Revive Oakland is an umbrella of disparate Californian community groups that have come together in light of plans to turn the derelict Oakland Army Base into a working port.
The campaigners have no problem with the plans that exist. Most come from a background of involvement with low-income communities and I have the impression that they are absolutely in favour of regeneration. Their aim is to ensure that jobs and training opportunities are made available to local people.
The groups involved are largely community-based and I would suspect not well-known outside their own area.
The most interesting of the groups is East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (www.workingeastbay.org)- not a green group as you might imagine from the name, but one that looks to be more of a civil rights type group. I remember once reading of a comment made by (I think) Amilcar Cabral to (I think) Basil Davidson (my memory`s not so good as you can possibly tell !) that ordinary people don`t fight for an ideology, they fight for a better future for their children. EBASE seem very much concerned with that kind of approach, which I think we can all relate to. I wish them luck with what seems to be a very laudable campaign.
Further reading ;
Liz Gonzales - Revive Oakland Seeks Long-Term Jobs for Oaklanders - Contra Costa Times, 17June 2010 (www.contracostatimes.com)
Nikki Fortunato Bas - Revive Oakland ! With Good Jobs From Army Base Project - Oakland Seen, 23 June 2010
(www.oaklandseen.com)
Nikki Fortunato Bas - Good Jobs Can Revive Oakland - EBASE Blog 22 June 2010 (as Nikki Bas)
(www.workingeastbay.org)
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