Dear Neighbors:
My heart has been heavy all weekend as I process yet another senseless, unnecessary and avoidable homicide in Oakland and specifically in my district - District 6. Every homicide is a personal one. Every victim has a name, a family left behind, and a story of promise and potential that will never be realized.
Gun violence has increased in the last several weeks compared to the beginning of 2020. In District 6 we started with no deaths from gun violence in the first 2 1/2 months, but in the past six weeks we lost
Jalain Dickerson
(Age 19) on March 16th,
Anika Crane
(Age 32) on March 31st,
Henry Texada
(Age 23) on April 28th, and recently
Miles Armstead
on May 1st. My heartfelt prayers go out for these community members and deep condolences to their families.
Friday’s murder of Miles Armstead hits especially close to home, becuase I spoke with him only two weeks ago. He leaves behind four young children and his wife Melina is expecting. When I spoke to Miles’ Pastor on Friday, he shared with me his belief that, “We will all be asking ourselves for a long time if there was anything else
/
or more we could have and should have done.” ... I know that I certainly will.
We must learn from this experience and the other recent homicides to improve the system and do even more to stop the killing, provide improved life options for potential offenders, and make our streets safer. In the upcoming weeks I will convene with city leaders, community healers, violence interrupters, law enforcement officers, and Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention to enhance efforts to reduce violence, save lives and improve life options. I look forward to identifying tangible steps that we could and should be taking, and supporting our many partners to realize the much-needed improvements.
In the meantime, you may be wondering how you can help support these efforts. As a first step, I encourage everyone to review the following information about how to support Miles’ wife and young children.
