Oakland Vice Mayor Annie Campbell Washington came to San Quentin State Prison and talked about improving her community, including the city’s scandal-plagued Police Department, and to hear suggestions from inmates.
She spoke at a meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists – Northern California, San Quentin Chapter (SPJ), the only satellite chapter inside a prison.
“I know people … and have respect for people that work for the Police Department,” said Washington. “To know there are officers engaging in sex with a minor when we are working so hard to stop sex trafficking is heartbreaking. Repairing the community and the Police Department is a farce if I’m in the dark about things like that.”
Louis Scott, a man incarcerated for pimping and pandering who is now part of an organization called Sex Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention (STEP), suggested that Washington bring in city officials “to hear what we have to say and get this education.”
Twenty-five men like Scott, who changed their lives and became journalists while incarcerated, sat around a straight line of tables listening to Washington, who is also the City Councilwoman for District Four and the wife of Glynn Washington, host of NPR’s “Snap Judgment.” She talked about programs she’s pushing for; like The Oakland Promise and Financial Literacy, with the SPJ members.
Also in attendance at the June 29 gathering were Washington’s chief of staff, Adam J. Simons, documentary film maker Eric Metzgar, and Life of the Law Executive Producer Nancy Mullane, who brought in the outside group.
Mullane asked, “What makes a great police chief?”
San Quentin News Executive Editor Arnulfo Garcia answered, “Interacting with the community. Richard Word was good. He came in, asked a lot of questions.”
SPJ member Lonnie Morris added, “I think a person willing to break from the status quo makes a great police chief.”
Washington told the SPJ members how helping the community keeps the police scandals from getting her down.
“This is the thing that I love that keeps me going in City Hall when it’s pretty terrible,” said Washington. “I really get rejuvenated when working in the community, helping small business and engaging schools.”
One such program she spoke passionately about is a pilot program in 13 schools, called the Oakland Promise, that plans to invest in getting every Oakland kid to strive for a college education.
“It starts at the birth of a baby with a single parent. We open a saving account for college with $500 and an account for the parent,” said Washington. “Part of that is a financial literacy curriculum to teach them why the account is so important, about the mindset that we expect everyone to go to college and we are just helping you get there.”
SPJ member Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll stressed that financial literacy must have an emotional management component.
“When I hear financial literacy, most people don’t think about management style or emotions,” said Carroll. “Bad management makes even big checks disappear. People don’t see the connection with managing time with kids, managing what they eat — they see it as purely financial need. When you meet with people, try to get them to see the emotional component there.”
Besides college money and financial literacy, the Oakland Promise aims to provide help for kids of all grades including helping high school graduates obtain college scholarships and mentors to guide them through their academic pursuits. Private sponsors largely fund the Oakland Promise, but Washington seeks to have more parts of it paid for by the city.
Mullane asked the SPJ members what type of additional legislation they would like to see Washington get passed. Several SPJ members answered.
Juan Haines: “Restore Oakland.” (An Ella Baker Center Project aimed at providing training, jobs and a platform to start a business in the food industry for citizens returning from prison that will double as a restorative justice center.)
Marcus Henderson: “Use more returning citizens.”
Scott: “Place a community board over officers.”
Kevin Sawyer: “Have an at-risk fetus program.”
Miguel Sifuentes: “Teach emotional intelligence.”
Guest Metzgar: “Meditation programs.”
Forrest Jones: “Fund after-school vocation programs.”
Carroll: “Teach pillars of financial literacy.”
Eric Phillips: “Bring back music and art programs.”
Richard Richardson: “More employment for the hood.”
Jonathan Chiu: “Gun control and buy-back programs.”
Garcia next asked Washington, who started her career in city government 16 years ago as Jerry Brown’s chief of staff, her thoughts on Brown’s Rehabilitation Act.
“I’m really proud that he (Brown) is willing to work on that,” said Washington. “What I think he is trying to do is say that we have a lot of people in prison who need a second chance and we need to work on that. I think he believes we have people in prison that should be on the outside.”
