseless violence and murder in our community. It is important for us to come together and create a culture of resistance to the conditions that create these acts." Mama Ayanna Mashama

A vigil was also held the night before (Thursday night), with many of Jones' teachers and classmates in attendance. He was the last homicide victim of 2010.

Jones was remembered as a bright spot in the lives of all he encountered.Oakland Tribune reports, "Chris Jones' teachers were confident he'd become a professional musician. Not only did he appear to have perfect pitch, but he possessed a hunger for learning and the grades to get into a four-year college."

A musical celebration for Jones will be held Sunday, Jan. 9 at Seventh Avenue Baptist Church, 1740 Seventh Ave in Oakland. A funeral service will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at St. John's Baptist Church in West Oakland on Market Street.

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Oscar Grant dollars in Bay Area circulation

Oscar Grant lives on in many ways. Memories of friends and family were captured in numerous family photos and even a short IndyBay.org documentary. The family takes regular trips to Grant's gravesite, like their recent one after a New Year's Day vigil at Fruitvale BART.

Oakland Hip Hop artists made the Hayward-raised Grant one of town's own, as journalist Eric K. Arnold wrote. Visual artists created numerous murals and street vigils while emcees and DJs created songs and turf dancers gigged in his memory.

Now, Oscar Grant dollars. A few media outlets have received email and snail mail announcing the dollar bills with a note attached.

"The line between security & tyranny is a fine one, and justice requires close & continuous attention to it," reads the note. "The 'Oscar Grant' dollars put into circulation around 1/1/11 are intended as a non-violent reminder of that idea."

The dollars and note above were mailed to Colorlines Magazine, an online racial justice magazine that has consistenly covered the Oscar Grant movement and sentencing of convicted killer cop Johannes Mehserle.

If you see and Oscar Grant dollar in circulation, let us know.

Photo: Colorlines' Tumblr.

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Remembering Oscar Grant, two years later

A vigil for Oscar Grant was held on New Year’s Day at Fruitvale BART, two years after he was shot and killed by former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle.

“Two years ago today, Oscar Grant was murdered up there,” said Jack Bryson, pointing to the BART platform above where cell phone video captured the shooting of his son's friend. “Life just ain’t the same.”

A crowd of 100, including Grant’s family and friends, gathered in a barricaded sidewalk area outside the station, holding candles in the cold afternoon. The crowd was smaller than a vigil held last year that included elected officials, poetry and music with a stage blocking off a street.

“We may not have power in numbers,” said Bruce Hall, bishop for the family of Derrick Jones­­, “but there is power in the people here.” Jones was shot and killed by Oakland police in November.

Grant’s mother, Wanda Johnson, thanked people for attending and shared her hope that no one else would have to suffer what she’s experienced, at the hands of law enforcement.

“I hope that the police will begin to take responsibility and not try to cover things up,” said Johnson. “I pray they will take responsibility for the murder of my son.” Grant’s fiancée, Sophina Mesa and daughter, Tatiana, were also in attendance–along young men who were on the platform with Grant and other family members–but did not speak.

Mehserle was sentenced to two years in prison in November after a Los Angeles jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter this past summer. The trial was moved from Alameda County after Mehserle’s defense, Michael Rains, argued that the threat of mass protests, media saturation, bias’ of African Americans, and statements by elected officials made it unlikely for his client to get a fair trial.

Minister Keith Muhammad said Judge Robert Perry ridiculed those who wrote letters asking for the maximum sentence of Mehserle. He added that Mehserle blamed Grant and his friends for the shooting during his impact statement during sentencing.

“I feel so defeated by what Judge Perry did for Johannes Mehserle,” Bryson said. “But two years later and people are still here. We’re not letting this fade away.”

“It lifts my spirit.”

Grant’s uncle, Cephus “Bobby” Johnson, thanked those in attendance and asked for continued support. “It’s because of you, the community, we’re still standing. It allows us to continue. You are our strength,” Johnson said.

“Every tragedy represents and opportunity to move the agenda for justice forward,” said John Burris, attorney for the families of Grant and Jones. Burris said 30 years ago, when 15-year-old Melvin Black was killed by Oakland Police, the shooting led to reforms such as the Civilian Police Review Board. Similarly, Grant’s death has led to improved policies at BART, such as its Civilian Review Board that is currently seeking applicants. “That would not have happened if not for Oscar Grant.”

Burris said the family was disappointed with the decision of District Attorney Nancy O’Malley not to appeal Perry’s decision to throw out the gun enhancement during sentencing, but understood it would have been an “uphill battle” to prove.

An arbitrator recently ruled that BART officer Marysol Domenici, despite lying on the stand during pretrial, must be reinstated with full back pay. Her partner, Tony Pirone, was also fired by then-interim BART police chief Dashel Butler last spring.

The struggle for justice for Grant and other victims of police oppression is not over, Burris said. “I’ve been involved in 10 cases since Oscar Grant. The only difference was that his was caught on camera.” He added that the spotlight was on Oakland.



Over a dozen BART and Oakland Police vehicles were staged just west the station, while a smaller contingent of officers, including new BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey waited near the station entrance. Considering the recent documentation of federal surveillance of the Oscar Grant Movement, many were not surprised to learn they were under surveillance.

Grant's shooting death led to mass demonstrations in January 2009 once cell phone video of the shooting was published on You Tube. Subsequent protests took place throughout early 2009, spring and summer of 2010, and this past November. Protestors questionably arrested for unlawful assembly during the November 5 sentencing of Mehserle have yet to be charged, according to the Oakland 100, a solidarity group for those arrested during protests.

After Derrick Jones supporters took over City Council meeting last month, Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts asked the FBI to investigate the shooting. The U.S. Department of Justice is also reviewing Grant case as well.

“Sadly to say, they may need some help,” Johnson said. Johnson has regularly thanked the public for demonstrations that many say initially led to Mehserle’s arrest in January 2009. “We need to let them know we want answers.”

Muhammad said that despite Mehserle killing Grant physically, Johnson’s son still lives on in the struggle for justice, as people continue to declare, “I am Oscar Grant.”

“The journey is not done,” Muhammad said.

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Oakland memorializes Oscar Grant with 'turf dancing' video

On the two anniversary of the murder of Oscar Grant, the Turf Feinz and Yak Films released a memorial dance video, "RIP Oscar Grant."



"The multimedia production company Yak Films and the Oakland dance crew Turf Feinz released a dance video commemorating the death of Oscar Grant, a young father who was fatally shot by a transit police officer in Oakland, Calif., on New Year’s Day 2009," reads a press release sent out New Year's Eve.

“Oscar Grant’s death was a tragedy that affected a lot of people in Oakland, especially youth,” said Kash Gaines, the co-founder of Yak Films who filmed the video. “The video is meant to be a message to everyone in Oakland about the injustices here and how we use artistic expression to deal with it."

In 2010, Yak Films and Turf Feinz reached international prominence with the viral popularity of another memorial video for a young man who was killed in a car accident on an East Oakland corner. The video "Dancing in the Rain"" has received more than 2 million You Tube views.

Learn more about the Bay Area legacy of Hip Hop dance by visiting. Check out Yak Films' website.

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