Hometown Heroes
Youth ALIVE! Annual Report 2022–2023
Youth ALIVE! Annual Report 2022–2023
The last year has been a tapestry of transitions. For myself, it has been a heartwarming homecoming to Youth ALIVE!, where I carry the torch passed on by my remarkable predecessor, Anne Marks.
Our dedicated team, which is the heartbeat of our organization, has been adapting to a renewed sense of togetherness as we find our rhythm working together inperson more and more each day. Our community members, partners in the field, and invaluable supporters have demonstrated unwavering commitment, especially as we faced an unsettling rise in violence within Oakland. But let me assure you that transitions, while challenging, can be the very crucibles in which growth and progress are forged.
Over the past year, our heart and soul have been embedded in every thread of the prevention, intervention, and healing programs here at Youth ALIVE!. We have sown seeds of hope that we eagerly cultivate with love. In the coming year, as we embark on an in-depth strategic planning process, we are filled with hope and determination to create a vision for a healthy and safe Oakland. We firmly believe that the pieces are in place to make this a reality.
Through open houses and other upcoming engagement opportunities, we invite you to learn more about our diverse programmatic approaches, how they work together as a
Founded in 1991, today Youth ALIVE! is Oakland’s anchor agency for community violence intervention, prevention, healing and advocacy. Our programs are designed to enter the lives of those affected by violence at multiple stages of exposure:
1) Teens on Target (TNT), our youth leadership and violence prevention peer education program;
2) Caught in the Crossfire, our hospital-based violence intervention program, the nation’s first, meets victims immediately after a violent assault to discourage retaliation and provide support on their path away from trauma and back to school, work, and the community;
3) Pathways assists youth emerging from
comprehensive model, and why Youth ALIVE! is regarded nationally as a model of community violence intervention.
It is your steadfast support and belief in our cause that propels us forward. Together, we have the power to embrace these next transitions as avenues for transformative change, building a community where peace and safety are a shared triumph.
With deep appreciation and resolve,
Joseph Griffin, DrPHJuvenile Hall or at-risk for academic failure with intensive case management, life mapping and mentoring; 4) Khadafy Washington Project, named for the murdered son of its founder, brings emotional, practical and financial support to devastated families of homicide victims in the immediate aftermath of a killing;
5) Violence Interruption, a team of problem solvers with experience in the streets of Oakland, mediates conflicts between gangs or individuals, defusing tense situations before the guns come out;
6) Counseling Services provides therapists trained in treating trauma; 7) Advocacy for Change works with TNT youth leaders and clients from all of our programs to create and support strong public safety and equity policy at all levels of government.
$50K runs one of our Teens on Target violence prevention program sites for 6 months.
$25K helps 15 grieving families bury a loved one if the state denies their appeal.
$10K teaches 300 middle school students the skills to talk a friend out of using a gun.
$5K provides 10 gunshot wound survivors with services proven to prevent re-injury, retaliation, and further violence.
$1K covers a TNT student’s stipend, a critical first paycheck for many.
$250 amplifies the story of a survivor advocating for systemic change.
Youth ALIVE! accepts donations by mail or online. We welcome one-time gifts or monthly recurring donations. Please also consider remembering us in your estate planning and becoming a member of our Legacy of Healing Circle. Find out more at YouthALIVE.org or email lgreenberg@youthalive.org.
At Teens on Target (TNT), students from Oakland neighborhoods most affected by violence learn to honor their own stories, to use their experience to make change, and to teach their peers to avoid and prevent violence. TNT also provides work experience. Paying students for developing violence prevention expertise and presentation skills reinforces the importance of their violence prevention efforts. Every year, TNT trains approximately 100 violence prevention youth leaders at three high schools, who educate hundreds of middle school students throughout Oakland. They learn to speak to the media and to city leaders about their stories and their own ideas for change and engage in advocacy efforts in their communities.
In the 2022–23 school year, TNT engaged 95 Youth Leaders who: presented 114 violence prevention workshops to 973 students in 9 OUSD middle schools; participated in 47 community engagements; received 1,378 hours of 1:1 mentoring from our staff of professional Violence Prevention Educators.
All 2023 TNT seniors graduated; 100% of them are attending college!
I’ve noticed that I’ve become a leader since joining TNT. TNT helped me find the confidence I needed to handle myself in tough situations and it’s helped me to become more sure of myself. I’m no longer afraid to be me, speak up when I see something wrong, and bring awareness!
- Sierra Taylor, TNT leader for 4 years
After our 2023 program, among TNT youth leaders surveyed:
» 100% believe young people have the power to reduce violence in their community
» 98% would not choose violence to solve a conflict
» 85% would talk a friend out of carrying a gun
» 65% helped mediate a conflict in the last 6 months that would have led to violence
To push for permanent, systemic solutions to the daily violence terrorizing our community and city, Youth ALIVE!’s Advocacy for Change (A4C) program raises the voices of those most affected by violence. Through A4C, the Youth ALIVE! family—including clients, survivors, program staff, and our Teens on Target youth leaders—address city, state
On 8/22/22, Governor Newsom signed our bill, AB 1929, into law, making California the fifth state to allow Medicaid to reimburse violence prevention services. Youth ALIVE!’s advocacy and expertise was pivotal in creating and securing this policy change, with our staff testifying at the State Capitol and meeting with state senators and assembly members to build support for the bill.
Our Policy and Advocacy Director, Gabriel Garcia, traveled to the White House in July to celebrate Congress passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which includes $250 million for Community Violence Intervention (CVI), the largest federal investment in CVI work ever.
In the State Senate, Senator Nancy Skinner passed a state budget item increasing funding for the California Victim Compensation Program, and increasing the maximum amounts survivors can receive for their needs, including:
» Raising the limits for the first time in 20 years for:
· Funeral and burial expenses
· Relocation expenses
· Crime scene clean up expenses
» $23 Million for Trauma Recovery Centers
» $50 million for Flexible Assistance to Survivors of Violence
and federal leaders to advocate for sensible policies that reduce community violence and that promote a public health approach to violence prevention. A4C works with violence prevention coalitions, proposes and analyzes policy, gives testimony to legislators, and conducts community outreach.
We sponsored two bills in the State Capitol that would create significant reforms to the California Victim Compensation Program. Although neither bill passed, we are determined to continue pushing to ensure more victims and survivors have access to these healing resources.
Senate Bill 933: Expanded Services for Crime Survivors Would have removed several barriers to eligibility for victim compensation that Youth ALIVE! clients face, such as automatically being disqualified if a survivor does not cooperate with law enforcement investigations.
Senate Bill 299: Equal Access for Victims of Police Violence
Extends eligibility for the Victim Compensation Program to victims of police violence, and ensures the survivors of homicide victims can receive benefits regardless of whether they cooperate with police. Also makes sure that biased or unfair police reports do not prevent people from getting the healing resources they need.
This work requires constant, intentional outreach, creating platforms to hear directly from those closest to the issue and convert what they are saying into policy change. It is something that, because of our position in the community, really only Youth ALIVE! is able to do.
- Gabriel Garcia, Youth ALIVE! Policy & Advocacy DirectorThe time directly after violence erupts in a community is vital for determining what happens next. Through Caught in the Crossfire (CiC), a Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP), Youth ALIVE! staff meet victims of violence at their hospital bedsides to:
1. convince them, their friends and family not to retaliate; and
2. offer ongoing personal support focused on safety, healing, and growth.
CiC Intervention Specialists—credible messengers of change recruited from the community we serve—address both the urgent need for violence intervention and the ongoing service needs of survivors, helping them get back to life. Caught in the Crossfire is the first Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP).
In 2022, CiC:
» Served 171 clients and an additional 284 received short-term crisis intervention
» Of those 171, only 4% were re-injured
» 90 received assistance in obtaining Victim of Crime compensation
» 72 received help with an education plan
» 61 received help with employment
» 28 received housing assistance
“ I want to be the person now that I needed back then someone who could have helped me. I like to pay it forward. I’m quiet but loud in the work that I do.
- Gericka Frison, Intervention Specialist, Caught in the Crossfire
In area teams, Youth ALIVE!’s Violence Interrupters (VIs) take to the streets of Oakland at all hours, heading to wherever violent conflict or escalation is brewing, to engage those involved, to bring alternative solutions, peaceful resolutions, and to defuse tensions before the guns come out again.
VIs are from the very communities and neighborhoods where they now work to save lives. Most have worked in street outreach for years. Most lived the street life or spent time incarcerated. They understand the nuances of community conflicts, the barriers faced and the great promise of young people in Oakland’s most impacted neighborhoods. They
Pathways is Youth ALIVE!’s mentoring case management program for youth at risk for exposure to violence, on probation, or emerging from a period of incarceration.
Our model involves regular, consistent contact with a focus on positive adult attention and support to build relationships. We meet the youth where they are: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Our staff are recruited from the community and share similar experiences to the youth we serve. Pathways regularly helps youth re-enroll in school and find employment in addition to providing another caring adult in a young person’s life.
are mentors, problem solvers and life savers. “Sometimes community healing means breaking the cycle of violence before things erupt,” Nina Carter, Senior Violence Interrupter, said.
In 2022, Youth ALIVE! Violence Interrupters:
» Conducted 219 mediations and resolved 164 conflicts without further violence
» Completed 157 safety assessments at the hospital bedsides of shooting victims
» Relocated 36 families in danger to safety
In 2022, Pathways:
» Mentored 56 youth, 35 of whom enrolled in school; 13 of whom re-enrolled in school
» Supported 18 youth in attaining employment
» In 2023 we introduced school-based Pathways Intervention Specialists at Castlemont and Rudsdale High Schools
“ This is more than just a job. The name Pathways resonates with me because I try to present other pathways to the youth. I want to show them there are other ways to do things.
- Glen Upshaw, Jr., Intervention Specialist, Pathways ”
Part of what makes Youth ALIVE!’s work innovative and effective is that the bulk of our programs and services take place out in the field in our community. You’ll find us at schools and parks, in neighborhoods and on the street; at hospital bedsides and at the homes of survivors; at conferences, on college tours, at the State Capitol and City Hall. Wherever our community is, Youth ALIVE! shows up. All of our staff, whether on the frontlines or working behind the scenes, are hometown heroes.
“ Tell those students I love them. We come from the same place and now I’m in the White House, so anything’s possible .
- Vice President Kamala Harris speaking to Youth ALIVE! Policy & Advocacy Director Gabriel Garcia, about the Teens on Target youth leaders
I’m loyal, I’m compassionate, and I want to help because I didn’t have this type of help when I was young. If I did, I would have been totally different. We have a chance to really make a difference.
- Chauncey Jackson, Violence Interrupter
The Khadafy Washington Project (KWP) sends crisis responders into the immediate aftermath of each Oakland homicide to support families and friends of the victim. Named for the murdered son of its founder, KWP provides emergency financial assistance, relocation services, urgent help applying for victim compensation and planning funerals. KWP staff and Youth ALIVE! counselors hold regular healing circles for families of Oakland homicide victims.
In 2022, KWP crisis responders:
» Worked with 133 families of homicide victims, including some outside of Oakland
» Supported 26 family members in 13 Circle of Care healing sessions
Seeing mothers cry is the worst. There is nothing you can say or do to make them feel better. But I love the fact that I can support them and give them some sense of relief, no matter what that looks like.
- Lanisha Jones, Crisis Responder, KWP
“ ”KWP Founder Marilyn Washington Harris and KWP Program Coordinator Jessica Segura
Youth ALIVE! mental health counselors take their therapeutic services into the field, meeting wherever survivors feel safe and comfortable. They provide community-based services in collaboration with our Intervention Specialists, who are trained in recognizing the symptoms of trauma that occur in survivors of violence. Youth ALIVE! counselors assist each client in creating their own road map to healing.
All of our clients are eligible for this crucial and free service in their quest to heal their trauma after violence. However, for people who have grown up in violent neighborhoods, the traditional 50-minute therapy session is not always the best approach. By bringing therapy out of the clinic and into the community, Youth ALIVE! has seen an increase in the number of clients engaged in active therapy from 3% to over 35%.
In 2022, our Counseling staff:
» Served 121 clients
» Provided 1,192 hours of services, of those, 835 hours were individual mental health hours, 179 were group hours, and 78 were individual mental health services provided through intensive individual outreach.
While there is still a big stigma in our community on mental health services, we at Youth ALIVE! know that mental health is part of physical health. We also know that while hurt people can hurt people, healed people have the power to foster healing in others. It is such an honor for me to guide our participants and their families in healing from trauma in two different languages (English and Spanish). As a bilingual, bicultural counselor, I am able to support members of my cultural community in ways that other clinicians may not be able to do.
- Angelina Gutierrez, Mental Health CounselorAlia Glover, Community Leadership Liaison
Angelina Gutierrez, Counselor
Angie Teal, Operations & Human Resources Director
Anne Marks, Executive Director Emeritus
Antoine Towers, Violence Interrupter
Ayodeji Ewegbemi, Client Payment Specialist
Carla Ashford, Violence Interrupter
Carlos Jackson, Lead Intervention Specialist, Pathways
Camilo Valezquez, Violence Interrupter
Chauncey Jackson, Violence Interrupter
Denay Harris, Development Associate
Doral Myles, Violence Interrupter
Eric Adams, Lead Violence Interrupter
Ernest Ynostrosa, Intervention Specialist, Caught in the Crossfire
Gabriel Garcia, Policy & Advocacy Director
Gericka Frison, Intervention Specialist, Caught in the Crossfire
Glen Upshaw, Violence Interrupter Team Manager
Glen Upshaw, Jr., Intervention Specialist, Pathways
Guadalupe Serrano-Lopez, Lead Intervention Specialist, Caught in the Crossfire
Jackie Quintanilla, Finance Manager
Jaime Oseguera, Violence Interrupter
Janiesha Grisham, Violence Prevention Educator, Teens on Target
Jason Williams, Program Support Manager
Jaymes Fitzpatrick, Violence Prevention Educator, Teens on Target
Jessica Segura, Khadafy Washington Project Coordinator
Jim O’Brien, Senior Writer
Jose Reyna, Intervention Specialist, Caught in the Crossfire
Joseph Griffin, Executive Director
John Torres, Associate Director
Juan Cortez, Violence Interrupter & Latino Liaison
Kesse Taylor-Jenkins, Program Specialist
Lanisha Jones, Crisis Responder, Khadafy Washington Project
Lauren Greenberg, Development Manager
Lila Blanco, Intervention Specialist, Caught in the Crossfire
Lizeth Torres, Office Manager & Finance Assistant
Marilyn Washington Harris, Family Support Liaison, Khadafy Washington Project
MaryAnn Alvarado, Program Manager, Teens on Target
Mey Saelee, Administrative Assistant
Miguel Avila Torres, Relocation Coordinator
Nancy Lopez, Intervention Specialist, Caught in the Crossfire
Nasir Bari, Violence Interrupter
Nicky MacCallum, Healing Director
Omari Sinclair, Violence Interrupter
Paris Davis, Intervention Director
Salvador Avalos, Violence Interrupter
Sasha Long, Intervention Specialist, Pathways
Sue Danne, Finance & Administrative Director
Tiara Upshaw, Program Associate
Tori Logan, Crisis Responder, Khadafy Washington Project
Tonyia (Nina) Carter, Senior Violence Interrupter
Castlemont High School
Carlos Avalos
Fernando Castaneda
Rayla Chatman
Sanaiyah Davis
Jalesha Fitzpatrick
Davyonna Foster
Ernesto Galaviz
Jerry Gonzalez
Mylah Kingsbury
Navaeh Mark
Malik Mayfield
Robert Miller
Michael Pomeroy
Casey Powell
Kenaiya Powell
Angelica Ramirez
Eric Ramirez
Lizbeth Ramirez
Maria Ramirez
Naijon Rodgers
Lanasia Sipp
Malachi Smith
Ezekiel Taggart
Eliza Tapui
Sierra Taylor
Xavier Tillery
Juliana Tokoma’ata
Carmen Tolento
Makaela Weems
Lailani Wilkerson
Jaelyn Williams
Fremont High School
Samuel Adereye
Amir Alamari
Ariel Baker
Leslie Brown
Jessica Calmo-Perez
Carlos Chavez
Kaleeyha Davis
Edwin Estrada
Ninarolye Gilbert
Tenee Hendrix
Jon Brian Higareda
Kimberley Higareda
Imanii Hogan
Ja’kayla Lott
Jenifer Matias Lorenzo
Yajaira Montano
Anja Motuliki
Leo Pantaleon-Pelaya
Ihonny Perez
Magali Ramirez
Ashley Rodriguez
Sarah Chavez Yoell Board President Government Relations
Local Public Affairs Pacific Gas & Electric
Angela Jenkins
Board Vice President Vice President
Accountable Communities Prisma Health
Alisa DeWys Board Treasurer Manager Google
Stan Weisner Board Secretary Director Emeritus Behavioral Health Sciences Department UC Berkeley Extension
Nadine de Coteau Manager Engagement & Partnerships Apple
Michael Munson Operations Manager KTOP-TV10
John Bliss President SCI Consulting Group
Tracy Jensen Senior Services Administrator City of Oakland
David Muhammad Executive Director National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform
Melisa Rodriguez
Kevin Romero
Sophia Sanchez-Cristobal
Emily Sanchez-Cristobal
Miklo Santiago
Selena Santigo
Acharia Sheppard
Kaliyah Thomas
Aaliyah Walker
Ayana Williams
Eternity Wilson
Skyline High School
Alejandro Arellano
Parrish Barnett
Komogodue Basgayoko
Savannah Beverly
Reed Bontowski
Torrian Coats
Gilbert Salinas Chief Equity Officer Department of Health Services
Contra Costa County
Kyndra Simmons Director Frontline Training & Technical Assistance Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (The HAVI)
Carol Lynn Thompson Principal Counsel, Litigation University of California
Office of the President
Sebastian Drumer
Hailey Easiley
Mason Garth
Isaiah George
Zorina Guidry
Taylor Johnson
Jason Jones
Riley Norman
Ke’Merriah Outland
Alicia B. Pablo
Elisha Patrick-Turner
Kai’lee Porter
London Price
Naraly Rodriquez
Joel Ruiz
Yvon R. Salas
Jordan Smith
Kaiden Taylor
Ja’Kayla Weaver-Percelle
Autumn Weems
Jalesha Fitzpatrick
Castlemont High School
Xavier Tillery
Castlemont High School
Roger Abraham
Deanna Abrams
Melissa Adams
Jeff Akeley
Akonadi Foundation
Alameda County Emergency Medical Services Department
Alameda County Health Care Services Agency
Alameda County Probation Department
Alameda County Board of State and Community Corrections
Alameda Health System Foundation
Bernard E. and Alba Witkin Foundation
Kristin Aldrich
Ahmed Ali Bob
Teresa Allen
Robert Allen, Jr.
Renato Almanzor
American Arbitration Association
American Heart Association
Fatima Amin
Rizalyn Andrews
John Angell
Anonymous
C Cheryl Archer
Gregory Archer
Helen Archer-Duste
Kendra Armer
Nancy Auker
Francesca Austin
Elena Ayers
Vidhya Babu
Karin Bagot
Saurabh Bajaj
Michael Baker
Chuck Baker
John Balmes
Bank of Marin
Karen and Jeffrey Banks
Bing Bardez
Lindsay Barenz
Rachel Barish
Esteban Barnaby
Dorothy Barnett
Barrios Trust
Lynn Baskett
Katie Bass
Bay Area Commuinty Resources
Marla Becker and Daniel Lipton
Sara Bedford
Gordon Beebe
Nel Benningshoff
Jodie Berger
Connie Bergstrom
Yvonn Bernklan
Susan Bernosky
Carolyn Bernstein
Bernard E. and Alba Witkin Foundation
Annikka Berridge
Hanna Berridge
James Betts
Cathay Bi
Stephanie Bickham
Virginia Biteng
Stephen Blair
Jill Blaney
Hudson Blechman
Robert Blechman
Teri Bleckner
John Bliss and Kim Thompson
BLOCK
Frank Block
Yael Bloom
Zacary Blume
Sallie Blytt
James Bogucki
Carol Bohnsack
Wendy Bomberg
Folio Books
Ruth Borenstein
Mark Bostick
Nancy Bott
Kerry Bourdon
Eng Bozzini
Helena Brantley
Eric Breitbard
Hallie Brignall
Ryan Brody
Sara Brody
Anna Brooks
Claire Broome
John Brown
June Brumer
Bryan Cave Leighten & Paisner
Sean Buchanan
Elinor Buchen
Donald Bullick
Susan Burns
Linda Bytof
Marilyn Cachola Lucey
Deane Calhoun Bunce and Dick Bunce
Dick Callahan Philantrhopic Alliance Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation
The California Endowment
California Board of State and Community Correcrtions
California Office of Emergency Services
California Victim Compensation Board
The California Wellness Foundation
Eugene Canson
Geri Carder
CARESTAR Foundation
Ali Carley
Neil Carman
Ian Carpenter
Catholic Charities of the East Bay
Tiffany Chan
Mickey Chatman
Sarah Chavez Yoell and Michael Yoell
Thomas Chen
Robin Chetkowski
Francis Chin
Children’s Support League of the East Bay
Simone Chou and John Kusakabe
City of Oakland, Human Services
Department
City of Oakland, Department of Violence Prevention
Dyanna Christie
Whitney and Brett Christopoulos
Elizabeth Claman
Michele Clark
Karen Clayton
The Clorox Company Foundation
Judith Coates
Holly Coates-Bash
Elizabeth Coffey
Donna Coffman
Doris Cohen
Abby Cohn
Ray Colmenar
Computer Courage
Noel Cook
Christine Cooper
Priscilla Correa
Shannon Cosgrove
We are grateful to our supporters who make Youth ALIVE!’s work possible. Special thanks to the members of our Community Circle (Listed in green)
Laura Simonson Costain and David Costain
Chesa Cox
Pamela Craig
Zachary Craig
Emily Cronbach
Anne Cross
Daniel Crouch
Carol Curtis
Sonia Daccarett and Alex Bernstein
Alyssa Damianakes
Fania Davis
Nadine de Coteau and Sean Callum
Kay Decorah
Donna DeDiemar
Dr. Cathy DeForest
Kay Demattei
Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Brandy DeOrnellas
David DeSilva
Alisa DeWys
Kanwarpal Dhaliwal
Griffin Dix
Janie Dobbs
Stephanie Dominguez Walton and Zack Walton
Michelle Dong
Estelle Dong
Sharon Donovan
Hailey Drake
Briana Driver
Stephanie Duggan
Norman Dupont
Eileen Ecklund
Sabrina Ellis
Jamie Elmasu
Aimee Eng
Kira Enriquez
Angeles Estelles
Alfonso Estrada
Michael Evans
Anne Everton
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund
Noelle Fa-Kaji
Family Violence Law Center
Casey Farmer and Galen Wilson
Stefanie Faucher
Elan Feinstein
Nina Fendel
Gladys Ferguson
Catherine Fernandez
Judy Ferrari
Michael Ferris
Peri Ferris
Florelyn Fine
First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco
Amy Fitzgerald
Nick and Sally Fitzhugh
Nancy Fitzpatrick
Sharon Flanagan
Ulla Foehr
Virginia Fontana
Curt Forderer
Louise Fortmann
Paul Foster
Hopelab Foundation
John Fountain
Pauline Fox
Julie Freestone
Ari Freilich
Ellen French
Yvonne Freund
Kendal Friedman
Dalton Fusco
Camie Gadda
Katherine Gallagher
Emma Garcia
Leonardo Garrido
Paul Eugene Garrison
Linda Gayle
Gina Gemello
Janet Gennai-Rizzi
Edward Gerber and Joyce Meyer Gerber
Kristin Germeroth
Susan Getreuer
Debalina Ghosh and Pradosh Mohapatra
Raphael Gilbert
Sarah Gill
Shira Gill
Chaim Gingold
Roger and Beth Goldberg
Sasha and Lynn Goldberg
Michael Gomez
Brendalynn Goodall
Alice & Steve Goodman
Bill Goodykoontz
Jennifer Graves
Lauren Greenberg
Matthew Griffin
Brenda Grisham
Tom Grossman
Meliss Grover
Anne Groves
Nanci Gunning
Caheri Gutierrez
Angelina Gutierrez
Rhoda Haberman
Joan Hall-Feinberg
Nancy Halloran
Maureen Halloran
Anne Halloran
Akemi Hamai
Sally Hanley
Edward Hannemann and Anne Bodel
Harbor Point Charitable Fund
Hartley Family Foundation
Caitlin Hartsell
Pamela A. and Howard Hatayama
Tracy Haughton
Amanda Hawes
Paula Hawthorn and Michael Ubell
Michaela Hayes
Zach Heir
Heising-Simons Foundation
Shon Henderson
Julie Henig
Laurie Herbert
Isabel Herman
Monica Hersch
Julie Hess and Satch Slavin
Cindy Hill-Ford and Roy Ford
Lisa Hillier
Alexandria Hilton
Nancy Hinds
Jef Holloman
Catherine Hsu
Brian Huck
Lim Hui Ben
Enid Hunkeler
Sally Hunter
IFPTE Local Number 21
Paul Irving
Stephanie Isaacson
In May of 2017 my youngest son, Deante, who everybody called Peak-a-Boo, had graduated from McClymonds High with a 4.0. He had a room full of trophies and medals. On the morning of November 28, 2016, I was at home when a car came skidding by and ran up onto the corner. Out fell Peek-a-Boo’s friend Otis. He yelled to me, “Peaka-Boo’s been shot!” and that’s when I learned Peak-aBoo—and later his best friend Trevon—were dead.
I rushed to the scene on 39th, police tape everywhere. The police themselves seemed distracted, disinterested. I slipped under the tape, approached the body, and pulled back the gray blanket: there lay my youngest son, just 19, with a massive fatal wound to his chest. I took him into my arms and cried.
Before I got back to my house [KWP Crisis Responder] Tammy Cloud was already there. I knew Tammy from West Oakland, she’d even gone to school with my brothers. Tammy told me she was with Youth ALIVE! and was here to help me. She was a comforting presence, like family. Before Tammy left, she told me she’d made an appointment for me at the Victim of Crime office for the next morning, to apply for victim compensation. It would help me pay for Peek-a-Boo’s funeral.
That night I got a phone call from Marilyn Washington Harris. I knew who Marilyn was because she was everywhere in West Oakland. Marilyn had started Youth ALIVE!’s program to help families of homicide victims after her son Khadafy had been killed back in 2000, just a few months after he graduated. That’s the thing about Youth ALIVE!: the people they send to help you, they feel familiar. You know they understand how things are in Oakland.
Marilyn and Tammy helped me through the worst time of my life, but that was only the beginning of my relationship with Youth ALIVE!. I go to the Circle of Care monthly support group. I feel comfortable in that space.
You can express yourself, be yourself, with no judgment. It has something to do with them being from the community, even from the streets.
My activism was reignited. Many mothers are never told that their murdered child had possessions on them—stuff in their pockets, phones with pictures on them—things a mother would want. YA!’s Marilyn Harris helped me fight to get Peak-a-Boo’s possessions from the police. We never got his car back, which had been impounded. Along with YA!’s Policy & Advocacy Director, Gabriel Garcia, I helped change the City’s policy to charge survivors to retrieve their loved-one’s impounded car. Remembering that I had never once been contacted by OPD after Peek-a-Boo’s death, I helped fight for the city to change the way it treated victims, to stop treating them like they were suspects. With YA!’s Healing Director Nicky MacCallum and other mothers of lost children, we developed a training for OPD to show them how they could—and why they should—treat victims and survivors with dignity.
Today, I have Peak-a-Boo’s things, but I don’t have him. To lose a child is to lose part of yourself forever. If it wasn’t for my work trying to change things, if it wasn’t for the true caring and understanding of people like Tammy, Nicky, Marilyn and Gabe, I’m sure I’d break down. It’s a constant battle, but there is life after a tragedy like mine. I’m grateful to Youth ALIVE! for helping me find that life.