Urban Releaf

ndi: Crystal Ross O'Hara

Pamene Kemba Shakur adasiya ntchito yake ngati woyang'anira ndende ya Soledad State zaka 15 zapitazo ndikusamukira ku Oakland adawona zomwe obwera kumene komanso alendo ambiri amatauni amawona: mzinda wopanda mitengo komanso mwayi.

Koma Shakur adawonanso china - zotheka.

"Ndimakonda Oakland. Ili ndi kuthekera kwakukulu ndipo anthu ambiri okhala kuno amamva choncho, "akutero Shakur.

Mu 1999, Shakur adakhazikitsa Oakland Releaf, bungwe lodzipereka kuti lipereke maphunziro a ntchito kwa achinyamata omwe ali pachiwopsezo komanso akuluakulu omwe sali pantchito pokonza nkhalango yaku Oakland. Mu 2005, gululi linalumikizana ndi Richmond Releaf yapafupi kupanga Urban Releaf.

Kufunika kwa gulu loterolo kunali kwakukulu, makamaka “m’malo otsetsereka” a Oakland, kumene gulu la Shakur linakhazikitsidwa. Dera lamatawuni lomwe limadutsana ndi misewu yaulere komanso komwe kumakhala malo ambiri ogulitsa, kuphatikiza Port of Oakland, mpweya waku West Oakland umakhudzidwa ndi magalimoto ambiri a dizilo omwe amayenda mderali. Derali ndi chilumba cha kutentha kwamatawuni, komwe kumalembetsa madigiri angapo kuposa oyandikana nawo odzaza mitengo, Berkeley. Kufunika kwa bungwe lophunzitsira anthu ntchito kunalinso kwakukulu. Ziwopsezo za kusowa kwa ntchito ku Oakland ndi Richmond ndizokwera ndipo ziwawa zachiwawa nthawi zonse zimachulukitsa kawiri kapena katatu kuchuluka kwadziko lonse.

Brown vs. Brown

Kuyambika kwakukulu kwa Urban Releaf kudachitika kumapeto kwa 1999 pa "Great Green Sweep," vuto lomwe linalipo pakati pa a Meya a nthawiyo a Jerry Brown waku Oakland ndi Willie Brown waku San Francisco. Chochitikacho chinatchedwa "Brown vs. Brown," chochitikacho chinapempha mzinda uliwonse kuti ukonzekere anthu odzipereka kuti awone omwe angabzale mitengo yambiri tsiku limodzi. Mkangano pakati pa kazembe wakale wa quirky Jerry ndi Willie wonyada komanso wolankhula momveka bwino zidakhala zokopa kwambiri.

Shakur anati: “Ndinadabwa kwambiri ndi mmene zinthu zinalili ndi chiyembekezo komanso chisangalalo chimene chinabweretsa. “Tinali ndi anthu odzipereka pafupifupi 300 ndipo tidabzala mitengo 100 m’maola awiri kapena atatu. Zinapita mofulumira kwambiri. Ndidayang'ana pambuyo pake ndipo ndidati wow, mitengo siikwanira. Tifunika zinanso.”

Oakland adapambana pampikisanowu ndipo Shakur adatsimikiza kuti zambiri zitha kuchitika.

Green Jobs kwa Achinyamata aku Oakland

Ndi zopereka ndi thandizo la boma ndi boma, Urban Releaf tsopano imabzala mitengo pafupifupi 600 pachaka ndipo yaphunzitsa achinyamata masauzande ambiri. Maluso amene ana amaphunzira amaphatikizapo zambiri kuposa kubzala ndi kusamalira mitengo. Mu 2004, Urban Releaf inagwirizana ndi UC Davis pa ntchito yofufuza yothandizidwa ndi CalFed yomwe inakonzedwa kuti iphunzire zotsatira za mitengo pa kuchepetsa kuwononga nthaka, kuteteza kukokoloka ndi kukonza madzi ndi mpweya wabwino. Kafukufukuyu adapempha achinyamata a Urban Releaf kuti asonkhanitse deta ya GIS, kutenga miyeso yothamanga ndi kusanthula ziwerengero - maluso omwe amamasulira mosavuta ku msika wa ntchito.

Kupatsa achinyamata omwe amakhala pafupi nawo chidziwitso chomwe chimawapangitsa kukhala olembedwa ntchito kwakhala kofunika kwambiri, akutero Shakur. M'miyezi yaposachedwa, West Oakland yagwedezeka ndi imfa ya anyamata angapo chifukwa cha ziwawa, ena omwe Shakur ankawadziwa ndipo adagwirapo ntchito ndi Urban Releaf.

Shakur akuyembekeza kuti tsiku lina adzatsegula "malo okhazikika," omwe angakhale malo apakati operekera ntchito zobiriwira kwa achinyamata ku Oakland, Richmond ndi Bay Area. Shakur akukhulupirira kuti mwayi wochuluka wa ntchito kwa achinyamata ukhoza kuthetsa chiwawa.

"Pakadali pano akugogomezera msika wa ntchito zobiriwira ndipo ndikusangalala nazo, chifukwa zikugogomezera kupereka ntchito kwa omwe sali otetezedwa," akutero.

Shakur, mayi wa ana asanu, amalankhula mwachidwi za achinyamata omwe amabwera ku bungwe kuchokera kumadera ovuta a Oakland ndi Richmond. Mawu ake amadzaza ndi kunyada pamene akunena kuti anakumana koyamba ndi Rukeya Harris, wophunzira wa koleji yemwe amayankha foni ku Urban Releaf, zaka zisanu ndi zitatu zapitazo. Harris adawona gulu la ku Urban Releaf likubzala mtengo pafupi ndi nyumba yake ku West Oakland ndipo adafunsa ngati angalowe nawo pulogalamu yantchito. Anali ndi zaka 12 zokha panthawiyo, wamng'ono kwambiri kuti asalowe nawo, koma anapitiriza kufunsa ndipo pa 15 analembetsa. Tsopano wophunzira wachiwiri ku yunivesite ya Clark Atlanta, Harris akupitiriza kugwira ntchito ku Urban Releaf akabwera kunyumba kuchokera kusukulu.

Bzalani Tsiku la Mtengo

Urban Releaf yakwanitsa kuchita bwino ngakhale pamavuto azachuma chifukwa chothandizidwa ndi mabungwe aboma ndi maboma komanso zopereka zapadera, akutero Shakur. Mwachitsanzo, mu April, mamembala a timu ya mpira wa basketball ya Golden State Warriors ndi antchito ndi akuluakulu a Esurance adagwirizana ndi anthu odzipereka a Urban Releaf pa "Tsiku la Plant Tree," mothandizidwa ndi Esurance, bungwe la inshuwaransi pa intaneti. Mitengo makumi awiri idabzalidwa pamzere wa Martin Luther King Jr. Way ndi West MacArthur Boulevard ku Oakland.

Noe Noyola, mmodzi wa anthu odzipereka pa “Tsiku Lodzala Mtengo,” anatero Noe Noyola. "Ndizowopsa. Pali konkriti wambiri. Kuwonjezera mitengo 20 kunathandizadi.”

Noyola adalumikizana koyamba ndi Urban Releaf pomwe amafunafuna thandizo kuchokera ku bungwe lokonzanso malo kuti athandizire kukonza kasamalidwe ka malo kwa munthu wapakati mdera lake. Monga Shakur, Noyola ankaona kuti kuchotsa zomera zowonongeka ndi konkire pakatikati ndi mitengo yokonzedwa bwino, maluwa ndi zitsamba zingapangitse maonekedwe abwino komanso kumverera kwa anthu oyandikana nawo. Akuluakulu a m’deralo, omwe sanathe kuyankhapo kanthu mwamsanga, anamulimbikitsa kuti agwire ntchito ndi Urban Releaf ndipo kuchokera ku mgwirizano umenewo mitengo 20 inabzalidwa.

Chinthu choyamba, Noyola akuti, chinali kutsimikizira anthu ena omwe akukayikakayika komanso eni mabizinesi kuti malonjezo okonza dera lawo akwaniritsidwa. Nthawi zambiri, akuti, mabungwe ochokera mkati ndi kunja kwa anthu ammudzi amakhala olankhula, osatsata. Chilolezo chochokera kwa eni minda chinali chofunika chifukwa anafunika kudula misewu kuti abzale mitengo.

Ntchito yonseyo, akuti, idangotenga mwezi umodzi ndi theka, koma kukhudzidwa kwamalingaliro kudachitika nthawi yomweyo komanso kwakukulu.

Iye anati: “Zinathandiza kwambiri. “Mitengo ndi chida chosinthira masomphenya a dera. Mukawona mitengo ndi zobiriwira zambiri, zotsatira zake zimakhala nthawi yomweyo.

Kupatula kukongola, kubzala mitengoyi kwalimbikitsa anthu komanso eni mabizinesi kuchita zambiri, akutero Noyola. Ananenanso kuti kusiyana komwe kunapangidwa ndi polojekitiyi kwalimbikitsa kubzala kofananako pa block yotsatira. Anthu ena alinganizanso zochitika za “kulima dimba la zigaŵenga,” kubzala mitengo mwaufulu popanda chilolezo ndi zomera zobiriwira m’madera osiyidwa kapena ovulazidwa.

Kwa onse a Noyola ndi Shakur, kukhutira kwakukulu mu ntchito yawo kwachokera ku zomwe akufotokoza kuti akupanga gulu - kuona ena akulimbikitsidwa kubzala mitengo yambiri ndikugonjetsa zomwe poyamba ankawona ngati malire a chilengedwe chawo.

"Pamene ndidayamba izi zaka 12 zapitazo, anthu amandiyang'ana ngati ndine wamisala ndipo tsopano amandiyamikira," akutero Shakur. "Adati, Hei, tili ndi nkhani zandende ndi chakudya ndi kusowa ntchito ndipo mukunena zamitengo. Koma tsopano apeza!”

Crystal Ross O'Hara ndi mtolankhani wodziyimira pawokha wokhala ku Davis, California.

Chithunzi cha Member

Chaka chatsopano: 1999

Netiweki yolumikizidwa:

Mamembala a Board: 15

Ogwira ntchito: 2 anthawi zonse, 7 anthawi yochepa

Ntchito zikuphatikiza: Kubzala ndi kukonza mitengo, kafukufuku wapamadzi, maphunziro a ntchito kwa achinyamata omwe ali pachiwopsezo komanso akuluakulu osagwira ntchito.

Contact: Kemba Shakur, executive director

835 57th Street

Oakland, CA 94608

510-601-9062 (p)

510-228-0391 (f)

oaklandreleaf@yahoo.com