Second-Class Students

James Harris / Truthdig May 3, 2011 In a recent interview, Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Tony Smith shared with me one of the most mind-numbing statistics I have ever heard. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Protests Rock Oakland in Wake of Verdict

Staff / Truthdig Nov 7, 2010 More than 150 people were arrested Friday night as angry protesters marched through the Lake Merritt area of Oakland following the sentencing of a former BART police officer in the killing of a young black man on a transit platform in 2009. The protest was touched off by what was viewed as the lightness of the sentence, two years in prison. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama and Urban Crisis

Staff / Truthdig Aug 13, 2010 James Harris and Harry Edwards discuss President Obama and the myth of post-racial society, James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time" and why now is the time to repair the black community in urban cities such as Oakland. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

BART Cop Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter

Staff / Truthdig Jul 9, 2010 The Los Angeles jury hearing the case of the BART cop who killed an unarmed Oakland man on New Year's Day 2009 went with the least serious of three possible charges, convicting the former officer of involuntary manslaughter. He faces two to four years in prison. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

BART Officer’s Murder Trial Nears a Climax

Staff / Truthdig Jun 27, 2010 Oscar Grant was killed on New Year's Day 2009 in Oakland by a white transit police officer in a case that has drawn comparisons to the notorious Rodney King case in Los Angeles. The trial of the BART officer on a murder charge was moved to L.A., where the jury could start deliberations this week. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Using Fingerprints to Track Immigration

Staff / Truthdig May 7, 2010 A recently implemented immigration program in Oakland subjects anyone booked at local jails to a fingerprint check to determine if they are in the country illegally. The deportation scheme is part of a $1.4 billion federal program that is supposed to be running in every jail in the country within a few years. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Fighting Crime by Reforming Juvenile Hall

Staff / Truthdig Jun 2, 2009 This week on the podcast: Sheerly Avni and Omar Turcios from The Beat Within, a magazine written by and for the troubled kids in juvenile prisons. Such facilities could be "recruiting grounds for crime fighting," argues Avni, and that's in our self-interest. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Nov 6, 2008 This is a day to think about how far we’ve come, to think about our experiences in past times and how we are now ready to begin forging a country where all of life is no longer defined by race. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Secret Video Raises Questions About Journalist’s Murder

BLANK Jun 20, 2008 On Aug. 2, 2007, Chauncey Bailey was murdered in Oakland, Calif., while investigating Your Black Muslim Bakery. A secret police video unearthed by the Center for Investigative Reporting captures the remarkable scene of three key figures in the case discussing the murder. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Lessons of Internment

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Feb 21, 2008 Yuri Kochiyama's remarkable life took her from a Japanese internment camp in Arkansas to the Audubon Ballroom, where she witnessed the assassination of her friend Malcom X, and on to Oakland, where she continues to struggle for social justice. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Emergency in San Francisco Bay

Staff / Truthdig Nov 10, 2007 On Friday, a full two days after a container ship rammed into San Francisco's Bay Bridge and began spilling oil into the bay, Coast Guard authorities were doing damage control on their own behalf as the slick continued to spread. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Crime, Poverty and Education: It’s Not Rocket Science

Staff / Truthdig Sep 25, 2007 Truthdig regulars Sheerly Avni, James Harris and Josh Scheer put their heads together to try to figure out why the big problems that plague our communities never get solved. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )