February 2023
Dear friends, family and constituents,
This Black History and Black Futures Month, I've been taking lessons from the past as some dynamics and tactics utilized to stifle Black progress, particularly around power and control, never truly went away. When I observe the threats and harassment that I’ve received, as well as those received by other leaders from marginalized communities, there is a pattern. These leaders and myself are addressing the experiences of the most marginalized and by doing so, are improving conditions for EVERYONE. Though these threats are directed at people, they are not personal. It is our work, our values and our ability to build power that is what is under attack. This is why we are a threat to the status quo that “must be stopped”. It is because we’re actually creating pathways for social housing, taxing wealthy corporations, community services that reduce exploitation and more. As a result, as we create more equitable systems, the power and control that a select few have had is shifting.
We’ve seen this time and time again: the whole history of marginalized people uplifting their communities has been inundated with those who also try to sabotage, disinform and distract. We can look at COINTELPRO, which was just one name of one operation that the United States conducted and whose mode of operation continues to be reused today. One of the most known goals of COINTELPRO was to prevent the rise of a Black Messiah, but its fourth objective was, in it’s own words, to “prevent militant Black nationalists groups and leaders from gaining respectability by discrediting them to three separate segments of the community.” The federal government defined “militant” as any leader challenging the status quo and this included revered leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. In COINTELPRO’s own directives, they aimed first, to discredit Black leaders to the responsible Black community, such as the NAACP, then to both the responsible and liberal white community, and then to Black radicals.
When you recognize this history, you can see these threats and harassment are hardly personally motivated. They are aimed at discrediting effective Black leaders in order to prevent them from challenging and most importantly, changing the status quo. This is the history that continues today. And while there is a heaviness in continuing our work under the weight of this history, it is so necessary, because in the wise words of Nina Turner, “only everything we love is on the line.”
I will be digging deeper into these observations during my Thursday LIVE tonight along with solutions for strengthening our district and our city. Join me there.
In service and solidarity,
Councilmember Carroll Fife
Items In This Newsletter
Fitzgerald Park Clean-Up
District 3’s Black History Month Nominee: The Museum of Children's Art &
MicroBusiness Grants & Direct Community Grants Program - Deadlines March 1st & 12th
City Council Approves An Agreement For The Coliseum With The African American Sports and Entertainment Group
City of Oakland Business Tax Reductions Due To Progressive Taxation; License Renewal and Tax Extended Due Date - Payments due by April 17, 2023
Support Black Women Press Conference
New Efforts To Research and Create Resources For Harassment In Local Politics
Thursday LIVE - February 23rd
Monthly Office Hours - February 25th
Film Screening: Aftershock - Save The Date March 29th
Fire At First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) Church - Donate
Updates
Fitzgerald Park Clean-Up
If you go to my Facebook page, you’ll see a number of videos where I go live to share the clean-up efforts that have been happening at Fitzgerald Park. The conditions at the park have been difficult for many people who interact with it, whether they were living in the encampment or in the neighborhood. I’m happy to share that those who had been using the encampment have been connected to housing services, and debris has been removed.
I share in my live videos as well that this was made possible by a change in administration that will actually put its weight behind addressing homelessness when there is a call to do so. We have not had that political will for eight years over the past administration and I am relieved that finally I can make calls that result in action. I’m looking forward to outcomes from the recent funds Oakland received to address unsheltered homelessness.
2. District 3’s Black History Month Nominee: The Museum of Children's Art
Every year during Black History Month, the City Council districts honor a member or organization of our Oakland Black community who is doing incredible work and is an inspiration to us all. This year, the District 3 office is honoring The Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA @mochaarts), founded in Oakland in 1988. Since its founding, Mocha has evolved to become an incredible space uplifting and supporting our Black Bay Area youth and families, through the arts, focusing on literacy, healing and community empowerment.
Led by Executive Director Nina Woodruff-Walker of Oakland, CA, MOCHA has made it a point to consistently create spaces and opportunities for all children to use the arts as a vehicle to advocate for self-expression, culture and community-building, and the centering of youth voices. The evolution of MOCHA's action to support disinvested communities can be experienced directly in their programs, demonstrating how critical it is to show in action how we uplift and support our families, youth, and children.
3. MicroBusiness Grants & Direct Community Grants Program
The Oakland City Council is providing support for Oakland based nonprofits and community based organizations who provide direct services or programs to Oakland Residents. Organizations can receive grants to help advance racial equity by focusing on priority neighborhoods, creating economic opportunities, and/or promoting health and safety.
Applications are due on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 5pm.
Applications are also open now through March 12th for COVID Relief grants of $2,500 per Eligible Microbusiness! Businesses impacted by COVID-19 and that had a gross revenue under $50,000 in 2019, including home-based businesses, street vendor, and gig-workers, are eligible for this program.
Grants are being given out on a first come, first serve basis, provided by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) and administered by Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. Note: Businesses who already received funding through this microbusiness program during the Round 1 of Applications in 2022 are not eligible for this Round 2 Funding.
See documentation requirements for applicants and complete grant eligibility information here. | Apply Online
4. City Council Approves An Agreement For The Coliseum With The African American Sports and Entertainment Group
It’s true, Oakland city leaders officially signed an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with the African American Sports and Entertainment Group to negotiate a 50% interest in the Coliseum complex.
Under the signed agreement, the Oakland-based, Black-founded African American Sports and Entertainment Group has two years to negotiate an official proposal with City Council for how to design the use of the land, with feedback from neighbors and stakeholders. This is an opportunity for long-needed redevelopment and vitalization of an underserved and under-resourced area East Oakland by and for long-time Oaklanders who have a stake in it’s success.
I commend local residents for showing up and speaking at community meetings at all hours in support of the organization and plan. It was not an easy victory, but as the old African proverb goes, patience is the mother of a beautiful child.
5. City of Oakland Business Tax Reductions Due To Progressive Taxation; License Renewal and Tax Extended Due Date - Payments due by April 17, 2023.
In November 2022, Oakland voters approved a new tiered, progressive business tax structure, which became effective on January 1, 2023. A progressive tax structure imposes higher rates on businesses that earn more in gross receipts. Oakland's new Business Tax structure provides a reduction in business taxes for roughly 23% of business taxpayers - Most small business enterprises will only pay $60 per year.
All persons engaging in any business activities, including property rental, in the City of Oakland are required to apply for or renew their business tax certificate, and submit their 2023 annual business tax payments by or before April 17, 2023. The business tax payment or portion thereof which is not paid by or before April 17, 2023, shall be declared delinquent and may be subject to late charges.
Apply or Renew Online | Calculate your 2023 business tax payment
The City of Oakland Finance Department is available to help businesses:
Call (510) 238-3704 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Wednesdays 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM (excluding holidays)
Live chat at https://ltss.oaklandnet.com 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Email BTWebsupport@Oaklandca.gov
Walk-in services available Monday and Wednesday 8am-4pm through April 17th (for 2023 only). Other times only available by appointment. Face coverings must be worn.
6. Support Black Women Press Conference
On February 6th, in an effort to show solidarity with Black women who cope in silence, several state and local women electeds rallied to support Black women leaders experiencing disproportionate threats and harassment. Electeds included California Senator Aisha Wahab, Assemblymember Liz Ortega, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan and more.
We are seeing a sharp polarization of politics… and when people build on fear or want to dispossess their fear onto other individuals, it can result in violence and harassment and we’re seeing a rise in this violence across the nation. These attempts aim to limit democracy; they are seeking to stall and stymy the voices of people who are transforming government in order to stop the change that they know is so desperately needed and desired by the community. This is why I’ve chosen to start sharing my experiences after years of dealing with it in silence; because it isn’t just about me.
Thank you to my fellow electeds and community leaders who spoke and to everyone who attended. You can view the livestream of the press conference here.
“Public officials often enter public service out of a desire to serve their communities. The data from this survey suggests that, for many in public service, this is not only a thankless job but also one that may compromise their safety. That this is true more so for women and minorities suggests that there are great barriers to having a truly representative democracy.”
CivicPulse, in partnership with Princeton University, Bridging Divides Initiative, and Anti-Defamation League. READ THE REPORT HERE
7. New Efforts To Research and Create Resources For Harassment In Local Politics
As I began to voice my experiences, I was connected to the Bridging Divides Initiative, who alongside CivicPulse, Princeton University, and the Anti-Defamation League, have been researching how local government is increasingly becoming a platform for uninhibited expressions of hostility toward elected officials. Their research shares that the demographic breakdown of the threats and harassment indicates that such attacks may still be serving to further entrench historic inequities in representation among publicly elected officials.
Their suggestions in our conversations as well as their research report have been that better coordination between law enforcement agencies, elected officials, and civil society in how reports are made, cataloged, and followed up on can help address some of the issues as they arise. They have launched a self-reporting tool for elected officials who have experienced threats and harassment.
They also suggest that new efforts to create meaningful data on this topic should also include existing community experiences and responses, and have suggested that training in de-escalation, healing, or community safety, help to reduce space for threats and harassment.
Events
8. Thursday LIVE - Violence & Harassment On The Rise In Local Politics - February 23rd
National research is showing that local government is increasingly mirroring higher levels of government by becoming a platform for uninhibited expressions of hostility toward elected officials. Women and people of color who have historically risked their lives in order to uplift the lives of our communities are finding that the present continues to mirror the past.
What does this mean for the work we’re trying to do? Join me this Thursday as I share some of my thoughts and experiences on all this. To join the stream, go to my Facebook, Twitter or YouTube page on Thursday at 6:30pm.
9. Office Hours - February 25th
This year I will be hosting monthly one-on-one office hours, rotating between virtual and in-person. In-person office hours will align with neighborhood clean-ups in District 3.
They will be held every third Saturday of the month, the first being virtual on February 25th. Registration is now open.
10. Film Screening: Aftershock - Save The Date March 29th
March is Women’s History Month and I’ve been working to bring a screening of the documentary Aftershock to Oakland. The documentary follows two families after the preventable deaths of their loved ones due to childbirth complications, as they galvanize activists, birth-workers and physicians to reckon with one of the most pressing American crises of our time – the US maternal health crisis.
In The Community
11. Fire At First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) Church - Donate
Major shoutout to the Oakland firefighters who fought to contain the fire at First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) at 37th & Telegraph all night and into the morning. I was at the church Monday morning and they hadn’t slept and some still had ashes on their faces. Thanks also goes to city staff from the Department of Public Works with SEIU 1021 who were out as soon as the church was red-tagged to clear the sidewalks of the fallen facade. The cause of the fire is still unknown and ATF was on scene this afternoon conducting an investigation.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church grew out of the Free African Society and was established in Philadelphia in 1787. The Oakland center of worship is the oldest Black church in the East Bay and was founded in 1858. They moved to North Oakland in City Council District 3 in 1954.
I love this church and will be doing everything I can to ensure they get back to service asap. They will need all hands on deck to rebuild and maintain their food ministry that serves 300 meals per week and gives unceasingly to the community. Please support and share widely. You can donate to their fundraising efforts here.
