Alameda County Family Justice Center

04/09/2020

In response to the current pandemic of novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), on March 16, 2020 the Alameda County Public Health Department issued a Shelter-In-Place Order requiring Alameda County residents, including the residents of Oakland, to remain in their homes except for certain designated exceptions; the Department has since extended shelter-in-place requirements through May 3, 2020. In addition, on March 19, 2020 Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order requiring all California residents to shelter in place except for those working in or accessing certain essential businesses or services.

While Shelter in Place measures are necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19, they can pose serious risks for residents who are experiencing domestic and/or interpersonal violence while sheltering in place. These Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”) are intended to clarify the current shelter-in-place requirements as they relate to residents facing domestic or other interpersonal violence. Oakland City Attorney, Barbara J. Parker and Alameda County District Attorney, Nancy O’Malley jointly answer these FAQs:https://www.alcoda.org/newsroom/files/FAQ-DV-and-Interpersonal-Violence.pdf

What are the definitions of interpersonal and domestic violence?

Am I allowed to leave my residence if domestic or other interpersonal violence makes my home unsafe for me, my child, my pet, my parent, and/or another intimate or family member?

Do the shelter-in-place requirements mean domestic violence shelters, crisis intervention, and other support services are closed?

If I need to leave my residence because of domestic or other interpersonal violence, where can I go?

Can I seek a temporary restraining order (TRO) while the shelter-in-place orders are in effect?

I had a temporary restraining order (TRO) prior to the shelter in place declaration and I am worried it has since expired. What should I do?

I am not experiencing violence personally, but I believe I can hear a person or animal being abused. What can I do to help?

If I call the police because I or someone I know is being abused, will they ask about my immigration status?

03/20/2020

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Family Justice Center is currently closed. Anyone in need assistance, please call the crisis hotline at 1-800-947-8301

Family Justice staff are working and will respond to calls and messages. If you have questions regarding pending domestic violence matters, please call the Alameda County District Attorney's Office at 510-268-7500

Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR) remains available to assist survivors of sexual assault and is answering the phone 24 hours/day at 510-845-7273

Vist our website at: www.acfjc.org

03/16/2020

TIEMH TALKS: Prioritizing community resilience during Coronavirus outbreak

Dear Alameda County Family Justice Center Community,

We are trying to do our part here at the ACFJC and I already miss the personal interaction. However, we are doing everything we can to promote and practice social connectedness.

Susun Kim with the Contra Costa County Family Justice Center sent out this article earlier today. See below. It’s a great read about building community resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak.

We will continue to serve our clients in crisis while contributing to community efforts to flatten the curve by suspending all group gatherings. We are suspending our STEP-UP programs, March 27th Women’s Day Celebration, VOICES Events, and Youth Empowerment Programs.

However, our Trauma Recovery Center, Navigation, etc. are still open. To limit personal contact we will make an office and a phone available to have a confidential phone conversation with a Navigator or someone on our Trauma Recover Team.

Our onsite organizations are establishing their own protocols and we will share them as they are received.

Our staff are here to assist clients in need and support our on-site partners. Let us stay healthy and connected even if it is “virtually.”

TIEMH TALKS: Prioritizing community resilience during Coronavirus outbreak At this point, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of the coronavirus. The virus, which was first identified as public health emergency by the World Health Organization in late January, had its first ca...

03/06/2020

Yesterday and Today Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley and Alameda County Family Justice Center Director Stephen Murphy joined 24 California Family Justice Center Network Directors in Sacramento to advocate for permanent funding for FJCs. Assemblymember Tim Grayson was supported by 68 other Assemblymembers when he moved to declare March 5th Family Justice Center Day in California. Keep your fingers crossed as we continue to advocate in Sacramento and DC for IPV survivors.

03/03/2020

On February 24, over a hundred people streamed into Department 107 of Oakland’s Wiley Manual Court House, eager for the calendar to begin. Emotions ran high as the Honorable Charles Smiley opened his courtroom doors and District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, Assistant District Attorney Terry Wiley, and leaders of the Hayward South NAACP greeted members of the community who came to court to have their prior criminal cases dismissed. “Lifting Barriers”, an initiative of the District Attorney’s Office in partnership with the NAACP Hayward South County hosted two workshops during the month of February to assist with filing petitions for dismissal.

As each individual’s case was called, he or she approached the front of the courtroom, the dismissal was granted, followed by an applause from the audience. As cases were called and the room began to slowly empty, smiles and tears of relief were shared among family members attending in support of their loved ones.

We know that a prior conviction on a person’s record can have a huge impact on his or her ability to move forward in life. The District Attorney’s Office is proud to partner with the NAACP to help pave a path towards a life free from the roadblocks resulting from a criminal history,” says DA O’Malley. Both the District Attorney’s Office and NAACP plan to continue community workshops.

02/28/2020

15_BHM 4th Wk Fri_Lisa Adams

As Black History Month comes to a close we at the Alameda County District Attorney's office wanted to once again celebrate the month with a video honoring some of the greats who positively impacted so many of us. Please watch our very own Lisa Adams speak about the great Toni Morrison.

This is "15_BHM 4th Wk Fri_Lisa Adams" by ACDA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/27/2020

14_BHM 4th Wk Wed_Mary Pat Dooley

Please watch the Alameda County District Attorney's 14th video in celebration of Black History Month. Mary Pat Dooley highlight's the first Black Congresswoman "Fighting" Shirley Chisholm.

This is "14_BHM 4th Wk Wed_Mary Pat Dooley" by ACDA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/26/2020

13_BHM 4th Wk Tue_Terry Wiley_Arthur Ashe

Please watch the Alameda County District Attorney's office latest installment in our video series honoring Black History Month. Listen to Assistant DA Terry Wiley speak about the influence of famed tennis player and human right's activist Arthur Ashe on his life.

This is "13_BHM 4th Wk Tue_Terry Wiley_Arthur Ashe" by ACDA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/25/2020

10_BHM 3rd Wk Thur_Sabrina Farrell

Here's the latest installment of the Alameda County District Attorney's office video series in honor of Black History Month. Enjoy!!!

This is "10_BHM 3rd Wk Thur_Sabrina Farrell" by ACDA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/25/2020

05_BHM 2nd Wk Tue_Reddick Veronica_Ella Baker

Below is our 5th video in our series celebrating Black History Month here at the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. Enjoy!

This is "05_BHM 2nd Wk Tue_Reddick Veronica_Ella Baker" by ACDA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/18/2020

04_BHM 2nd Wk Mon_Marcus Armstrong

To honor Black History Month, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has created our “Celebrate Black History Month” Initiative. Several of our staff who are African American have recorded short presentations of notable African Americans in our country’s history. To date we have shown 3 of the videos. Thank you to those who proudly participated in this Initiative with the important purpose of lifting up lives and educating others.

Here's the fourth video of the series.

This is "04_BHM 2nd Wk Mon_Marcus Armstrong" by ACDA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/13/2020

03_BHM 1st Wk Thur_Kim_Hunter

See below the third installment in honor of Black History Month brought to you by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. Enjoy.

This is "03_BHM 1st Wk Thur_Kim_Hunter" by ACDA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/11/2020

02_BHM 1st Wk Wed_Teresa_Mcgehee

As posted yesterday the Alameda County District Attorney's Office will be posting videos all month in honor of Black History Month. The link below is the 2nd installment of this month's videos. Enjoy. It's a good one.

This is "02_BHM 1st Wk Wed_Teresa_Mcgehee" by ACDA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/10/2020

01_BHM 1st Wk Tue_Andre

February is Black History Month. Celebrations and acknowledgements of the contributions, bravery and leadership of African Americans in our country’s history have been occurring for many, many years. However, it was President Gerald Ford in 1976 who declared February as the official month for Black History Month. This is an opportunity to recognize the important role African Americans have played in shaping American society and culture; it is also an opportunity to educate the community about the same messages, especially at a time when we are working to reduce racial disparity, to eliminate racial bias and prejudice and to lift up the lives of African American heroes who so bravely step out to combat injustices and to right the wrongs.

To honor Black History Month, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has created our “Celebrate Black History Month” Initiative. Several of our staff who are African American have recorded short presentations of notable African Americans in our country’s history. These vignettes will be sent to every employee each work day. Thank you to those who proudly participated in this Initiative with the important purpose of lifting up lives and educating others.

Here's the first video of the series. https://vimeo.com/316506902

This is "01_BHM 1st Wk Tue_Andre" by ACDA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/10/2020

www.acphd.org

A MESSAGE FROM THE ALAMEDA COUNTY HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY DIRECTOR
AND COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER REGARDING THE 2019 NOVEL CORONA VIRUS

The international and national response to the novel coronavirus outbreak is rapidly evolving, and the
Health Care Services Agency's (HCSA) Public Health Department is working closely with federal, state, and
regional agencies to coordinate a local response to protect the health of our community.

HCSA has issued clinical guidance for health care providers, EMS providers, clinics and hospitals; provided
joint guidance to schools with the Alameda County Office of Education; and created resources to provide
timely and accurate information about the novel coronavirus.

For up to date information, including factsheets in multiple languages, please visit the Public Health
Department's novel coronavirus webpage at http://www.acphd.org/2019-ncov.aspx. A link to this page
is also available on the County website at https://www.acgov.org/. You may direct people with specific
questions to email [email protected].

01/31/2020

Today is our beloved Executive Director Cherri Allison's last day of work at the Alameda County Family Justice Center. Words can not express our love for Cherri. She has been our backbone for many years and her legacy will always be the empowered survivor community she helped create with our DA Nancy O'Malley. Here are a few words about Cherri's career.

Cherri Allison is a statewide and nationally recognized leader in the field of domestic violence. Her expertise includes legal services to victims of domestic and interpersonal violence, including elder abuse, human trafficking and sexual assault.
A licensed attorney Ms. Allison holds a law degree from the University of Santa Clara, School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of California at Berkeley. Ms. Allison has more than 15 years of legal nonprofit management experience and 21 years of experience in the field of domestic violence prevention and family law.

She is a statewide and nationally recognized leader in the field of domestic violence. Her expertise includes legal services to victims of domestic and interpersonal violence, including elder abuse, human trafficking and sexual assault.
A licensed attorney Ms. Allison holds a law degree from the University of Santa Clara, School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of California at Berkeley. Ms. Allison has more than 15 years of legal nonprofit management experience and 21 years of experience in the field of domestic violence prevention and family law.

In addition to Ms. Allison’s expertise in nonprofit management, she has extensive experience in board and organizational and program development, grant writing and nonprofit finance. In 2007 and 2009 she co-authored Domestic Violence Remedies in California Law Cases, published by the Continuing Education of the Bar. In 2012 she authored a chapter entitled Traditional Response to Domestic Violence: Criminal and Civil Legal Systems in the United States, published in Violence and Abuse in Society: Understanding a Global Crisis: ABC-CLIO; 2012.

Ms. Allison served on numerous boards including the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, California Women Lawyers, Women Lawyers of Alameda County, as well as a member of the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence from 2010-2013. She currently serves as a member of the Domestic Violence Program Advisory Council, Office of Emergency Management as well as the Judicial Council of California Access and Fairness Advisory Committee.

Throughout her career she has been a pioneer in the domestic violence field. For example, working with the Women’s Foundation of California’s Women’s Policy Institute, she drafted legislation that would have prohibited the shackling of incarcerated expectant mothers. Though initially vetoed by the Governor, this legislation recognized the shackling as a form of violence against incarcerated women – a population with a high percentage of women who have experienced domestic violence. Because of her pioneering work, she was inducted in 2009 into the Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women’s Hall of Fame in the Justice category, which honors women who have reformed and expanded legal advocacy in our justice system and in 2010 she was honored by the Santa Clara Law School Center for Social Justice and Public Service.

01/27/2020

Gala 2020

We are all busy planning for our 13th Annual 'One' Gala
to benefit the Alameda County Family Justice Center. It'll be held this Saturday, February 1st at the Rotunda Building 300 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA. 94612. The reception begins at 6:00pm. The Dinner, Program and Live Auction begin at 7:30pm. We are excited to see you there.
Our services help individuals and families in our community survive and prosper. Join us in giving hope to the survivors we serve. For more information tap on the link below.

01/13/2020

Gala 2020

Get your tickets to our 13th Annual 'One' Gala to benefit the Alameda County Family Justice Center. Our Gala will be held at the Rotunda Building, 300 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA. 94612 on Saturday, February 1, 2020. The reception begins at 6:00pm. The Dinner, Program and Live Auction begin at 7:30pm. Our services help individuals and families in our community survive and prosper. Join us in giving hope to the victims we serve. To purchase tickets and/or sponsor the event click on the link below.

01/07/2020

This week begins our first STEP-UP classes of the year. Our Spanish Speaking Step-Up class runs Monday and Wednesday 9:30am-11:30am and our English Speaking Step-Up Class runs Tuesday and Thursday 9:00am-11:00am.
STEP-UP (Survivor Training and Empowerment Program – Utilizing your Potential) is designed to empower survivors of interpersonal violence by offering financial literacy and professional development classes, as well as group-based empowerment workshops. It is a 7-week financial literacy, employment skills, self-confidence, & empowerment program that includes:

Writing resumes & cover letters
Identifying the 'hidden' job market
Understanding your value and your power
Interviewing for success
Understanding credit & handling debt
Budgeting
Setting financial, personal, & family goals
Developing an action plan for your life
…and more!

For more information, please contact our front desk at 510-267-8800.