A few hundred people gathered at Lake Merritt on Tuesday night for a vigil for the man killed in the Juneteenth mass shooting, as well as a call for more money in Oakland’s budget towards violence prevention.
One message? Every other Juneteenth celebration in the city was peaceful, except part of one Saturday at Lake Merritt.
"It does not represent who we are," a speaker said.
A 22-year-old man, whom the Alameda County coroner’s office on Tuesday identified as DaShawn Demetrius Rhodes, was killed and six others were injured in what police believe was a gang-related shooting.
Jasma Turner, Rhodes’ aunt, told the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday that Rhodes wasn’t in a gang.
Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said during the vigil the city must put more money towards stopping crimes. She has introduced a budget that would cut a planned $18 million from Oakland police spending and put it towards the Department of Violence Prevention.
"What we’re doing is creating a system that allows the police to focus on what they do best," she told KCBS Radio. "Which is getting guns off the streets and responding to violence, and also solving crimes to prevent crimes from happening. That, coupled with violence interrupters in our communities ... is the deep investment we need to create a safer community."
Fortunato Bas said police need to prioritize “violent and serious crime,” rather than “parking infractions.”
Dr. Sarai Crane, the Department of Violence Prevention’s deputy chair, said any additional funding will go straight back into the community.
"We definitely need to address root causes, and that’s going to be a gradual, systemic process," Dr. Crane told KCBS Radio. "But the fact of the matter is people are being shot and killed, and that’s why we’re here today. And so we have to look at what it means to resource intervention services (while) also looking at how intervention is a form of prevention."
The council will discuss Fortunato Bas’ proposal in a Wednesday meeting. It goes up against the mayor’s budget, which proposes increased police spending.
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