Safety
Starting in February Richmond’s crisis response team will start hitting the streets and responding to non-violent calls instead of police. It will help people connect to social services, de-escalate conflicts and crises, and provide transportation to care services at no cost. The Community Crisis Response Program’s advisory board was updated Friday night about how the program’s mobile response team — known as Reach Out With Compassion and Kindness — will work. ROCK will respond to behavioral health checks, wellness checks,…
About 20 people gathered in Richmond’s Nicholl Park on Wednesday to remember those who died in police custody or in a police shooting, as part of the National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality. Twenty other cities held similar protests, part of a growing movement organized by national organizations Dare to Struggle and Families Demanding Justice. This time last year, only six other cities had engaged in the nationwide protest, according to Dare to Struggle. “There have been thousands…
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Do you watch women’s sports? Tiffany Bryan Lacayo “I like to represent the fact that I’m a woman, and we can do it too, but also sometimes they’re a little bit more entertaining. … I’d say maybe don’t see it as a woman’s sport. You’re looking at it as a sport. If…
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Do you think Richmond has enough police officers? Chris Zarete “No. I don’t think so. I think they can definitely beef up a little bit maybe for their safety and for others’ safety as well. There’s certain areas of Richmond where it’s not really safe. And I’m sure as a police officer,…
Carlson Boulevard may look like any other residential street on a calm day, but according to residents and city officials, it has become a hotspot for reckless speeding, near-misses and accidents. Data from the Richmond Police Department shows close to 50 collisions on Carlson Boulevard this year alone. Antonio Davis was involved in one of those accidents, near Huntington Park, as he tried to enter Interstate 80. “Six, seven months ago, I was in an accident because someone rushed a turn…
In June, 55-year-old Niko Wilson decided it was time to complete the patio renovation at her El Sobrante property. Having recently discovered the website Nextdoor, she posted to the social media platform, requesting recommendations from neighbors for help with the project. Within days, she received a private message from Arturo Negrete Cardenas, a San Pablo handyman who offered his services. After visiting the house a few times, Cardenas agreed to install a full patio cover in exchange for a deposit…
The East Bay is in a red flag warning for wildfires until 5 p.m. Saturday because of dry conditions and winds of 25 to 30 mph that could spread wildfires. There have been no reports of wildfires in Contra Costa County. But in neighboring Alameda County, firefighters were battling a blaze in the Oakland Hills that started around 2:30 p.m. and covered 13 acres before the Oakland Fire Department said it had stopped progressing, around 4 p.m. The Keller Fire,…
A junior at Kennedy High School in Richmond, Willow, a transgender and pansexual student, had experienced a hard time in freshman year, being bullied both verbally and physically. Once, Willow recalled, a boy tried to hurt them by hammering nails upright into their chair. “So I would sit on them and I would obviously poke myself or stab myself on them,” said Willow, who uses the pronoun they. A friend noticed the nails and pulled Willow away. In a shop…
Andrea Pierce, who has lived in south Richmond for more than 60 years, is contemplating moving to a better environment for her grandchildren. “It is just not a good place anymore,” Pierce said about Richmond. “Even though I have been here 60-plus years, I have watched it change.” Many people align with Pierce’s views. According to the National Community Survey released in 2021, only 1 in 4 respondents found Richmond to be a good place to raise children. Though that…