March Against Police Containment of Oakland's African Community

On August 2nd, journalist Chauncey Bailey was hunted and gunned down in the morning hours while on his way to work as the newly appointed editor of the African newspaper the Oakland Post. The day following Bailey's murder, the Oakland police department carried out a raid of Your Black Muslim Bakery ( YBMB ) with police SWAT teams from surrounding cities. YBMB is a religious and economic organization that has operated in Oakland for the past 40 years. The police raided YBMB and several residences then declared that they'd found the killer, 19 year old Devaughndre Broussard. They reported that Broussard had confessed to killing Bailey because he "was angry that Bailey was researching the bakery's financial records."

Four days later, following seven more killings in Oakland, Mayor Ron Dellums announced that the California Highway Patrol would join the Oakland police in patrolling Oakland's "toughest" neighborhoods and unveiled a new "public safety" plan. Then, on August 8th, Devaughndre Broussard told KTVU News that Oakland police had beaten and coerced him into making a confession to the killing. The media had already reported that the police had taken Brousssard from North Oakland to the Eastmont police station prior to booking him.

While events surrounding the murder of Chauncey Bailey are unclear, what's certain is that the city of Oakland is using this high profile murder to escalate a counterinsurgency war against the African community and undermine African community organization. With Your Black Muslim Bakery under siege, the city and the media have demonized independent black organizing efforts, citing YBMB's "anti-police" stance as evidence of its "extremism" and taking for granted a social system that undermines economic life for the African community. The raid fits with the city's agenda to clear out neighborhoods and make room for white development while attacking organizations that resist its policies.

Let's take responsibility for understanding the war on the African community, from the recent July 3rd Oakland Police Department shooting of Leronte Studesville all the way back to the U.S. government's war on the Black Panthers via the FBI's COINTELPRO program. Let's no longer be comfortable to go about our individual lives and get involved in organization that will change the status quo!