Meet Your Neighbors.

John Jones III

Three Generations of East Oakland History…

John Jones III is a third generation East Oakland resident. With relatives in the Nation of Islam as well as the Black Panther Party, John was raised understanding the importance of community empowerment for people of color. Born in 1974, John grew up in an Oakland deeply impacted by the legacy of the Black Panther Party, COINTELPRO, and the systemic and economic divestment in East Oakland. All of these forces culminated with the crack cocaine epidemic and resulting violence of the 1980s, devastating the community of his youth. After experiencing incidences of police brutality and being targeted in a shooting, John dropped out of junior high school and began selling drugs, resulting in his incarceration. After being paroled in 2012, John was homeless and unemployed for eighteen months. After being incarcerated for one-third of his life, John was unable to land a job due to his criminal history, despite being an FAA licensed Airframe and Powerplant mechanic.

Without stable employment, he soon became homeless because policies restricted formerly incarcerated people from living in subsidized Section 8 housing. John spent nights “couchsurfing”, sleeping in cars, and an extended amount of time sleeping on the couch in an overcrowded onebedroom shack with ten other adult males and no running water. It was at this point that he joined the Center Street Missionary Baptist Church in West Oakland and the OCO walks for peace. It represented a turning point for John as he started to get more involved in social justice work, fighting successfully for a higher minimum wage, criminal justice reform (Prop 47) and public safety and police accountability. John is currently on staff for the Dellums institute for Social Justice, a member of Our Beloved Community Action Network (BCAN) and was part of a successful process of securing millions of dollars for Anti-Displacement efforts which will assist in keeping low-income tenants and property owners in their place of residence. Also as a member of the Board of State and Community Corrections, Prop 47 Executive Steering Committee, John played a role in directing $103 million in statewide funding to assist formerly incarcerated people suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues with employment, housing, and other vital services.