Oakland Makeshift Memorials 2007

Last post

2008-01-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

Dear all-
I'm both saddened and relieved to say that I will not be continuing this project in 2008.
It has taken its toll on me in a number of ways, the worse being that I've caught myself feeling more sorry for the fact I had to go visit yet another homicide site than for the fact that another human life, dear to many, was lost.
As some of my readers have commented, this is one of the saddest consequences of these homicides: they become acceptable, routine, just an unfortunate ongoing phenomenon.
I so appreciate all those who have posted comments, reminding us that these victims were part of others' lives. All human life is inherently sacred and valuable, and any loss, especially by violence, is unbearably tragic.
Here's wishing 2008 sees us being more committed to addressing the issues that create the environment where such violence occurs.
Best,
Nic B

Bobby Jones, #126

2007-12-31T08:41:00.000-08:00

Bobby Jones, 50
Killed 12/30/07 6:44 pm
800 block of 37th St
Gun

Ramon Stevens, #125

2007-12-30T21:05:00.000-08:00

Ramon Stevens, 42
Killed 12/30/07 11:51 am
86th Av & International
Gun

Robert H. Benjamin Jr., #124

2007-12-30T21:03:00.000-08:00

Robert H. Benjamin Jr., 25
Killed 12/30/07 2:00 am
300 block of 14th St
Gun

Marcus McCall, #123

2007-12-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

Marcus McCall, 26
Killed 12/29/3 11:12 pm
1300 block of 7th St
Gun

Rigoberto Aleman, #122

2007-12-27T22:04:00.000-08:00

Rigoberto Aleman, 32
Killed 12/26/07 10 pm
4400 block of Jensen St
Vehicular

Demoria Spikes, #121

2007-12-27T22:03:00.000-08:00

Demoria Spikes, 33
Killed 12/26/07 8 pm
1000 block of 55th St
Gun

Byron Winston, #120

2007-12-27T22:02:00.002-08:00

Byron Winston, 20
Killed 12/25/07 5:35 pm
2300 block of Market St
Gun

Valvatin Villa, #119

2007-12-27T22:02:00.001-08:00

Valvatin Villa, 26
Killed 12/21/07 1:32 am
Ritchie St & Bancroft Av
Gun

Steven Anthony Jones, #118

2007-12-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

Steven Anthony Jones, 47
Killed 12/19/07 5 pm
4700 block of Ygnacio Av
Gun

Julian Boykins, #117

2007-12-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

Julian Boykins, 16
Killed 12/15/07 3:15 am
2700 block of Harold St
Gun

Leon Cooper, #116

2007-12-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Leon Cooper, 26
Killed 12/10/07 4 pm
600 block of 14th St
Gun

Carl D. Williams, #115

2007-12-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

Carl D. Williams, 19
Killed 12/6/07 8:44 pm
9600 block of Sunnyside St
Gun

Ernest Jerez, #114

2007-12-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

Ernest Jerez, 28
Killed 12/3/07 10:40 pm
1400 block of 48th Av
Gun

Charles Johnson Jr., #113

2007-11-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

Charles Johnson Jr., 29
Killed 11/28/07 9:25 am
600 block of 25th St
Gun

Unknown male #112

2007-11-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

Unknown male
Killed 11/9/07 11:50 pm
Fruitvale Ave & International Blvd
Assault

Anthony Q. Jones, #111

2007-11-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Anthony Q. Jones, 43
Killed 11/9/07 11:15 pm
8600 block of Seneca St
Stabbing

Roosevelt Gaither, #110

2007-11-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Roosevelt Gaither, 30
Killed 11/1/07 9:27 pm
2600 block of 68th Av
Gun

Billy Ray Taylor Jr., #109

2007-11-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

Billy Ray Taylor Jr., 24
Killed 10/31/07 9 pm
1100 block of 8th St
Gun

Cipriano Calmo, #108

2007-10-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

Cipriano Calmo, 22
Killed 10/28/07 6:50 pm
3300 block of International Blvd
Stabbing

Greg Ballard Jr., #107

2007-10-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Greg Ballard Jr., 17
Killed 10/13/07 8:10 pm
9200 block of Sunnyside St
Gun

DeJohn L. Wade, #106

2007-10-03T14:07:00.001-07:00

DeJohn L. Wade, 17
Shot 9/28/07 (died 10/2/07)
98th & Bancroft Av
Gun

Bruce Jones, #105

2007-09-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Bruce Jones, 19
Killed 9/29/07 11:15 am
8th & Myrtle St
Gun

Shadondee A. Williams, #104

2007-09-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Shadondee A. Williams, 24
Killed 9/25/07 9:50 pm
33rd St & MLK Jr Way
Gun

Jesse A. McKissick, #103

2007-09-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

Jesse A. McKissick, 20
Killed 9/23/07 8:10 pm
1500 block of 27th Av
Gun

Mauricio Merino, #102

2007-09-23T20:24:00.002-07:00

Mauricio Merino, 31
Killed 9/22/07 1:10 am
9th & Pine St
Gun

Carlos Juarez, #101

2007-09-23T20:24:00.001-07:00

Carlos Juarez, 17
Shot 7/21/07 7:25 pm (died 9/21/07)
200 block of 27th St
Gun

Gary W. King, #100

2007-09-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Gary W. King, 20
Killed 9/20/07 4:45 pm
5300 block of MLK Jr. Way
Gun

Willie D. Tatmon III, #99

2007-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Willie D. Tatmon III, 22
Killed 9/17/07 5:23 pm
3131 Union St
Gun

I happen to be good friends with this victim's aunt. When I visited this site, one of his relatives pointed: "That's where he tried to run out of. That's his shirt right there"...

Charles Brackins Jr., #98

2007-09-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Charles Brackins Jr., 33
Killed 9/16/07 1:43 am
1800 block of 14th Av
Gun

Amanda Pierre, #97

2007-09-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Amanda Pierre, 89
Killed 9/14/07 1:00 am
710 24th St
Assault/Stabbing

Jabari Harris, #96

2007-09-12T14:50:00.004-07:00

Jabari Harris, 23
Killed 9/11/07 8:00pm
4500 block of Bancroft Av
Gun

Luis Coria, #95

2007-09-12T14:50:00.003-07:00

Luis Coria, 21
Killed 9/11/07 8:00pm
4500 block of Bancroft Av
Gun

Albert Hayes, #94

2007-09-12T14:50:00.001-07:00

Albert Hayes, 39
Stabbed 8/31/07 (died 9/9/07)
1900 block of 73rd Av
Stabbing

Rafael Salas, #93

2007-09-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Rafael Salas, 55
Killed 9/5/07 10:37 pm
1200 block of 45th Av
Gun

Tony Simon, #92

2007-09-04T10:41:00.001-07:00

Tony Simon, 43
Killed 9/4/07 1:00 am
700 block of West MacArthur
Gun

Rita Cortez, #91

2007-09-04T10:40:00.007-07:00

Rita Cortez, 20
Killed 9/1/07 11:38 p.m
2100 block of 96th Av
Gun

Tomas Melero-Smith, #90

2007-09-04T10:40:00.005-07:00

Tomas Melero-Smith, 19
Killed 9/1/07 6:53 pm
2100 block of 94th Av
Gun

Allan Mejia Martinez, #89

2007-09-04T10:40:00.003-07:00

Allan Mejia Martinez, 22
Killed 9/1/07 2:24 am
Bancroft & 90th Av
Gun

Sylvester Green, #88

2007-09-04T10:40:00.001-07:00

Sylvester Green, 57
Killed 8/31/07 8:30 am
9400 block of San Leandro St
Stabbing

Ronald Spears, #87

2007-08-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

Ronald Spears, 29
Killed 8/21/07 1:00 am
55th & Market St
Gun

Osvaldo Bravo, #86

2007-08-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

Osvaldo Bravo, 22
Killed 8/20/07 9:57 pm
2300 block of Magnolia St
Gun

Manuel Quiroga, #85

2007-08-20T10:07:00.001-07:00

Manuel Quiroga, 43
Killed 8/19/07 4:24 pm
Capistrano Dr & Acalanes Dr
Gun

Dejuan Owens, #84

2007-08-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Dejuan Owens, 29
Killed 8/17/07 10:47 pm
900 block of 18th St
Gun

Janet K. Alston, #83

2007-08-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

Janet K. Alston, 42
Killed 8/14/07 5:30 am
Dumped in front of Highland Hospital
Assault

"No tolerance for shrines"

2007-08-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

Twice now, I've heard the opinion that essentially, street memorials are bad news and do more harm than good. The first time was from Tribune reporter Harry Harris, after I asked him if he was interested in looking at this site. More recently, I read in this East Bay Express article, a quote from Councilwoman Jean Quan saying "We have ... no tolerance for shrines because they have become magnets for retaliation. Please let the police and my office know if a shrine appears in your neighborhood; we make arrangements for police and Public Works to take them down."

Although I can't disprove this theory, I'm not sure there is overwhelming evidence to support it, either. As a matter of fact, the Tribune had initially implied the shrine for Anthony Dailey (#42), was partly responsible for the death of Moses Barnett (#46), who was killed near the shrine. Two days later, police stated the following:

"the Friday night fatal shooting of a man at a street shrine for Anthony in West Oakland was not connected to his killing. Killed was Moses Barnett III, 31, of Oakland. He was shot about 9:53 p.m. Friday at the shrine at 31st and Market streets (...) it was coincidental Barnett was killed at the shrine. There is nothing to indicate it's related (to the youth's death)".

In any case, it seems that when someone is killed on the street, it would be natural for loved ones to express grief, at least in part, on the street as well. The problem with Councilwoman Jean Quan's "no tolerance" attitude for street memorials is that it is yet another way to marginalize and silence the victims. The street memorials for Chauncey Bailey (who I liked and respected), can still be seen on 14th Street two weeks after his murder. Why hasn't Quan demanded that they be "taken down"? Probably because Chauncey was, well, somebody. This proverbial double standard speaks volumes about our attitude towards the "other" victims....

Tawfiq Ghazali, #82

2007-08-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Tawfiq Ghazali
Killed 8/13/07 8:39 pm
1539 Campbell St.
Gun

"We Muslims Don't Do That"
I spoke with the owner, still wearing a bandage over his injury, before taking pictures. I explained I look for memorials, and he simply responded "we Muslims don't do that stuff"...

Carlos Meza, #81

2007-08-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

Carlos Meza, 23
Killed 8/12/07 5:30 am
1400 block of 88th Av
Gun

Kevin Wooden, #80

2007-08-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Kevin Wooden, 34
Body found 6/17/07
1000 block of Oak St
Stabbing

Kevin F. Sharp Jr, #79

2007-08-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

Kevin F. Sharp Jr, 20
Killed 8/5/07 3:19 am
1900 block of 13th Av
Gun

Khatari Gant, #78

2007-08-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Khatari Gant, 25
Killed 8/4/07 11:25 pm
600 block of 54th St
Gun

Raul Reyes, #77

2007-08-04T15:52:00.005-07:00

Raul Reyes, 22
Killed 8/4/07 4:40 am
1200 block of 49th Av
Gun

Byron K. Mitchell, #76

2007-08-04T15:52:00.003-07:00

Byron K. Mitchell, 29
Killed 8/4/07 12:53 am
8465 Enterprise Way
Gun

Jacqueline Venable, #75

2007-08-04T15:52:00.001-07:00

Jacqueline Venable, 40
Killed 8/3/07 11:06 pm
1100 block of 8th St
Gun

Johnny Gaines, #74

2007-08-04T15:41:00.006-07:00

Johnny Gaines, 25
Killed 8/3/07 1:45 a.m
500 block of 17th St
Gun

Andre Arceneaux, #73

2007-08-04T15:41:00.005-07:00

Andre Arceneaux, 22
Killed 8/3/07 1:45 a.m
500 block of 17th St
Gun

Chauncey Bailey, #72

2007-08-04T15:41:00.003-07:00

Chauncey Bailey, 57
Killed 8/2/07 7:25 am
200 block of 14th St
Gun

Dana R. Stell, #71

2007-08-04T15:41:00.001-07:00

Dana R. Stell, 47
Killed 7/29/07 3:08 am
5425 San Pablo Av
Stabbing

Anthony Custard, #70

2007-07-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Anthony Custard, 17
Killed 7/24/07 9:20 pm
1700 block of 69th Av
Gun

Antoine Williams, #69

2007-07-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Antoine Williams, 21
Killed 7/23/07 9:34 pm
1600 block of 90th Av
Gun

Carlos Guzman, #68

2007-07-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

Carlos Guzman, 38
Killed 7/23/07 12:30 pm
51st Av & International Blvd
Gun

Kikhiesha Brooks, #67

2007-07-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

Kikhiesha Brooks, 21
Killed 7/22/07 1 pm
Martin Luther King & 59th St
Gun

Gabriel Moncada, #66

2007-07-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

Gabriel Moncada, 19
Killed 7/17/07 11:10 pm
1000 block of 102nd Av
Gun

Melanie Blount, #65

2007-07-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Melanie Blount, 40
Killed 7/16/07 12:36 am
2300 block of 73rd Av
Gun

Shante Johnson, #64

2007-07-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

Shante Johnson, 37
Killed 7/13/07 3 am
8400 block of Olive St
Gun

Brian Young, #63

2007-07-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

Brian Young, 39
Killed 7/12/07 10:15 pm
2200 block of East 19th St
Gun

Michael J. Wills Jr., #62

2007-07-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

Michael J. Wills Jr., 36
Killed 7/12/07 3:05 pm
6200 block of San Pablo Av
Gun

Charles Franklin, #61

2007-07-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

Charles Franklin, 58
Killed 7/11/07 5 pm
2100 block of West St
Gun

Mary Barma, #60

2007-07-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

Mary Barma, 48
Killed 7/11/07 12:05 pm
641 West Grand Av
Stabbing

Aisha Hendricks, #59

2007-07-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Aisha Hendricks, 35
Killed 7/8/07 9:22 pm
2300 block of 92nd Av
Stabbing

Odell Roberson, #58

2007-07-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Odell Roberson, 31
Killed 7/8/07 12:08 am
1000 block of 60th St
Gun

Melvin Hughes, #57

2007-07-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

Melvin Hughes, 23
Killed 6/30/07 10:45 pm
4800 block of Fairfax Av
Gun

Samuel N. Walker, #56

2007-07-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

Samuel N. Walker, 20
Killed 6/30/07 2:59pm
Fairfax & Frances St
Gun

Kenneth Facen, #55

2007-07-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Kenneth Facen, 22
Killed 6/30/07 2:55 pm
2700 block of 77th Av
Gun

"What's going on here?"
Well, isn't that just what we all want to know? In this case, the question was uttered by an OPD officer with an assault rifle. I had just arrived at this site, chatting with a couple guys on the corner, when about 6 police cruisers pulled up and a swarm of officers got out with shotguns drawn. Apparently, they had received a report of an individual with a gun. "Please stand to the side and don't move". I was happy to oblige, especially since they decided to handcuff the other two guys I was talking with and place them in the patrol cars "for their safety". A group of women then approached & started talking about the situation: "We are just trying to mourn our loved one. That's not a crime!" We started talking and they were quite appreciative when I pointed out the obvious difference in treatment I recieved from the officers as a white man. After getting some good pix of OPD's weapons arsenal, I decided to move on to the next homicide location. No rest for the weary, indeed...

Chad R. Fraga, #54

2007-06-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

Chad R. Fraga, 30
Killed 6/29/07 11:41 pm
9200 block of Plymouth St
Gun

Jocquline Mason, #53

2007-06-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

Jocquline Mason, 44
Killed 6/29/07
3600 block of Patterson Av
Stabbing or assault

Shelton Dominick, #52

2007-06-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Shelton Dominick, 33
Killed 6/29/07 12:30 am
2500 block of Parker Av
Stabbing

Arlondo F. Ingram, #51

2007-06-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Arlondo F. Ingram, 35
Killed 6/27/07 10:26 pm
1100 block of 62nd Av
Gun

John W. Windham, #50

2007-06-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

John W. Windham, 65
Killed 6/27/07 9:30 pm
1100 block of 28th St
Gun

Corey Burts, #49

2007-06-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Corey Burts, 32
Killed 6/25/07 3 pm
98th Av & C St
Gun

Melvin Porter, #48

2007-06-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

Melvin Porter, 61
Shot 6/17/07 11:30 pm (died 6/19/07)
1000 block of 40th Av
Gun

Alphonso Hall, Jr., #47

2007-06-19T18:57:00.001-07:00

Alphonso Hall, Jr., 50
Killed 6/4/07 (found 6/17/07)
2000 block of 87th Av
Assault

Moses Barnett III, #46

2007-06-19T18:52:00.001-07:00

Moses Barnett III, 31
Killed 6/15/07 9:53 pm
31st St & Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Gun

Donavan Duree, #45

2007-06-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

Donavan Duree, 29
Killed 6/15/07 9:25 pm
100 block of Fairmount Av
Gun

Tiesha Goodwin, #44

2007-06-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

Tiesha Goodwin, 26
Killed on 3/31/07 10:26 pm
8800 block of Fontaine Street
unknown

Jason McGill, #43

2007-06-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Jason McGill, 31
Killed 6/10/07 12:30 am
71st Av and Hamilton St
Gun

Tyrone P. Lyles, #42

2007-06-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tyrone P. Lyles, 37
Killed 6/8/07 11:14 pm
83rd Av and Birch St
Gun

Anthony Dailey, #41

2007-06-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Anthony Dailey, 15
Killed 6/3/07 9:45 am
600 block of 34th St
Gun

Joseph E. Lee, #40

2007-05-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

Joseph E. Lee, 22
Killed 5/30/07 12:40 am
2100 block of 13th Ave
Gun

"You Gotta Ask His Mom"
I arrived at this site the day after the homicide. It was by far the largest memorial I had seen to date. There were over 20 young men, all Asian, hanging out in front of the memorial, lighting incense, burning paper money, placing styrofoam containers full of food, and pouring liquor in cups on the ground. As I approached and asked if I could take some pictures, I was coolly told by a couple guys I needed to get the family's consent. Although some there said "It's cool, he's doin' a good thing", I decided to return later.
The following day the entire memorial was gone, presumably removed by police. The cross and tagging were the only remaining evidence of a memorial...

Engelbert Juarez, #39

2007-05-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Engelbert Juarez, 22
Killed 5/29/2007 12:25 am
1700 block of 12th St
Gun

Jesus Martinez-Herrera, #38

2007-05-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

Jesus Martinez-Herrera, 26
Killed 5/21/07 2:30 am
4300 block of Foothill Blvd
Gun

McCleary Clayton Smith, #37

2007-05-21T23:25:00.001-07:00

McCleary Clayton Smith, 47
Killed 5/20/07 2:00 am
5900 block of Bromley Ave
Assault

Jeremiah Dye, #36

2007-05-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah Dye, 22
Killed 5/19/07 4:30 am
2600 block of Parker Ave
Gun

Oscar Ochoa, #35

2007-05-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

Oscar Ochoa, 19
Killed 5/13/07 2:05 am
3500 block of May Ct
Gun

Tommy Ray Spencer, Jr., #34

2007-05-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tommy Ray Spencer, Jr., 17
Killed 5/11/07 9:50 pm
1601 28th Ave
Gun

Eric Savoy, #33

2007-05-07T20:12:00.005-07:00

Eric Savoy, 15
Killed 5/6/07 10:10 pm
1000 block of Campbell St
Gun

John Carr, #32

2007-05-07T20:12:00.003-07:00

John Carr, 53
Killed 5/4/07 6:45 am
2200 block of 86th Ave
Stabbing

Quiana N. Smith, #31

2007-05-07T20:12:00.001-07:00

Quiana N. Smith, 23
Killed 5/3/07 11:20 pm
8600 block of Hillside St
Gun

Damien D. Willow, #30

2007-04-20T20:41:00.001-07:00

Damien D. Willow, 37
Killed 4/20/07 4 am
1700 block of Wood St
Assault

Allen Joseph Hicks II, #29

2007-04-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Allen Joseph Hicks II, 22
Killed 4/19/07 9:37 pm
8999 International Blvd
Gun