Healing, Housing & The Ballot – A Roundtable of Realness

On April 11th, BOSS hosted Healing, Housing & The Ballot—a deeply rooted community roundtable where truth was spoken and felt.

Held at the Wellness Empowerment & Resiliency Campus (WERC), this event invited residents, leaders, organizers, and elders to explore what’s happening in Oakland—and what it takes to heal and rebuild together. It wasn’t your typical forum. It began with breath, with grounding, with healing. And it ended with action.

What We Talked About

We explored the dynamics behind Measure A, the April 15th Special Election, and the conditions shaping housing, public safety, and behavioral health in Oakland. But more than that, we explored what it means to show up.

We asked the questions that are floating around The Town:

Is Oakland broken?
What do we need to create a city that serves its people?
Are we ready to participate beyond the room, beyond the party—into the follow-up, the accountability, the actual building?

Answers came fast and honest:

We need jobs.
Transparency.
Leadership that listens.
We need neighbors who check in, not just check out.
We need follow-through, not just turnout.

VOTING LOCATIONS

One of the most powerful takeaways?

We asked, "If you could ask councilmembers any question, what would it be?"

Do You Love Oakland?

Simple, right?

The Choice Ahead: Who Will Deliver for Oakland?

As the conversation deepened, one thing became clear: this election is more than names on a ballot—it’s about commitments made to the people. The community is watching closely—not for performances, but for promises that will be honored, policies that will be people-first, and leadership that is rooted in us, not above us.

We asked: Who will bring Oakland back to the starting line? Back to a city defined not by division but by deep, generational unity. Back to the legacy of resistance and resilience that built the very fabric of The Town.

What we need now are not candidates who campaign with soundbites but leaders who are ready to deliver—to bring transparency to the process, equity to budgeting, and healing to systems that have long harmed. The choice before us is not only political—it is deeply personal.

MENTAL WEALTH BLOCK PARTY AT SCHP IN HAYWARD

May 14, 2025, 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM|South County Homeless Project | SCHP

Because the truth is: the community is ready. We don’t need saving—we need partnership. We don’t want more slogans—we want solutions.

And the lasting impression of this roundtable? That if we want an Oakland that works for all of us, we must choose leaders who show up with us.

Leaders who know that the starting line is in the community—and that the race toward justice starts here.

“If we don’t show up for ourselves, they won’t show up for us. Policy will keep shifting. Budgets will get passed. Decisions will be made—with or without us.

What’s Next?

BOSS is committed to being a catalyst for continued conversation and action. But we can’t do it alone. We asked the community: If we lead, will you show up? And the resounding answer was: yes—but let’s build it together.

This isn’t just about the people already in the room. This is about the small businesses, the local organizers, the families in crisis, and the neighbors across generations. It’s about all of us.