We may have a new black mayor. I am hopeful this is not so. If it is so, we will become like Detroit, perhaps New Orleans. Crooked congressperson and crooked mayor. What is a city to do with local, state and federal, crooks?
His blackness is not the problem. But the history of black leadership in Oakland makes me suspect that we will be victims of decline, neglect, declining property values, skyrocketing crime and theft of public funds for the reasonable near future. His past performance as a Congressman makes me know he will be awful.
There is going to be much corruption, I’ll have plenty to blog about.
The regentrification of Oakland was unsuccessful. The middle class blacks left for a lower cost of living, but we were left with the poor, who apparently can survive anywhere. I guess Section 8 subsidies make the difference.
But its the poor who always get forgotten especially when we have leadership that only focuses on the finances of self and a few friends. At least when we have leadership that works to develop the area, and steal a little, there is economic growth and the fall out benefits everyone including the poor.
Once they start stealing, we’ll see cuts to services. The poor use and need those services most. Here we go again, decline and poverty for at least 4 years.
Interesting since I just read yesterday that for the first time in years, whites outnumber blacks in Oakland.
The increase in the number of whites in the city is what makes this similiar to Detroit. It is unimaginable that white people (in an election with extremely low turn out in black areas) would turn the city back into the hands of corrupt black people.
Comment by GeckoGirl — June 7, 2006 @ 5:00 pm
An article about whites increasing population in Oakland. Here
The increasing white population and the expected low turnout was supposed to negatively impact the black folks. I’m gonna need someone to tell me what happened.
Comment by call2arms — June 7, 2006 @ 6:17 pm
Your suspicions are probably right if his record hasn’t proven otherwise. Sometimes we get so excited to see a black person running for office we don’t pay attention to the things they’ve done (or haven’t done) to help those who need it the most.
I hope he does end up doing some good and not just be the token black corrupt official.
Comment by Sunnchine — June 8, 2006 @ 3:15 am
maybe he’ll be okay…definately something to pray about…
Comment by courtney — June 8, 2006 @ 3:25 am