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Councilmember Henry Chang annouced that after 14 years of serving in the Council's "At Large" position, he's stepping down and not seeking reelection. I personally will miss Henry Chang as councilmember, because he never acted like the public should bow down and worship him in any way. He was always nice, and not just to me, but to everyone. It's rare that one hears a bad word about Henry Chang. He will be missed. Here's The Montclarion's account and their look at the 2008 Oakland City Council elections: By Kelly Rayburn STAFF WRITER - The Montclarion The field of candidates for Oakland's June 3 City Council elections includes business owners, community activists, members of the school board and the man known to many as the North Oakland vigilante. It does not include long-time councilmember Henry Chang Jr. Chang made an 11th-hour decision against running for re-election nearly 14 years after he was appointed to the council to fill the vacancy l...

Of all the current Oakland Councilmembers, Henry Chang stands out not just as an elder statesman, but as an honest, principled elected official who I've long admired, regardless of his position. Here's more about him. Henry was born in 1934, the second child of Frances and Henry Sr. He was separated from his parents two years later, when the Japanese attacked his hometown, Shantou. Henry fled to Hong Kong with his Aunt Barbara while his parents escaped to Northern China. Three years later, when the Japanese attacked Hong Kong, Henry returned by freighter back to Japanese-occupied Shantou and was later reunited with his mother and father. Henry's most vivid childhood memories are of the concentration camp his family called home during the occupation of China. There, they witnessed unspeakable torture and brutality. He escaped in 1941 with his brother Thomas by crawling over a wall at night and hiding in a farmhouse. Henry reconnected with his family a year later, whe...