Remember that Alameda Citizens Task Force meeting attended and tweeted about by local Historian, Rasheed Shabazz? Well it’s in article form if you’re interested. It’s particularly relevant in light of the discussions around the Wellness and Respite Center which is actively being challenged by folks through the ballot initiative process. And since signature gatherers are gonna signature gather everything short of offering unicorns and ponies are being used to get people to sign.

Insightfully entitled “The ‘Real Alamedans'” Rasheed Shabazz references this comment from last year from one of the ACT leaders:

It was at the 6/6/17 Council Meeting at the 5hr 06min mark – exact quote was "I feel like what you're trying to do here is help the Renters of the city who are fairly short term people or even wannabe Alamedans"https://t.co/9vlqe2JjO2 — Malia Vella (@Malia_Vella) July 12, 2018

As well as a comment from one of the organizers of the ACT PAC event:

“We are the real Alamedans United,” ACT member Paul Foreman, who chaired the meeting, told the attendees, alluding to the union-led PAC that was active in the last election and outspent all other PACs and candidate committees.

Click through to read the whole article.

Also of interest from Rasheed Shabazz is a map of where the folks who signed the recall petition against Malia Vella live in Alameda.

By the way, I’ve seen some critiques of this map and for those that had a visceral reaction to the mapping remember that the folks who signed the petition voluntarily did so and as part of that process must put their addresses in the petition and make that petition a public document. This is vastly different than a political opponent plucking out names of volunteers in a campaign and deciding to then post those address using whatever mechanism is available in order to prove some random political point.

Having viewed Rasheed Shabazz’s presentation on race and Alameda history — including several maps (Alameda Donald Trump voters, M1 vs L1 voters, etc ) which reflect the redlining boundaries — would you be shocked if I told you that the concentration of Malia Vella signatories also are also largely reflective of those redlining boundaries as well?

Anyway, if you want to learn some Alameda History that goes beyond “we have really cute homes and buildings” I would suggesting catching one of Rasheed Shabazz’s presentations. There are a few coming up including one at the Elk’s Lodge in coordination with the Alameda Museum. From the Alameda Museum website:

September 27: In Memory of Alameda: Archives, Public Space, and the Narratives of Alameda, California – Rasheed Shabazz

Alameda resident and writer Rasheed Shabazz will discuss how Alameda is remembered in a discussion of the city’s archives, monuments, and written histories. Sponsor: Evelyn Kennedy, Alain Pinel Realtors, and Alameda Museum Board Member.