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Thousands of Oaklanders came out to the Coliseum to spread our Silence The Violence message. The night kicked off with a hugely successful Tailgate BBQ / Job & Resource Fair, attended by Mayor Dellums, Oakland music legend Too Short and A's mascot Thumper the Elephant. We then observed a moment of silence before the A's took on the Tampa Bay Rays. Though we weren't able to cheer the A's to victory, Oakland stood united in making a call for peace on our streets.
Solving the problem of violence on our streets is possible. But it will take ALL of us working together to bring peace to our neighborhoods. We had an overwhelming response to our call for community-led vigils. And then nearly 2000 people came out for vigils and a simultaneous moment of silence.
In a five day period in early February, 13 shootings claimed eight lives, bringing the homicide rate to 21 deaths in the first 42 days of 2008. In response, Silence the Violence held an emergency vigil to bring a message of hope and peace to the streets of Oakland. Almost 200 people turned out to show their concern, sadness and resolve to end the violence. KTVU Channel 2 News ran a segment that evening and, a week later, the Oakland Tribune printed our op-ed promoting solutions to violence. We've put together our photos and a video of the event.
Youth from Oakland, Richmond, and Berkeley came together for Turf Unity II, transforming the Ella Baker Center into a music studio for a weekend. They worked across neighborhood lines to write, record, and produce a complete album with a message of peace. "It's getting people to think differently about what's happening with the homicides," said Nicole Lee, director of Silence the Violence. Both KTVU Fox 2 and the Oakland Tribune picked up the story.
 
The world premiere of the documentary film "GRIND & GLORY: From the Streets to the Stage" played to sold out crowds on Nov. 7th.
Deeply inspiring, Grind & Glory highlights young rappers who use their talent and music to express  the issues they face in their lives and in their communities, and to spread a message of peace through their music. A few of our very own Silence The Violence Block Ambassadors are featured in the film!
[View the Film Trailer]
Since early 2007, a committed group of youth and young adults have been taking part in a leadership training track of Silence The Violence called the "Block Ambassadors". They have received training to become advocates for peace in their communities and all over Oakland. Block Ambassadors learn everything from conflict resolution, the history of Oakland to life skills like money management. Their efforts are bringing a message to their peers about how to create a vision of unity and optimism for Oakland and steering clear of from violence.
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