Kava, kratom and caffeine — the stories in this episode of our podcast dive into obsession, addiction and habits. We follow reporters Susie Neilson ad Padmini Parasarathy as they goes to Melo Melo Kava Bar where people consume Kava, a Polynesian root-brewed tea, helping people with their anxiety and overcome addiction. Alexa Hornbeck takes us to Sacramento as she speaks with a mother fighting to keep kratom, a controversial herbal supplement, from being made an illegal substance in the United States….
Najari Smith, Josue Hernandez, and Roshni “Tay” McGee have opened a worker-owned cooperative in Richmond called Rich City Rides. The bike repair shop opened in 2015, but the organization responsible for community rides and outdoor activities, has been around for five years. The goal is to have a space where people can come in and buy a bike, get a bike fixed, or learn more about bike repairs. The three put on free Friday bike repair workshops, weekly community rides,…
Madni Halal Market is one of the few Richmond shops that sells halal meat and other products. Watch to learn more about what halal means and how the store provides the Muslim community in Richmond with halal products that are hard to find.
Six children in blue collared shirts and khakis stand at the starting line of an asphalt track. Rodney Brown, the children’s mentor, paces the side, eyes and teeth glinting in the sun. Brown yells, “Ready. Set!” Three kids lunge forward. “No sir, no sir, back behind the line,” Brown says. The kids disqualify themselves about three more times. Brown sees himself in these Caliber: Beta Academy students, who are struggling to succeed. A Richmond native, he attended Kennedy High School….
Jazmine Wilson describes herself as a “hairstylist, but as a braider first.” Customers often sit in her chair for four or more hours. She has spent years perfecting her craft and sees it as something that brings women in the community together. To hear more about the art of braiding, check out Jazmine’s story on Tracks/Borders episode of our Tales of Two Cities podcast, in collaboration with Oakland North.
When Cesar Zepeda, president of Hilltop’s Neighborhood Council, met with investors and developers prior to LBG’s purchase, he emphasized the Hilltop community’s vision: a mixed-use development that incorporates affordable housing units. But while housing is needed all over the Bay Area, Zepeda said the new owners and the community need to be “realistic and understand what the Hilltop area is able to give.”
It’s not 9,600 housing units, he said.
Richmond city council to discuss following Berkeley and Oakland’s lead in establishing the Bay Area’s first public bank.
In response to gun violence in Richmond, a coalition of faith leaders and community members has organized these evening walks since 2011. They arrange them in concert with local church groups, and they take place in different crime-affected neighborhoods.