![]() ![]() Serenity House and other local organizations are organizing a memorial Friday at 9:30 am at the monthly community health gathering off San Pablo, said Lambert. And pedestrians are not taking the crosswalks because of the long blocks,” he said. It seems to happen a lot in neighborhoods where there are unhoused people ’cause people just don’t care as they’re trying to get outta here fast. You know, you see a lot of death out here and it’s regrettable. He was stricken with grief and anger over losing her to a collision. West Oakland social worker Lorenzo Lambert, with the group Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Diseases, said Barranco was one of the first people he connected with in the area and helped him develop contacts. Kim Barranco, right, in a picture with her mom that was put up at her memorial on the San Pablo Avenue median near 24th Street. We both sat on the concrete, ate some honey buns and we talked about life and life changes.”īrown said that she often saw Barranco picking up donations of clothes from locals and either taking them to shelters or offering them to others in need. She gave me money but I gave it back to her. Last I saw her was three months ago when my family came and got me because I was walking around tripping, my clothes all dirty and raggedy,” Brown said with tears in her eyes while holding on to a friend. Barranco was also supportive of Brown when her son died five years ago from a fall, causing Brown to relapse from 20 years of sobriety. Sheree Brown, whose daughter Takiyah Burroughs died in October 2022 from a collision on Hegenberger Road, told The Oaklandside that Barranco consoled her when she faced that terrible tragedy. Ladybug had a difficult life in recent years but was known in the community for helping people even while she faced her own problems. “And it’s heartbreaking because there’s so much apathy.” Barranco’s family and friends are in shock Kim Barranco’s mother spoke to the media at the vigil, saying she hoped the person who killed her would ‘get theirs.’ Photo: Jose Fermoso “It is a little overwhelming coming from an organizer background where we push and we push for change and then you get into a position to make change and you see petty politics get in the way, or just excuses when people don’t understand the value of life and poor neighborhoods,” she said. He called for improved conditions on this and other roads that low-income people use.Ĭouncilmember Fife noted that even with the rise in vigils around road collisions in the past year, a lot of people in Oakland, including those in leadership positions, still don’t take the dangerous conditions and the loss of life stemming from them as seriously as they should. The vigil was organized by members of the Traffic Violence Rapid Response group, who over the last year and a half have advocated for improved infrastructure to make the roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.Ĭarter Lavin, one of the group’s members, said at the vigil that he was grateful the community was able to gather to remember Barranco. Some could not bear to watch Barranco’s mother and the singer locked eyes in grief.Ī friend of Kim Barranco’s mother sang to her as a form of respect and condolence. As she performed a deeply emotional rendition of the gospel classic Lord Don’t Move That Mountain, clapping to keep her rhythm, silence pierced the air and people held each other. One of her friends approached her and asked if she could sing to her as a form of condolence. Who’s going to dance for her now?” another person said.īarranco’s mother spoke to the crowd and said she was devastated about what had happened. “Every time I see her, she’s always smiling,” one young man said as he cried above the ring of candles and flowers left by community members. Two young men who knew Barranco from the neighborhood and knelt at a makeshift altar at the San Pablo intersection where she died said that she was always kind and thoughtful. ![]() “You could frequently find her helping out around the neighborhood, talking to everyone she met, assisting Serenity House staff, and spreading joy.” “An immensely intelligent woman and an amazing historian, Kim’s warmth and enthusiasm touched all who knew her,” the message stated. ![]()
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