On MLK day one of my roommates and I headed over to Jack London Square and rented kayaks. We paddled for about an hour and made it a good distance down the inlet, but not all the way out to the bay. The shore is lined with cranes, tug boats and huge cargo ships and several sailboats and a ferry whizzed by us as we slowly fought our way against the current to get a good view of the bridge. It wasn't the most scenic adventure I've ever been on, but it was pretty cool to launch from a pier five minutes from the heart of downtown Oakland, and as I’ve always found paddling to be, it was extremely relaxing.

Things here at St. Vincent de Paul are going well. On Tuesday the men’s center hooked up an antenna to the television and watched Barack Obama’s inauguration. I didn’t have time to watch all of it with them, but it was inspirational to see people from all walks of life engaged in the political process, which is clearly what Oakland and many places around the country desperately need.

The deadline for submitting Homeless Court applications is approaching next week so things are busy around here. Also, next Friday I’ll be heading back down to Camp St. Francis in Aptos for the re-orientation retreat, which will hopefully be a good time. There's a beach and a basketball court, so I assume I'll manage. That is all...

January Heat Wave

Northern California is currently in the midst of a heat wave. The word January feels awkward each time it rolls off of my Midwestern tongue, especially as temperatures reached into the mid-seventies this week. There’s already talk of drought and mandatory water restrictions as a result this summer, but until water stops coming out of our faucets I’ll continue to enjoy the great weather!


Last night there was another protest held for the BART shooting death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant. This one included a march from city hall down 14th street to the courthouse and back. It was better organized and a lot less chaotic than last week’s, but still resulted in some minor vandalism as crowds dispersed. One news station showed a guy smashing the windows of a Radio Shack with his skateboard, and down the street a dozen or so guys kicked in the windows of a Wells Fargo…in related news: I bought an iPod for a great price this morning from some dude on the corner of Broadway.

I thought Mayor Ron Dellums made a good point when he said something to the effect that there can’t be selective outrage when it comes to violence in Oakland. As tragic and sensational as Grant’s death was, there are 120 murders a year in a city with a population just over 400,000—there should be outrage over every single one. The passion and intensity that was seen at last night’s protest needs to be seen on a daily basis when it comes to education, employment, gang violence, drugs and the multitude of other problems that Oakland faces. But the truth is, those problems are less exciting, progress is harder to track, and the streets won’t be lined with cops in riot gear while four or five news choppers hover above. If the people at the protests aren’t interested in those issues as well, then the last two weeks amount to little more than a whole lot of rubbernecking.

Social Justice

In the early hours of New Year’s Day a 22-year-old male was shot and killed by a BART police officer. It’s especially disturbing that multiple people captured the entire incident on video and it appears that the shooting was completely unnecessary. With little progress in the investigation and the police officer resigning from the force instead of meeting with investigators, protesters took to the streets last night.

At around eight o’clock we flipped on the news and they were giving an update on the situation, we noticed that everything was happening just a few blocks away from our apartment. A few minutes later there were fire engines, and cop cars streaming down our street and we could hear people shouting and at least four or five helicopters hovered above downtown for the majority of the night. In all, several dumpsters were lit on fire, storefronts smashed, cars damaged and over 100 protesters eventually arrested.

As I biked to work this morning I rode over more than a little shattered glass, there were still several helicopters in the area and there appeared to be more trash in the street than normal.

There was a quote that struck me in a CNN.com article from an anonymous woman who said: "We live a life of fear, and we want them to be afraid tonight."

Social justice is one of the four tenets of JVC, and it’s clear that many in the Oakland community do not feel that all groups are receiving fair and impartial treatment. It’s also a reminder of how large the schism still is between the police and many urban communities. Working at St. Vincent de Paul it’s easy to see that progress needs to be made in a myriad of areas in Oakland, but for those who don’t see the problems on a daily basis it’s easy to ignore. However, when one incident, a horrific one mind you, is enough to cause the type of chaos that was seen last night, it’s tough for anyone to turn a blind eye.

Happy New Year!

After spending Christmas home in Colorado, and New Year’s Eve in the city, a visit to the San Jose JV house and a couple of days spent on the couch watching college football bowl games, I am indeed back to work.

It felt good to wake up at a decent hour and ride my bike to work. It was especially nice to see everyone again and get back into a routine. Also, my Monday homeless court orientation was well-attended, my voicemail inbox was full and the guys in the men’s center were excited to see me, which was a nice start to my week.

Last night, for the second time this week I was the only one of my housemates who made it past 9:30, and I think that’s only because I took a nap after work. There is a slight chance we all have mono, but mostly I think it’s a combination of our drafty apartment, cold weather and the sun still setting early. For me at least, there’s a sense that this whole JVC thing is no longer a crazy adventure in California, but rather, it’s our real lives for the next eight months. Those in JVC who are applying to grad schools have finished up their applications and some have already heard back, and those looking for jobs are starting to realize that August, like the mythical year 2000, will eventually come. It’s an oxymoronic test in planning for the future, while living in the present moment and making the most of our remaining time.