We all want a safe city for ourselves and our families. Right now, Oakland is suffering after decades of community disinvestment compounded by an unprecedented pandemic. Lack of access to housing, healthcare, and economic opportunity has created these conditions of rising crime. While the Right is exploiting these conditions to grow a hateful movement that would double down on failed policies like militarized policing and mass incarceration, we know that what keeps us safe is deep investment in prevention services and programs as the center of a robust, holistic set of public safety solutions. 

A recent poll by the McConnell group showed that Oaklanders overwhelmingly support the idea of putting “more resources into youth mentoring programs and creating skills centers and jobs so youth have alternatives to criminal behavior,” with 92% of those polled expressing support for this proposal. This poll, done by a conservative group that works primarily with the real estate industry and business executives, shows that investing more resources into youth jobs programs as a tangible, immediate public safety solution is something all Oaklanders can unite behind. 

As we work with Oakland residents to put real solutions into action, we are bringing Urban Peace Movement (UPM), a community organization that builds youth leadership in Oakland to transform the culture and social conditions that lead to community violence & mass incarceration in communities of color, as the guest speaker for our October Assembly. Join us for a conversation with UPM organizers and District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife about how community and City government can work together to make Oakland safer for everyone by investing in young people.