Ceasefire Press Conference

For Immediate Release: Press Conference to Discuss Oakland’s Safest Year Since the Pandemic
Contact: Barbara Lafitte-Oluwole, 510-331-3790, lafitteolu@fiaeastbay.org

Faith in Action East Bay’s Public Safety Committee and Ceasefire Night Walkers along with Oakland’s Ceasefire partners, including representatives from the City of Oakland Department of Violence Prevention (DVP), will host a press conference at 10 a.m. Monday, December 30, 2024, in the Meeting Hall at the Faith In Action East Bay (FIAEB) headquarters at 8400 Enterprise Way, Suite 123, Oakland, CA 94621, to discuss year-end reductions in gun violence and share community support for the Ceasefire strategy.

“Our communities have never wavered from our support of the Ceasefire Strategy. We knew in the beginning, in its struggle and in its success, that Ceasefire saves lives — the lives of Black and Brown men in Oakland!” said Faith in Action East Bay organizer Alba Hernandez.

The City of Oakland will finish 2024 as the safest year since the start of the COVID pandemic. As of December 1, there has been a 34% decrease in murders accompanied by a 34% reduction in non-fatal shootings relative to 2023. As Oakland’s primary violence reduction strategy, Ceasefire seeks to identify individuals at very high risk of being involved in gun violence, inform them of their risk, and then offer them intensive community-based services such as life coaching, workforce development, and mental health care.