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This is the video that was the focus of a front page Oakland Tribune article, where it was refered to as the "secret tape". It has Yusuf Bey IV of Your Black Muslim Bakery talking to two other unidentified associates in an Oakland Police holding room, and whispering as if they did not want to be heard, but they were. What's revealing in this tape is the sheer insensitivity of the three to the fact that Bailey (or anyone) had been murdered. It's also hard to pin down who did what from the tape. But it's clear the Oakland Police were trying to form a case against Your Black Muslim Bakery. To date, Bey has not been charged and the only person who has been is Devondre Brousard .

I quite literally stumbled over this video just a few seconds ago before I viewed it, and was shocked. You've got to see it. It charges -- via the words of Oakland Post Publisher and long-time Oaklander Paul Cobb that in late 2007, The Oakland Police were less concerned with investigating the murder of Chancey Bailey, than "getting" Your Black Muslim Bakery. There are other comments by Cobb, who stated that "We know what happened to Chauncey. He was stalked and targeted." Cobb also informs that the organization Bailey was investigating at the time was not Your Black Muslim Bakery, but The Oakland Police. Here's the video:

Lillie Jue is the manager of The Jue Trust and owns several buildings in Oakland and the Bay Area. A petite elderly woman of Chinese American decent, "Mrs Jue" as she's called out of respect, is someone you're compelled to like because she' parental in her manner. But what many have discovered -- including me -- is that she's a landlord that has several rent board complaints against her and questionable practices. Mrs Jue has been the subject of a number of emails I've received over the years and especially since I moved out of my apartment on Van Buren Avenue, after a spirited battle I waged against her. And no, the emails were not solicited by me, but my people who read this blog. Here's one I just got that the person insisted I publish. My husband and I rented an apartment from Mrs. Jue in 2004 at 740 Oakland Avenue, Oakland. I should have backed out from the beginning, as she had it listed for $1025. The day we went for lease signing, it w

c The legendary longtime Oakland Tribune Columnist William Wong sent me this column presenting his unique take on the China Olympics. I'll be interviewing Bill, as he's called, today in video form on this subject. The Olympics, China & Me By William Wong Copyright, 2008, William Wong Now that the Beijing Olympics have begun (weren’t the opening ceremonies stunningly over-the-top?) who will I, a Chinese American, root for – American or Chinese athletes, and by extension, the United States or China? Simple question, complicated answer. I’ve loved sports most of my life and even wished at one point to play basketball for my (American) high school team. Alas, I am 26 inches shorter than Yao Ming, China’s superstar professional basketball player, and not nearly as skilled, so I long ago became an avid sports fan instead. I even started my journalism career as a sportswriter for my high school and college newspapers. The sports and athletes I know best are most

Harry arrives at the Balboa Cafe From San Francisco Scene / SF Politics If you'd have told me that I'd end my evening into very early morning trying to convince the legendary Harry Denton not to lay down in the middle of the intersection of Filmore and Greenwich after what he admits was a drunken bender, I'd have said you were nuts. Well, you weren't. What I saw was the embodiment of Old San Francisco in action. Harry Denton's a throwback to the days of a bar called "Henry Africa" and Herb Caen and the Three Martini lunch, and Carol Doda. Denton is fun, San Francisco style. But what I now understand that to mean is a kind of ultimate freedom we don't see today. And when we do see it, we just don't know what to do. Ok. This is what happened. I decided to visit the Balboa Cafe in San Francisco, really because I'm used to the place and thought that the Olympics would be on television and I could watch the games with a crowd that may be ye

Catholic Charities' Crisis Response and Support Network (CRSN) is in urgent need of volunteers to serve as First Responder Crisis Counselors - providing compassionate support to the families and friends of homicide victims in Oakland. These volunteers are the heart and soul of their support system for homicide survivors. They respond to calls from the Oakland Police Department and CRSN First Responder Team Leaders and go the scene of homicides, hospitals and the homes of survivors to provide immediate support in the first hours following the traumatic death of a loved one. They are part of what we call a "ministry of presence" and are trained to provide information that helps families understand what is going in, but most of all they function as a compassionate friend offering practical support. First Responders are "on-call" during hours they identify but must be prepared to respond to a call-out and arrive at the designated location within 30-45 minutes. Volun

I love United Airlines and have flown them since I was two years old. But currently, United is faced with the same challenges that other carriers face. As the official airline of the DNC Convention, United is on the hook to perform well. The last time I was in Denver for the Invesco visit , there was an enormous customer service line unlike any I've seen before. In this video, I explain how you can avoid that problem. There are several steps: 1) Plan ahead and know what flights are coming in and out. 2) Come to Denver early, like the 23rd of August or the 22nd. 3) Take the Red-Eye. Avoid on-peak hour travel. 4) Get the United customer service number and save it. It's 1-800-864-8331 for domestic flights, and 1-800-426-5561 for Spanish language persons, 1-800-426-5560 for Asian speaking persons, and 1-800-323-0170 for persons who may be deaf or blind. There's no reason why your trip to the DNC Convention can't be a good one. Plan ahead. See you there.

I got this interesting release which I'll show below as it's chocked full of information. It's on an event to take place this Saturday at 11 in the morning at the old Key System building at 11th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland. Here's the info: The Oakland Heritage Alliance along with SKS Investments are unveiling a new mural by artist Rocky Rische-Baird at the site of the historic Key System building in downtown Oakland to commemorate the innovative mass transit system that once served communities throughout the Bay Area. The 20-by-80-foot mural will be installed at the base of the former Key System building at 1100 Broadway. As part of the redevelopment of the 1100 Broadway site, SKS Investments will restore and preserve the facade of the neo-classical structure which will be integrated into a new 20-story tower that will provide 310,000-square-feet of Class A office space and 10,000-square-feet of ground-floor retail. Upon the start of construction at the s

I happened upon this YouTube video where this Oakland-born, Texas resident wants to know why the African American community wants to save thugs from Jail. In the video, she talks about how YouTube can be used to "out" thugs and help police detectives. I think it's a good idea. Indeed, the Oakland Police falls off in it's use of the Internet for investigations. There's a lot that the department does not know; I wish they'd call me. But I digress. Watch this video:

John McCain Offers Wife For " Miss Buffalo Chip " Topless Beauty Contest (No, that's not her) You're not going to believe this, but Senator John McCain, speaking at the annual biker convention the Sturgis Bike Rally said “I was looking at the Sturgis schedule and noticed that you have a beauty pageant and so I encouraged Cindy to compete,” McCain said to cheers from the (mostly male) crowd. “With a little luck, she could be on the only woman ever to serve as both the first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip.” You don't believe it? See this video; it's all there: What is so troubling is that this is the first time in my life, I've seen the role of first lady be reduced -- REDUCED -- to that of topless beauty model. That's what the Miss Buffalo Chip contest is about. It's an insult to anyone with a level head. It's an insult to the inititution of the President of The United States, and an insult to all American ideals. Senator McCain should appolog

http://zennie2005.blogspot.com - On the morning of July 31st 2008, I boarded a United Airlines morning flight to Denver to attend the final (?) media walkthrough before the Democratic National Convention, this one at Invesco Field. Unlike my first media walkthrough trip, I ended up renting a Saturn SUV for ground travel. The reason was simple: it was cheap. Cheaper to rent than a Prius and because they were in low demand versus the economy cars. In a way it worked out to a savings of about $25. Invesco Field was only 20 minutes away from the airport, so it was a quick trip for me. I arrived at Invesco at 11:20 and ran into a DNCC employee (who I will not name by request) and who walked me around the stadium (we ended up on the field at one point) and eventually into the main briefing meeting. For security reasons I did not film the main meeting discussion, but focused more on the 'broadbrush" tour and interviews of key media people there. On the way to the main pre

I really get sick of posting this , but it's part of the current "deai" in Oakland: OAKLAND — A male was shot by an Oakland police officer at 9:55 p.m. Friday at 24th and Adeline streets in West Oakland. The victim was transported to a local hospital. His condition is unknown. Police are not releasing any information on the officer involved in the shooting. This the second officer-involved shooting in eight days and the eighth this year. Mack Woodfox, 27, was fatally shot by police after an attempted traffic stop July 25.

I attended the TeamPlay Foundation fundraising party held at Harry Denton's Starlight Room last Wednesday July 23, in San Francisco. The organization was founded by Erik Gunnar Counselman and Barron Davis, the latter the now-former star with the Golden State (Oakland) Warriors. The video presents Counselman's interview where he explains how the firm's trying to mate social networks and mentors and kids in need. The target region is East Oakland. Why have the event in San Francisco is a question for another time. But this event was to raise money for TeamPlay and present its new technology to the audience. For his part, Baron Davis, now with the Los Angeles Clippers, said that regardless of where he goes in the NBA, this -- the Bay Area -- will always be his home. He expressed his commitment to making the company work well.

Ok. I'm back from Denver and Invesco Field and a great tour and also meetup and walkthrough with Oreo of the great blog DemConWatchBlog.com Lots of news to report, which I will do in a separate blog. But some teasing. I learned that the total convention schedule is not finalized and that the media's premature in what it's reporting -- not that the Hillary Clinton speak date is wrong -- there's more to come. Invesco Field itself is a huge and well-equipped facility that makes me wish Oakland would wake up and rebuild the Oakland / Alameda County Coliseum. It has miles of storage space, wide cooridors, and a new smell -- still. I also learned that protest groups have filed suit to be closer to the convention than they are. But as you will see in my upcoming video from my trip, they're pretty close already!! I also discovered that the best Spinach Salad's at Brooklyn's bar and grill next to Pepsi Center, and that the facility will become " The Pol

On CNN there are extensive reports of a 5.8 Richter Scale Earthquake, centered in Chino Hills, about 29 miles south of LA. The quake wasn't large enough, fortunately, to cause major damage at least as reported thus far. A water main broke, but traffic's still moving through LA. And now the earthquake was reduced to a 5.4 Richter Scale quake in size by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Maria Ayerdi Will Cause Development Dollars To Flow From Oakland When the currently proposed new Transbay Terminal comes to reality, you can thank the direction of one person for its completion and subsequent drawing or more development dollars away from Oakland: Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan. Who? Kaplan is the Executive Director of The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) , the organization responsible for the development and financing of this massive project, which was featured in this video I created last year: The authority's work will result in the tallest building ever constructed in San Francisco, over 1,000 feet tall and a retail and mixed use complex of over 2 million square feet of space. Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan's resume is perfect for the role. She was Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan is the Executive Director of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) and a former TJPA Board Member. A member of the State Bar of California, Kaplan has served as the Mayor of San Francisco’s ..

I present my long form video documentary of the TechCrunch | August Capital Party held Friday, July 25th 2008 at August Capital and hosed by TechCrunch Co-Founder / Editor Michael Arrington. First, let me thank Michael for the opportunity to do this at his event, as well as the time he gave me. Second, let me thank all of you who gave me your time at the party, which was the vast majority of you. I set out to form a pattern of opinions on what the Democratic Party and Senator Obama should address on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. I also tried to give a view of what people were working on in the tech / web community. There's a lot here. But I also tried to make something fun to watch, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The video is 41 minutes long and some of the highlights: TechCrunch's Michael Arrington explaining that he hope Barack Obama sicks to his concern for "net neutrality" as well as his hope that issues regarding H1 Visas, the FC

Senator John McCain has a big-ticket fundraiser of 100,000 per person and held at the Fairmount Hotel to add to the public money he's already using to run for President. I figured an anti-war protest must have been planned and I was right: there's one according to KTYU.com: SAN FRANCISCO -- Grassroots campaigners are planning to protest the continuation of the Iraq war Monday outside a fundraising event at a San Francisco hotel for Republican presidential nominee Arizona Sen. John McCain. Members of No Soldier Left Behind will rally outside the campaign fundraiser and collect petition signatures calling for a responsible end to the war, according to Peace Action West, an organization that fosters civic activism. Protestors will hold signs advocating the end of the war and well being of Iraqis and Americans in the region. "Sen. McCain is here raising money in support of an Iraq policy that will be a continuation of the president's fail strategy," Peace Action West

I saw this news at SFGate.com : (07-28) 06:26 PDT OAKLAND -- Oakland police today are investigating two restaurant robberies that occurred within minutes of each other on Sunday night. The first robbery happened at about 9:35 p.m. at the Bay Fung Tong Seafood Tea House at 1916 Franklin St. in downtown Oakland. Three armed men robbed people of their cash or wallets and took money from the business, police said. No one was injured in the takeover robbery. At about 9:42 p.m., a man robbed the Grégoire takeout restaurant at 4001 Piedmont Ave. One person was hurt during that robbery but did not need medical treatment, police said. No arrests have been made in the robberies, and it was not immediately known whether the two cases were related. I think the main issue is stopping crime before it starts. Both of these incidents happened around the close of business. Why no cameras in either place? What about other deterent devices? Or is this a time to encourage gun ownership?

I saw this article in today's Trib about "Kelly Hill" and their Chauncey Bailey Reunion. "Kelly Hill" is an area that is not known to many Oaklanders, including me. It's a neighborhood in Hayward where Bailey grew up. Bailey lived there as a teen and all the way through Hayward High School. You can read more, here .