Verdese Carter Park Gang Violence Forces Kids’ Football Team to Find New Site to Play
By Tanya Dennis
Gang violence is raging in Deep East Oakland, also known as “Bossland,” where gun shots are heard daily, and recently, youth and the East Bay Panthers football team had to duck and cover twice in one month at Verdese Carter Park at 9600 Bancroft Ave. The Park has become the epicenter of violent activity despite a police station embedded there.
Jacob Davis, coach of the East Bay Panthers says, he will no longer bring his team to the park after shooting incidents on Aug. 24 and Aug. 29 where kids ages 5 -14 were caught in gang crossfire and had to take cover.
Tamu Lopez, treasurer of The East Bay Panthers, and accountant for Adamika Village#stopkillingourkidsmovement has two children on the team, Micah Lopez, 10, and Caleb Lopez, 14. Lopez says “My children are traumatized. My youngest, Micah, has had several nightmares since the violent encounters and neither of my sons want to play football anymore. Both are afraid to go to any park and want to leave Oakland.”
Davis notes that his team is a safety net, sometimes the only source of food for the kids, when they don’t have access to school meals or school activities.
“For many, belonging to the East Bay Panthers is their only positive outlet. We thought we’d be safe in the park because, until now, we thought Verdese Carter Park was a neutral zone for the gangs, but no longer. The police don’t respond, they don’t come here after 4 p.m. and we practice from 5:30 to 7.”
The Panthers are not the only group of children who are in danger. “We have five organizations that need to practice where they are safe: The Eastbay Warriors, 510 Legacy, Bay Area Lions, Oakland Dynamite and the East Bay Panthers for our girls and boys ages 5 – 14.”
Representing Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Pati Navalta responded that the Oakland Police Department (OPD) recognizes the uptick in violent crime and gun violence. “The Department is dedicated to utilizing all available resources to focus on individuals committing violent crimes, and we have increased our presence in areas experiencing this uptick. We are also collaborating with our neighboring law enforcement partners to address the recent surge,” Navalta said.
District Attorney Pamela Price responded saying, “The District Attorney’s office does not control or regulate the Oakland Police Department however, we are committed to prosecuting gang members and others who cause death or injury in our community to the full extent of the law.”
Davis said immediate safety solution is that Oakland Unified School District allow teams to practice on their fields. The problem currently is OUSD charges a fee to utilize the fields that we cannot afford.”
When asked if Oakland Unified would consider this proposal, John Sasaki, director of Communications promised to investigate the feasibility of Davis’ proposal.
Adamika Village#stopkillingourkidsmovement believe they have the solution to ending gang violence at Verdese Carter.
CEO Daryle Allums says. “Adamika Village hosts Town Night events funded by the Department of Violence Prevention and prior to, during, and a month after our last town night, crime and violence plummets. That’s because Adamika Village brings a different type of energy and people feel it! We bring love, hope, gifts, money, testing for COVID and flu, food, entertainment, and a kid zone. We provide a safe place; we are out here actively making a difference!”
Give Adamika Village the park for one year, before the city starts remodeling, Allums said, and “we will create ongoing ‘Town Nights’ with education, cooking programs that provide food to eat while they learn good nutrition. We’ll get Alcohol Anonymous out here to intervene in the drug culture and we’ll invite the Black Muslims to speak on health, lifestyle and self-control.”
When questioned about the cost Allums responded, “As we organize in the streets, we need people to organize behind the desk. Our Black girls are being kidnapped, our elder women are getting robbed, our people have stopped coming out.
“Let Adamika rebuild what has been lost. The soil at the park is corrupted. It’s contaminated with community violence, it’s toxic. Adamika will shift that energy so we can heal our people who are addicted to violence, who know nothing else.”
