The Richmond Police Department assisted with crowd control at the Occupy Oakland “general strike” Wednesday evening, marking the second time in two weeks that they have provided back up to the Oakland Police Department. Captain Mark Gagan said 12 Richmond officers were sent with the Contra Costa County Mutual Aid Mobile Field Force to support perimeter control. The group arrived on the scene around 8 p.m. “We basically waited to see where we were needed and what was needed,” Gagan…
My phone rings unexpectedly. It’s Richmond Police Captain Mark Gagan. “Lexi,” he says, “you know the dredging that’s been going on in the marina? I guess they just pulled two cars out of the water. I can ask if you can go out for a first look with the inspectors.” I start grabbing my camera and messenger bag. “Let’s hope there are no skeletons in the trunks,” Gagan jokes. A few hours later I pull into the parking lot at…
Got drugs? The Richmond Police Department wants to safely dispose of them during the third National Take Back Initiative on Saturday.
For kids, it’s a night of candy and fun; for parents, a night with plenty of worry. But Richmond Confidential has a few tricks to make sure your Halloween is a treat.
For families who choose not to allow younger children out after dark to trick-or-treat or for those simply looking for a new way to celebrate, there are a variety of alternative events throughout the weekend.
Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus sent an open letter to city leaders and the press Wednesday apologizing for a failure of communication between his department and the Office of Neighborhood Safety following a fistfight in City Hall on October 14. Magnus wrote in his message that the RPD and ONS have “made significant strides over the past several years to engage the community in successful violence-reduction efforts.” But the recent events, he wrote, impacted the confidence the public has in…
The Richmond Police Department sent 13 officers to assist with crowd control at the Occupy Oakland protest Tuesday evening.
Office of Neighborhood Safety staff and supporters spoke publicly Monday night about the details of the fistfight that broke out among seven young men on October 14 in City Hall and what the altercation means for the future of ONS. In a nearly two-hour discussion at the Human Rights and Human Relations Commission meeting, they pointed to a failure of communication between the group and the Richmond Police Department directly following the incident, saying that the relationship needs repair. “I…
Long-standing rifts between the Office of Neighborhood Safety and its critics have broken open following a fight last week involving youth from rival neighborhoods who had gathered inside City Hall.
DeVone Boggan, director of the Office of Neighborhood Safety, called 25 young men known as some of the most violent or at-risk youth in Richmond into the City Manager’s office in City Hall more than a year ago. He wanted to show them the fantastic view of the Bay Area and to make them an offer—he would take them on as ONS fellows if they were willing to take a chance on a new life. Almost all of them said…
The red-tagged building in the Iron Triangle that housed the “Bee Hive” — an illegal, underground club busted in mid-September — is now hanging in the balance as the property owner scrambles to make repairs. The owner of 512 MacDonald Ave., located across from the Nevin Center, agreed to make the changes required by code enforcement and the city attorney. But the initial deadline has come and gone due to problems obtaining a contractor. “The owner has been cooperating 100…
For almost 20 years, Ized Stewart has lived outside on the corner of 24th Street and Barrett Avenue. He’s a familiar presence, known to a generation of locals for surrounding himself with mounds of bags containing anything from garbage to stuffed animals. He’s often seen feeding the local birds, reading the newspaper or listening to his small radio. Some know him as George, some simply as “the bag man.” No one is quite sure how he ended up homeless in…
On Aug. 8, Pedro Gutierrez was driving to his job as a carpenter in his black 1992 Ford Mustang. He turned off Cutting Boulevard just a block away from his work when he spotted a police car flip a U-turn to follow him. Gutierrez, an undocumented resident, saw blue and red lights behind him and realized that he was being pulled over. He steered his car to the side of the road. The police officer parked behind him, then walked…
When Kevin Muccular visited South Africa early this September, he saw a group of local children playing, making up their own games because they could not afford toys. They smiled and chased each other around, impervious to their economic situation. “We [talked to] their parents, who said the children haven’t eaten in days but still found a way to laugh,” Muccular said. “I just thought that is was remarkable … they were full of energy, full of personality.” Muccular, a…