Oakland mourns shooting death of baby

I was shocked when I heard a three-year old was shot and killed in Oakland. Three year old Carlos Nava was killed during a drive by shooting in East Oakland on August 8.

Residents expressed outrage and grief after the shooting. Within days, Oakland Police had arrested two individuals, with Alameda County's DA charging one with murder. Despite questions related to long-planned gang injunctions, the desire for more police officers by police, police supporters and politicians, the family still mourns the lost of their baby.



The memorial, near the site of the shooting, had balloons, teddy bears, toys, candles, A's caps and more. The ofrenda, or offering for Carlos was visited by many people the week after his death. A large vigil was held August 9 with hundreds in attendance.

I was unable to attend the vigil, but went with my comrade Saba the G. the next day.



Following the shooting, there were no other shootings for days. A silence in a city plagued by gunfire.

The question still remains; when will the violence cease? How many more of Oakland's babies, as young as Carlos and as old a Chauncey Bailey, have to die?

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Journalist surrogate, launches smear campaign against challenger. Bullshit.

To my regular readers, Excuse me for subjecting you to such drama, but this was the most appropriate forum of expression.


Photo by Reginald James. Laney College Trustees candidates forum.

I've been covering the Peralta Colleges Board of Trustees election for a The Black Hour and other websites, including a blog I started dedicated to the Peralta Board of Trustees called, "The Peralta Report."

I knew that a recent story I wrote would upset some people. Maybe even make them want to attack me. Also published on OaklandLocal.com, the story asks, "Does Monica Tell live in Oakland or Castro Valley?"

I'm sure you're wondering, "What made me think of that question?" I'm glad you asked.

In September, an anonymous comment was left on The Black Hour website, stating "Monica Tell lives in Castro Valley. Her parents live in the Fruitvale area."

I did what any journalist worth his salt would do: Google.


Monica Tell poses with Laney College student government members and staff at Laney College speak out. Photo: A Better Laney

I Googled, "Monica Tell, Castro Valley." After seeing the results, I decided to investigate.

I went to the Alameda County Assessor's Office with an address I found. Records indicated that she bought a property in Castro Valley in 2007, and that she claimed a homeowner's exemption. According to staff, that meant she lived there. I also looked up the address she listed on her Candidate's Statement. I looked up the other candidates as well, just to keep it solid.

I held the story for a week four days just to hear her side of the story. Mind you, I had been calling Ms. Tell to no avail since August to arrange an interview. By time I finally got to speak with her, the focus of my story had changed, understandably. Story published.

Days pass at school. Some folks tell me "good job"; Some because they follow journalism and others for whatever personal reason they may have.

And other folks giving the same phony ass smiles they always gave me.

Today, Ms. Tell posts this onto her Facebook:



"Masquerading as an impartial journalist, former Peralta student Trustee Reginald James recently launched a smear campaign against Monica Tell...James' maliciously suggests that Monica doesn't reside in the Trustee area she seeks to represent, and is trying to undermine her candidacy by widely disseminating a phony charge that he, alone, concocted."

Ooooh.

"The smear campaign by incumbent Trustee Linda Handy and her surrogate is a desperate attempt to draw attention from the Peralta Trustees' record of failure," writes Tell.

I had a feeling that someone would suggest that I was in cahoots with Linda Handy. I mean, after all, we're both Black, right? But more critical, I was a student trustee for two years while Handy was on the board. So, of course I'd be her "surrogate," right?

Wrong.

In 2008, I blasted Linda Handy in the Laney Tower for disrespecting student representatives on the board of trustees and saying "their votes don't count." In fact, I predicted that someone would challenger her.

"2010 is not so far away that it would be difficult for one of you students to transfer, get their degree, and run for election in Area 3," I wrote. "Apparently, the same arrogance ousted (Brenda) Knight" in 2002.

And this year, I blasted Linda Handy again for co-orchestrating an extension of student trustee term limits.

And on top of all that, my closest ally while I was on the board was probably her nemesis.

Los siento, Ms. Tell. I'm no surrogate for Linda Handy. But if your handlers need to come at the messenger, here's a photo where I'm standing next to Linda Handy at Laney College. I'm sure it can be manipulated to prove that point.


Photo by Chi Au. 2006 Ribbon Cutting at Laney College Art Center.

And to think, I was about to add Ms. Tell as a friend on Facebook.

Disclosure: I did accept Linda Handy's friend request on Facebook.

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Reginald James' cell phone dies. Cause of phone's death unknown

After 30 months of service, on August 12, Reginald James' phone broke. Permanently. The cause of death is unknown.

The phone had been "tripping" for weeks, James said. In recent days, the END call/power button seemed unresponsive. Suddenly, the phone's LCD screen went totally white.

"I just arrived at KTVU to cover a protest. I was planning on doing some live tweeting. When I pulled out the phone, the screen was all white," James said. "The phone had been tripping for a minute; buttons not responding, the phone calling other phones on it's own."

"I guess it was really time to get a new phone," he added.

Earlier this year, the phone's screen was damaged after being dropped. A large diagonal crack on the screen remained. It is unclear if the phone's death resulted from these injuries.

"I told him he should've been got a new phone," said Brandy Smith. "His (James) cheap ass didn't want to listen. Now he gotta get a new phone. Even though, he didn't answer that phone half the time."

James got the phone for it's texting dexterity. Although James tried not to talk too much on the phone, he frequently used it to send updates to Twitter. Last year, the phone stopped sending Twitpics, drastically changing James' usage of the service.

"I had the same crack on my phone's screen," said Dawna Williams. "I got a new phone months ago. I guess he held onto the phone for sentimental reasons."

James originally got the phone in 2008 to replace a malfunctioning Kyocera Strobe. Prior to that, James had a T-Mobile phone and Nextel service.

"This is the longest I've kept a single electronic communication device since a pager," James said. "I guess I was kind of attached to it. I just received a replacement in the mail, but it doesn't feel the same. The buttons are clean, there's no crack in the screen and I can't even smell my own breath when I speak into the phone. It doesn't feel right."

The replacement phone was sent in the mail the same day and arrived to James' home Friday. Ironically, but not uncharacteristically of Metro PCS, the phone was shipped without a battery. James was forced to harvest the organs of the old phone and use them in the replacement, even though the phone was not registered as an organ donor.

All of the phone's contacts -- including phone numbers and email addresses -- are gone. All of the phone's pictures are UNretrievable, also.

"All of our memories are gone. Even though the mind and soul of my phone is gone," James said, fighting back tears, "I'm using the battery of my old phone in this new one. It's like the heart is still with me, pumping and radiating energy."

"My phone don't pump no Kool-Aid," James said as he broke down and cried. After he wiped away the tears, he was seen on Craigslist.org looking for smartphones.

A private ceremony in memory of the phone at Alameda Beach will be held Saturday, August 28 (Although there is no MetroPCS service there).

In lieu of flowers, email James your name and phone number, or, you can call James at five one zero - seven seven six - one six nine five, and stay connected.

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Selective Editing - Tactic of Right Wing Media

Last year, there was a great uproar against the now-defunct human rights organization, "ACORN" after a fraudulent media trick involving a pimp and hoe.

The FOX News driven campaign, with the blind allegiance of lazy ass mass media outlets, used “highly selective editing of reality" to present ACORN in a negative light. Actually, the tape made it look like ACORN was a "pimp" consultant firm.

To illustrate a downright silly example of how "highly selective editing" can manipulate viewers perceptions of events, see the videos below.

This is me at Lake Merritt in Oakland, practicing one of a few balance exercises near the Boathouse.




This is the actual footage of my first attempt without editing:



As Malcolm warned us, "With skillful manipulating of the press, they're able to make the victim look like the criminal, and the criminal look like the victim."

Whether it is FOX, or the wolves in the "Liberal Media," think critically.

Note: This blog is in response California Attorney General Jerry Brown's announcement that he will not pursue criminal charges against ACORN.

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Rename Mount Diablo to Mount Reagan

Photo: California State Parks

There is a proposal to rename Mount Diablo to Mount Reagan, according to the Bay Area News Group.

Makes sense to me: "Ronald Reagan was the devil" - Huey P. Freeman

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