Nearly people packed into Union Baptist church in the middle of Coliseum City Saturday for a town hall meeting to discuss the future of the acre area that surrounds the Coliseum and Oracle Arena. As the City of Oakland and Alameda County put together the Coliseum City Specific Plan, some people and organizations are speaking up about what they would like to see for their community in the near future.
Esther Goolsby, the mistress of ceremonies, opened with a powerful speech. She encouraged residents to be leaders, not followers, when it comes to communicating with City Hall about the needs of the community.
She said the rising cost of living, that will only increase with large-scale development, is a source of stress on local residents. The town hall offered several opportunities for people to express their points of view. There was a station to conduct video interviews and a table where people could write their thoughts and ideas on note cards.
In the main event, everyone split off into 14 groups to do visualization exercises for what they would like to see happen in Coliseum City. What are the strengths that we can build on? But there was also some hesitation, as urban blight, homelessness, and neglected infrastructure were part of the conversation. The ideas came out in a torrent: walkable streets, accessible pathways. Access to transportation.
Child care centers. Affordable and accessible transportation. People said police accountability in the area feels uneven and poorly managed and needs to be improved. Nobody seemed interested in high-end condos or boutique shops. Donna Griggs Murphy, a long-time resident of the area, suggested a worker-owned grocery co-op and a vocational training facility.
