top
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Oakland Mayor Challenged By Wilson Riles Jr.

by Lynda Carson (lyndacarson [at] excite.com)
Oaklanders are uniting in a
force to oust Mayor Jerry Brown.
Oakland Mayor Challenged By Wilson Riles Jr.
By Lynda Carson 9/21/01

Oakland,Ca-On Friday September 21, in a clear sign of defiance to the policies of Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, friends and supporters of Mayoral Candidate Wilson Riles Jr., packed the grand opening of the Headquarters for the official launch of the Campaign. Well over a hundred progressives of all stripes spilled out of the Headquarters upon Broadway Street this Friday evening as a visible sign that Oaklanders First shall be the ones to cast their votes against Jerry Brown during this hotly contested election cycle. This evening belonged to Wilson Riles Jr., in his bid to oust Mayor Jerry Brown from public office.

The Campaign Headquarters painted a bright blue, gave the room a vibrantly warm feeling claimed Leslie Bonett of the Green Party who is an active supporter of Wilson Riles Jr. Being very outspoken, Ms. Bonett charges that Jerry Brown is a friend of big business, not a friend of the people. She was quite pleased by the turnout that was quite the crosssection of Oakland\'s diversity. Why would Jerry Brown keep implying that Oakland needs 10,000 new renters to show it\'s greatness, when there already is such a wonderful community right beneath his nose she asks? Wilson Riles Jr., is a man of the heart, a man of the community she goes on to say, and much more in tune with Oaklanders than Jerry Brown has ever shown himself to be.

Among the crowd of noteable supporters and visionaries, were Oakland City Council Member Nancy Nadel, Sue Supriano a long time supporter of KPFA Radio/Independant Media Center, Chris Worthington of Berkeley, Rebecca Kaplan, Enrique Palacio, and a host of others.

Speaker after speaker took their turn to lend thier voice of support for Riles,
and Riles himself spoke to the issues and his shared vision for all of Oaklanders.
Riles went on to say; We need to bring a sense of healing and a uniting of the people of Oakland. Riles charges that, Oakland needs a leadership for the people. Referring to Jerry Browns controversial 10 K Plan which displaces many thousands of renters, small businesses, and non-profit organizations,
Riles states, that instead of 10,000 new renters, Oakland needs10,000 new jobs!

Breonna Cole, the young vibrant 23 year old Campaign Manager for Wilson Riles Jr., has worked on past campaigns for Barbara Lee, and Keith Carson. Ms. Cole,
recently returned from Washington D.C., lived most of her life in Oakland, went to Mills College, and loves this town, say\'s she.

During tonights interview with Riles Campaign Manager, Ms. Cole was quite adept in declaring that Wilson Riles Jr. brings substance and integrity to Oakland, compared to the theatrics of Mayor Jerry Brown. Ms. Cole charges that Jerry Brown uses Oakland as a stepping stone to higher office, and that in comparison Wilson Riles Jr., has the highest respect and honor for the working class, renters, and all of those that have stuck with Oakland in the worst of times. Riles is here to stay, she states, to serve all of Oaklanders during this time of crisis for all of humanity.

As for the issues, Ms. Cole goes on to say that; the Giulianni style of Police Force is great for getting rid of graffiti, but violence and crime is on the rise in Oakland. Housing issues are critical for those that need to rent or buy, and many of her friends in the artist community are being displaced by the ever
increasing rents. Ms. Cole charges that Jerry Browns Military School takes away much needed direction from the educational system as a whole in Oakland. Riles believes that education is the key to development and jobs, she
attests.

Theres much at stake here regarding the direction of Oakland\'s future, as the greedy developers constantly push Oakland into gentrification, while the forces of diversity demand policies that are good for all of Oaklanders. The next election of Oakland will determine whether rampant growth shall overcome wise development. The fate of many rest in the hands of an uncertain future.

The following is from the Wilson Riles Campaign.

*********************************************

PLEASE JOIN THE WILSON RILES FOR MAYOR CAMPAIGN
For the opening of the Headquarters!

Where:
by Huh?
Is this board the forum for party-hack hand-outs? Just wonderin'.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network