A Coliseum for Us All: Sign the Petition to Ensure that Coliseum Redevelopment Puts Oakland Communities First
Oakland City Council and African American Sports & Entertainment Group
The Oakland Coliseum is an important part of Oakland’s history. For over half a century, it has been a mainstay in the lives of Oakland residents. It is a place where collectively, we are able to experience joy, triumph and a level of camaraderie that is often elusive in our current society. Now, we have the opportunity to shape the Coliseum’s future. We must ensure that the development of the Coliseum site benefits the people of Oakland in general and particularly supports and serves East Oakland residents and the communities surrounding the Coliseum.
A developer called the African American Sports Entertainment Group (AASEG) has proposed a development on the Coliseum site, and the Oakland United Coalition wants to ensure that they hear from YOU and other Oaklanders about why it’s important that this project includes good jobs, deeply affordable housing and a healthy environment. Sign the petition now!
Oakland United is a long-standing coalition of Oakland residents, workers, labor unions, community organizations, youth & faith groups that has been engaged in Coliseum development proposals since 2015. Our coalition will negotiate with AASEG about what this development on public land will include. We are committed to ensuring that the Coliseum development project prioritizes the well-being of Oakland residents and existing communities by winning a strong Community Benefits Agreement that includes good jobs, affordable housing, and a healthy environment.
This project on public land has the potential to reinvigorate East Oakland and improve the lives of residents by providing meaningful economic opportunities, housing stability, and environmental safeguards.
Sign our petition now if you support the creation of good jobs, deeply affordable housing, and environmental protections at the proposed Coliseum site!
Who We Are: The Oakland United Coalition is a group of community, labor and faith organizations representing thousands of Oakland residents fighting for good jobs, affordable housing, and a healthy environment. Our organizational partners include: East Bay Alliance For a Sustainable Economy, East Bay Housing Organizations, Communities for a Better Environment, Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, UNITE HERE Local 2, PowerSwitch Action, Public Advocates, and Causa Justa :: Just Cause.
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To:
Oakland City Council and African American Sports & Entertainment Group
From:
[Your Name]
The proposed development at the Coliseum provides an opportunity for the City of Oakland and African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG) to invest in a community where there has been historical disinvestment and disenfranchisement. The implementation, enforcement, and adherence to a comprehensive Community Benefits Agreement which includes benefits shaped by community input and deep community engagement are necessary in order to meet the needs of communities that will be the most directly impacted by the development.
It is imperative that the City and AASEG agree to a strong set of community benefits that provide meaningful employment, housing opportunities, and environmental protections for Oakland’s residents and existing communities. The final project agreement must include strong, legally binding commitments to deeply affordable housing, jobs policies that apply across the entire project, funding for tenant resources to prevent displacement in impacted areas, and plans to address environmental and neighborhood impacts.
We want these Community Benefits as a condition of approval of any project development agreement at the Coliseum:
1. Quality Jobs- Ensure equity in employment, particularly for Black workers, who have been systematically excluded from gainful economic opportunities. This means providing good jobs with living wages and benefits, workforce development, local hiring, and fair chance hiring programs. These policies must apply across the entire development project.
2. Affordable Housing and Anti-displacement Protections - Prevent further gentrification by providing truly affordable housing (at a minimum, affordable to a family of 4 that makes $79,900 annually, and include housing accessible to people living in poverty). Significant inclusionary housing, protections for tenants and prospective tenants, and anti-displacement measures to protect existing residents from displacement must be provided.
3. Healthy Environment- Environmental impact measures must be taken that ensure clean air and water, clean up existing toxic sources, utilize clean energy infrastructure, abate traffic, support green businesses, and provide access to a healthy environment.
4. Community Oversight and Enforcement- Community members and organizations should have a key role in ongoing implementation and enforcement of the Community Benefits Agreement.
If done right, this project has the potential to benefit Oakland residents and transform Oakland communities. This will only occur if the above conditions are met and/or exceeded.
Oakland United Member Organizations:
Causa Justa: Just Cause, Communities for a Better Environment, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, East Bay Housing Organizations, Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, PowerSwitch Action, Public Advocates, and UNITE HERE Local 2