Black Arts Movement Business District planner and BAM co-founder Marvin X and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf at the opening of NFL player Marshawn Lynch's Beast Mode store in the Old Oakland District--well, Marvin says Marshawn's store will be listed as part of the BAMBD.
photo Troy Williams
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Marvin and the BAMBD planners intend to meet with the Mayor on the BAMBD plans, outlined in the Feb. 3-9, issue of the Oakland Post Newspaper:
1) Land placed in a trust not subject to gentrification and developers;
2) The city’s Race and Equity Department to help stop displacement and ongoing evictions, including the Oakland Post News Group and the Betti Ono Gallery;
3) Displaying the BAMBD flag throughout the corridor;
4) An immediate moratorium on rent hikes and evictions in the BAMBD corridor;
5) The city to immediately permit members of the BAMBD to vend along the corridor as a sign of entrepreneurship;
6) The BAMBD must have housing, not only for artists but workers, elderly and the marginalized. Those SRO hotels in the downtown area should be acquired with BAMBD residents awarded Life Estate titles--this would end homelessness overnight; and
7) A $1 billion dollar trust fund so we can acquire and secure the necessary land and properties for the BAMBD and provide loans to business persons in the district.
BAMBD planners will invite the Mayor on a Black History walking tour of the BAMBD with City of Oakland Tour Coordinator Annalee Allen. The tour will be held from 10a.m. to 11:30a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17. If you would like to join the tour, please call 510-238-3234 or email Annalee Allen at aallen@oaklandnet.com.
Members of the Black Arts Movement Business District planning committee and media team.
Left to right: Amir C. Clark, Aries Jordan and son Legend, Robert Arnold, Marvin X, Dr. Ayodele Nzinga, Eric Arnold, Ken Johnson, Maiya Newsome-Edgerly, Adam Turner.
photo Amir Aziz Clark
After meeting the Mayor at Marshawn's, later in the afternoon, Marvin and Paul Cobb informed Geoffery Pete, owner of Geoffery's Inner Circle, that his venue will be an essential part of facilities BAMBD will utilize for meetings and performance space. Paul reminded Mr. Pete that the City of Oakland spent millions renovating the Fox Theatre, so with his venue a key spot in the BAMBD, we will discuss with Mayor Schaaf how to get his building renovated so it can be a critical venue in the District, along with the African American Library/Museum, where BAMBD plans to have office space. They will meet with the head of the Oakland Public Library next week, Mr. Gerry Garzon.
On Saturday, the peripatetic, indefatigable Marvin X will participate in a visioning session at the Flight Deck, one of the theatre venues in the BAMBD, presently home of the Lower Bottom Playaz, founded by Dr. Ayodele Nzinga, Marvin X's star student when he taught in the theatre department, Laney College, 1981. Dr. Nzinga recently completed the ten play cycle of plays by August Wilson. She is the only director and producer of the ten play cycle in chronological order.
Marvin X, Organizer of the Black Arts Movement and Business District
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