We made it through 2021! The Coalition is still here, thriving, proud of our progress, looking forward to being bigger and better in 2022.
Our membership stands at 250, not bad for a little grass roots group that started when a few of us discovered each other on nextdoor.com. We had no budget, no marketing plan, no P.R. expertise, no connections; all we had was our very strong belief that (a) our cause was just and (b) plenty of other Oaklanders thought as we did. That has proven to be the case: when we started, back in the late winter of 2021, “defund the police” was practically the civic religion of Oakland. Today, the phrase has been utterly repudiated, its formulators have lost all credibility with the public, and the Oakland Police Department in fact is growing! Not enough, in our opinion, but still, it’s amazing how the entire conversation about policing has changed in less than a year—and we at the Coalition like to think we had something to do with it.
And now to something I’ve thought about a lot ever since we launched our website last Spring. If you scroll to the bottom of CBO’s landing page to the black area, you’ll see a yellow-orange disk that frames the word “Donate.” And that’s what I’d like to ask you to do. Our expenses are not huge, fortunately, but we do have to pay for stuff. So if you like the Coalition for a Better Oakland, and want us to stick around and continue our work on behalf of you, please consider giving us whatever you can afford. Thank you.
As we count off the remaining hours of 2021, I’d like to express my gratitude, and that of my colleagues, for the interest you have shown in CBO. And for the patience you’ve exhibited with us, as we’ve learned how to navigate these weird waters, where the currents of local politics, subject matter expertise, social media and human relationships swirl and collide. Have a safe, happy, productive and loving new year.
Steve Heimoff