For years now, Oakland’s City Council District 2 has dealt with the harms of commercial sexual exploitation. It is most visible on a stretch of International Boulevard known as “The Blade,” where it is still common to see women and girls along the road looking for potential buyers. Often the people exploiting and controlling them are nearby and keeping watch.
Over the years candidates who have campaigned for the District 2 Councilmember seat have run on platforms that promise to address this ongoing issue, and this year is no different. Charlene Wang, is the incumbent councilmember and is facing a challenge from Nate Adams, a community organizer backed by the East Bay chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
To understand this race and the current state of the neighborhood, Crosscurrents host Hana Baba spoke with Oaklandside reporter Roselyn Romero.
