Charles Platt, who is at CSP-Solano, will be moved to CMF-Vacaville in November. Again, thanks to everyone who was able to help convince prison authorities not to transfer this very sick young man to a prison so far away from his family that they would be unable to visit him.

It might have been a Catholic church, but as someone said after a spirited selection by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, "In my tradition we'd say, ‘Let the church say, amen!'" The Black press showed up in significant numbers to pay respects to one of their own, Chauncey Bailey, who'd fallen in the line of duty.

At this point everyone is probably aware of the shooting death of the beloved journalist on Aug. 2, which occurred about 7:30 a.m. on 14th and Alice Streets, just down the street from the offices of the Oakland Post newspaper, where he was editor. His murder was the start of a weekend melee which claimed the lives of seven others. By the time Friday rolled around, not only had Chauncey's alleged murderer been captured, but the police had a confession.

The Bay Area community is still in shock, evident in my looking around for Chauncey at his own funeral. I kept wondering why he wasn't there covering it. A quiet presence, he'd usually stand with the press corps, observant and alert. This time though he lay in a coffin draped with kente cloth.

I always wondered how he wrote so many stories so quickly. I often dreamed, "Maybe I could grow up and be like him if writing was my day job too." On Tuesday evening at National Night Out, people at the Malonga Center and others celebrated Chauncey's life. When I left, I noticed people standing in front of the altar erected over the site where Chauncey breathed his last breath as candles flickered in the dark.

It was singer Mechelle LaChaux's idea to have a community gathering in Bailey's honor. Her idea was a good one. It was an opportunity for people to enjoy each other as each person shared stories of Bailey. The common theme was his helpfulness and support. Chauncey wasn't stingy with resources or assistance, which he often shared unasked.

On Wednesday morning, the speakers included Mayor Ron Dellums, Robin Harden, Paul Cobb, Derrick Nesbit, Father Jay and others. The overall mood in the church six days after the shooting was one of shock and sadness. However, this sadness was not immobilizing, rather a call to organize.

The funeral and religious formality of the service reflected the man who touched us all quite well. The religious formality illustrated the life of service Chauncey led and his passionate telling of his people's stories. Paul Cobb, publisher of the Oakland Post, joked that there were three Chaunceys: the father, son and holy ghost, or ancestor. If one wants to point to a modern griot, or djali, Bailey embodied this spirit, a spirit that was not his alone, Cobb said. In other words, if Chauncey's murder was a scare tactic, no one was cowering at the Post or elsewhere. Cobb said his newspaper was continuing the investigation into the wave of violence in Oakland.
"You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution," Fred Hampton Jr. said quite prophetically, his statement echoing Marcus Mosiah Garvey's "Look for me in the whirlwind." Spirit is certainly felt in the elements. This is one of the ways they let us know they're present.

I was touched when Mayor Dellums said that when anyone is killed, whether that is Chauncey Bailey or Sister Ayanna's son, Khatari Gant, who was killed on Aug. 4, his heart aches. He also called for action. At one point he broke down, as most people did. It was a sad occasion.
At the gravesite we stood looking at the coffin and thought about the remains of the man inside. I still can't imagine not seeing Chauncey anymore, because, as Dellums said, he was everywhere, "notebook in one hand, camera in the other."

Dellums said it would take 1,000 adjectives to describe Chauncey's dedication to his profession and job. "Thank you for being a vehicle of peace," he said, before his voice broke. "We need to embrace the quality of human life. I wish there were superheroes. Batman, come help us. But there are not. This is a national epidemic - 16,000 people killed [by violence in the U.S.] compared to 3,200 in Iraq. It's a complex problem," Dellums said. "And it involves all of us taking a stand together."

As we looked for the burial site once we were at the cemetery, we saw a vehicle with Black people inside and assumed correctly that they were going the same place we were. The sister driving had been a victim of violence. Her son was the 83rd murder last year. He was killed on my birthday, a Tuesday, and buried on what would have been his 29th birthday. His murder remains unsolved even though there was a cap left at the scene. She had a meeting scheduled with Chauncey last Friday to talk about the case and how to get forensics moving on analyzing DNA evidence.
A colleague and I spoke about the language of violence and how the children today are mirroring a society where their president has an attitude that reputation is the most important feature of one's personality and that one should do everything one can to preserve this façade of fear.

If violence is always named Black, then Black life will lose even more in the human stock market. Why else was Rwanda able to happen, Congo and now Dafur? The stereotype is that if the victim is Black, no one will care. And no one really does; otherwise the massacres here and elsewhere in the African Diaspora would stop.

One of my former professors, Sister Mary Anderson, is buried not far from Chauncey's plot. Wednesday afternoon, his casket rested on ropes over the six foot deep hole, the canopied space surrounded by beautiful flowers. "We really need to stop meeting like this," a friend of mine and I joked. But seriously, when we tried to think of what could galvanize a community quicker than the murder of one of its own, we couldn't think of anything.

Chauncey was a catalyst. He touched so many lives, from former classmates at San Jose State University, where he graduated with a degree in journalism, to rookie reporters who'd heard of his work in the industry for the past 30 years. What's sad about his death is his son is now left fatherless. Chauncey was born Oct. 20, 1949, two days before my dad, which makes them both Libras. My dad is down the road a bit at the Chapel of the Chimes cemetery. He died Aug. 14, 1993. We went by to say hi to him before heading for the repast at Scott's in Jack London Square.

A Chauncey Bailey Memorial Fund has been set up for his son, Chauncey III. Money may be sent to account number 2350941279, CBMF c/o Bank of America, Creekside Branch, 1188 Galleria Blvd., Roseville, California 95678.

‘Avenue Q'

Wednesday evening was press night for "Avenue Q," a musical set on a street where the residents are not satisfied with their lives and don't know what exactly they need to do to change them, until Princeton, who has just graduated from college, moves into a vacant apartment. Most of the cast are muppets that are manipulated by a cast with marvelous voices, especially Kelli Sawyer, whose primary character is "Kate Monster." On Avenue Q there are people and monsters. Monsters are discriminated against, and this leads to a few songs that examine prejudice and racism.

Another song examines the notion that when one looks at certain kinds of people, you can't but feel happy because you aren't them. During antebellum America, this was the superiority poor whites felt over Black people. No matter how bad it was for them, at least they weren't Black. "Avenue Q" is playing at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco from Aug.7 until Sept. 2. Purchase tickets at www.shnsf.com.

San Jose Jazz Festival

This weekend, the San Jose Jazz Festival is going to be one wonderful concert after another. The festival runs Friday-Sunday, Aug. 10-12. Visit www.sanjosejazz.org/festival.html. The formerly free festival is now just $5 a day. Still can't beat those prices. Featured artists include Gerald Albright and Greg Osby, Angie Stone, David "Fathead" Newton, Red Holloway, Headhunters with Geri Allen, Lenny White and Nicholas Payton, the Latin Jazz All Stars in a tribute to Hilton Ruiz with Ray Vega, Pete Escovedo, Juan Escovedo, Jimmy Bosch, Yunior Cabrera and Arturo O'Farrill, John Santos, who has a wonderful new album out, Eddie Gales' All-Star Band and many more.

Kim Nalley sings Nina Simone

Kim Nalley's "She Put a Spell on Me" CD was recorded during five sold out nights at Jazz at Pearl's and shortlisted for a 2006 Grammy. Nalley's musical tribute is interspersed with historical commentary and unabashed delivery of the more controversial songs of Nina Simone's repertoire. Kim Nalley's "Tribute to Nina Simone" has enjoyed four sold out runs in various venues since Dr. Simone's death and all the reviews have been exuberant. The shows are Aug. 10-12 and Aug.17-19 at 8 and 10 p.m. at Jazz at Pearls, 256 Columbus Ave., at Pacific, San Francisco. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each show. Shows are 75-90 minutes each. Call (415) 291-8255 or go to www.jazzatpearls.com.

Laurel World Music Festival

The free Laurel World Music Festival is located along Macarthur Boulevard between 35th Avenue and High Street in Oakland. Muteado, Mark G, and Chokwadi will be hosting the Community Stage on Saturday, Aug. 11, noon to 6 p.m. Tres Santos will be performing at 2:50 p.m. and there will be an open mic at 4:35 p.m. Go to www.laureldistrictassociation.org.

Walter Savage Quartet

Walter Savage is called "a bass player's bass player" by Chuy Varela, music director of KCSM. The upright bass is often viewed primarily as a supporting instrument, but local jazz treasure Walter Savage has won a reputation for bringing it to the spotlight. Friday, Aug. 10, the Walter Savage Quartet is back in the Bay Area briefly and will be joined by the incredible Glen Pearson on piano. The show begins at 8 p.m. at Anna's Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way in downtown Berkeley. Anna's has live music nightly at 8 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Call (510) 841-5299 after 5 p.m. Visit www.AnnasJazzIsland.com.

‘Jill: Anatomy of a Suicide'

In a fascinating play about mental illness, Nena St. Lewis' "Jill: Anatomy of a Suicide" character is encouraged to "jump" off a building to her death by the voices in her head. St. Louis combines multiple-character work with autobiographical nano-videos in her one-woman play, collaborating with director Rebecca Longworth on the multimedia design. Visit www.jumptheatre.org. The play runs Aug. 23-25, 8 p.m., at the Buriel Clay Theatre, African American Art and Culture Complex, 792 Fulton St., San Francisco. Visit www.afrosolo.org for more information.

Artists' panel

"Over the hills and through the woods salon" is a free panel discussion that will feature artists from different mediums, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2-4 p.m., at the African American Art & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton, San Francisco. The panel will be moderated by Thomas Robert Simpson and include a slide presentation.

Communities for a Better Environment Workshop 3

A workshop to be held Saturday, Aug. 11, at 11 a.m., is "Redevelopment: Potential Benefits and Impacts." Presenting are Ian Kim from the Ella Baker Center and Jenny Lin from East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy. The sessions are at Allen Temple Baptist Church, 8501 International, Room C207. Call (510) 302-0430 or visit www.cbecal.org.

‘Chasing Eden'

Author S.L. Linnea, writer of "Chasing Eden," will be at Alexander Book Co., 50 Second St., San Francisco, on Friday, Aug. 10, at 12:30 p.m. "Chasing Eden" is a post-war story about a chaplain who works with soldiers during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Visit http://alexanderbook.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp for more information.

‘The Lion King'

The children's summer theatre at Black Rep concludes the successful run of "The Lion King" this weekend, so you don't want to miss it. In the midst of tragedy, there is so much good happening within the same traumatized neighborhoods like South Berkeley.

The Black Repertory Theater is at 3201 Adeline St., Berkeley. Call (510) 652-2120 or visit www.blackrepertorygroup.org for information about the summer program's final performances this weekend. Performances are Friday-Sunday, Aug. 10-12. Call for times.

Oakland Summer Theatre

I saw the same great performances at the close of the Sixth Annual Ailey Camp just a week before at UC-Berkeley's Cal Performances. This was certainly due in no small fashion to the excellent direction of David W. McCauley. We will witness this phenomenon again at the Oakland Summer Children's Theatre with director Gerald Wright this weekend and next, Aug. 10-12 and 17-19, with evening shows at 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Malonga Casquelourd Theatre, 1428 Alice St., Oakland.

Stanford Summer Theatre

"Farewell to Cannibal Rage," the second of three plays in the Africa on Stage at Stanford University opens Thursday, Aug. 9, and continues through Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. at the Prousser Studio Theater, Memorial Hall. Visit http://summertheater.stanford.edu or call (650) 725-5838. The final play, "Oda Oak Oracle" opens Aug. 16 and continues through Aug. 19. There will be an Oakland performance at East Side Cultural Center.

Bobby Hutton Awards Dinner

The First Annual Bobby Hutton Awards Dinner was a huge success: Almost everyone in the audience left with a plaque. Elder Freeman wanted me to tell people to send in money so the statue for Lil' Bobby Hutton could be completed before his birthday, which is April 21. Joyce Hutton, Lil' Bobby's cousin and the driving force behind this project, told us last week at the dinner that she had an address for the statue. I believe Emory Douglas did the drawings. All that is needed is $2,500. You can send the tax deductible donations to: Friends & Family of Lil' Bobby Hutton, 944 Channing Way, Ste. B, Berkeley, CA 94710. For information, call (510) 704-0565.

Bay View Arts Editor Wanda Sabir can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Visit her website, www.wandaspicks.com, for an expanded version of Wanda's Picks and for exciting "web exclusives."

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