Urban Peace Movement Contributes to New Violence Prevention Study

Good Jobs, Safe Streets:
How Economic Recovery Can Lead to Community Safety in Oakland     

Despite all of the assets and opportunities in Oakland, the city of nearly a half-million people has struggled with a high rate of crime and violence. In 2008, 128 people were victims of homicide in Oakland-affecting not only their families and communities, but the entire city.

These homicides cause pain and disproportionate burden on African Americans in this city, who comprise 80% of the homicide victims and 82% of the probationers, in a city that is 32% African American. For many in this diverse city, peace in the streets is essential to recovering and rebuilding our communities.

EBASE’s newest report, co-authored with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights with contributions from the Urban Peace Movement, is Good Jobs, Safe Streets: How Economic Recovery Can Lead to Community Safety in Oakland. The report makes the case that good jobs matter more in reducing future criminal involvement for those who are most “at-risk”: 1) formerly incarcerated adults: those who are on probation or parole and others who have a criminal record and 2) “high-risk” youth and young adults: those in their mid-teems to twenties who have dropped out of high school, have come in contact with the juvenile justice system, youth aging out of foster card, or youth who come from households where no adults work.

On Tuesday, October 27th, 2009, a diverse group of over 50 participants, including funders, policymakers, law enforcement officers, criminal justice advocates, community organizations, and more gathered to discuss the findings of the report and concrete ways to implement the report’s recommendations.  This report takes into account the voices of many young people who are part of Urban Peace Movement. They participated in focus groups that lead to the findings in the report. As one of Urban Peace Movements young people, Sharmaine Brooks, so pointedly states, ” For my community in Oakland there has always been a recession.”

Download the Full Report here or the Executive Summary here.