By Kathleen Wimer
The Richmond City Council meeting was FABULOUS!
Discussion of dredging the port (Item N.2.) offered every reassurance that the DDT at the bottom of the target area will not be disturbed nor mixed with other environments, including the Bay, either in transport or disposal.
Many former students and colleagues celebrated the life and legacy of June Albonico (Item N.3.a) who taught swimming at The Plunge for 60 years. Pam Shepherd, who worked with June, reported the staff called themselves "The Plunge Family." Pam said June treated everyone the same, even back in the 50’s. She said, "Little kids five or six years old would jump off the diving board into deep water while their families cheered and June yelled, "Kick. Kick. Kick. You can make it." When they did, Pam said June wiped off each child’s face and gave them a kiss. Mayor Eduardo Martinez said, "You described that so well I saw it in my mind’s eye as if I was watching a movie."
Celebrating The Guardians of Justice
But my oh my! The Presentation and Proclamation Honoring the Establishment of the Guardians of Justice and Celebrating the Black Nine introduced by Councilmembers Soheila Bana, Doria Robinson, and Jamelia Brown (Item O.1) hit it out of the ballpark! What a wonderful celebration of Black History Month. I had heard of the rogue bunch of Richmond police officers called "The Cowboys." But I never heard of the Black Nine—Arthur Johnson, Douglas Ellison, Harold Redic, Marvin Smith, Michael Nichols, Ollie Glover, Otis Timmons, Rudolph Johnson, and Tecumseh "Danny" Nelson.
Richmond Police Officers Who Risked Everything
These Richmond Police Officers risked everything in 1968 to file the first internal police department lawsuit in the United States challenging racial discrimination. Their legal victory in 1972 improved the treatment of Black officers in Richmond and the creation of additional groups for Black officers across the country. Following their victory, they founded the Guardians of Justice, which remains active today in fighting injustice and supporting underprivileged communities.
Arthur Johnson and Otis Timmons, two of the Nine now alive, were present to receive City of Richmond proclamations and recognition, as was Eleanor Ramsey, the widow of Judge George Henry Ramsey, Jr., who ruled in favor of the Black Nine in 1972. A local TV station featured Arthur Johnson, the city’s first black police captain, recently on one of their Black History Month news features.
In addition, family members of the Black Nine described each one of them individually as a fine slide deck showed their pictures. And, all of the past and present officers of the Guardians of Justice first initiated by the Black Nine and continuing as a group to this day were presented with proclamations in their families’ presence. It was a fine observance and long overdue.
Such observances actually are not unusual at Richmond City Council Meetings. Richmond benefits from the contributions of many, many individuals and organizations who—like our City Council members themselves—work with devotion to make Richmond a better place. Their recognition at City Council Meetings makes us all proud to be from Richmond.
Putting Students and Families First
But the REAL BIG DEAL about this City Council Meeting was Item 0.2, Presentation from the United Teachers of Richmond on West Contra Costa Unified School District’s (WCCUSD) Fiscal Crisis, placed on the agenda by District 5 Councilwoman Claudia Jimenez. At the WCCUSD Board of Education Meeting on February 12, 2025, teachers, parents, and students pleaded with the Board to reconsider the number, compensation, and kind of teachers available to provide special education, cultural enhancement, and basic educational services to district students. Their appeals appeared hopeless.
Councilwoman Jimenez broke the unwritten ban against the Richmond City Council discussing items under the jurisdiction of a separate body of elected officials who cover a geographic domain larger than the City of Richmond. What a relief! Council members asserted that, yes; of course, education is a legitimate concern of the Richmond City Council. Not only is quality education an essential ingredient to the city’s overall quality of life, as some council members agreed; quality education makes living and locating businesses in Richmond all that more attractive in terms of property values and taxes. (They spoke of these things while disavowing possible resident dislocation resulting from gentrification.)
Remarkable not only that Councilwoman Jimenez broke the mold and put WCCUSD matters before the council but also the discussion of the matter generated by UTR’s presentation. All of the Council Members sympathized with the teachers, agreeing the Board seems to be short-changing their pay now—when we are short a huge number of teachers, as more leave for better pay almost anywhere around - in favor of a rainy day fund. Council members shared reactions to the presentation and thought out loud together about whether or not and, if so, there is a next step. The agenda item did not entail any action other than, as the agenda stipulated to the public—to receive a report. The Council’s transparent and public brainstorming seemed to end in the desire for the WCCUSD Board of Education; the elected officials of El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, and unincorporated areas of North Richmond, Kensington, and El Sobrante; school administrators, and teachers, including UTR to get together and "work together" as Mayor Eduardo Martinez put it to "advance and move forward."
Listen to the Council Meeting
The Council discussion involved the sharing of a lot of experiences by those with involvement in the educational system as well as a review of current administrative arrangements and agreements between Richmond and the school district. To enjoy the thoughtful approaches council members contributed to the discussion of this very essential matter, find the February 25 meeting, bring up the video, and review the KCRT meeting video from the 3:48:13 mark on the time bar across the bottom until the 5:02:22 mark.