APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
___________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER TREVA REID
RESOLUTION HONORING ANNE MARKS FOR OVER 12 YEARS OF
EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO YOUTH ALIVE! AND THE CITY OF
OAKLAND
WHEREAS, Oakland resident, Anne Marks, has been instrumental in bringing the first Violence Interrupters to Oakland; devoting herself to fighting with courage and determination to create, fund, and protect programs conceived by members of the community most affected by violence, and leading an organization that brought love and healing to more than 3,000 traumatized victims of violence; and
WHEREAS, Anne Marks is an advocate for true systemic change . She has shown unflagging commitment to the Youth ALIVE! (YA!) values of Community, Courage, Relentlessness, Innovative Leadership, Diversity, and Healing; and
WHEREAS, Anne Marks has demonstrated an extraordinary long-term commitment to ending gun violence through implementing a public health model of prevention and intervention for Oakland’s you th and young adults , with phenomenal opportunities and responsive programming; and
WHEREAS, For well over a decade (2010 to 2023) Anne Marks’ service as Executive Director at YA! has been based on creating programs for mental health counseling, violence interruption, homicide crisis response, and public advocacy; and
WHEREAS, Anne Marks’ roots in violence interruption advocacy run deep. Before YA!, she worked for the City of Oakland administering Project Choice—a federally funded program for juvenile and young adult prisoners who were coming home to Oakland. There she launched several initiatives, including the Parolee Job Fair, Reentry Housing strategy: a training series for frontline violence prevention workers and the Street Outreach program; and
WHEREAS, Anne Marks would later serve as the lead planner implementing Oakland’s violence prevention programs funded by Measure Y, a local anti-violence tax measure; and
WHEREAS, Anne M arks has worked at local, state, and national level s. She was a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State under Colin Powell, eventually resigning her position with the onset of the war in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, Anne Marks later served as a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee in Oregon during the 2004 presidential campaign . Anne Marks’ powerful testimony before countless hearings and policymakers helped the entire nation begin to see gun violence as a public health issue requiring attention and care; and 2 WHEREAS, Anne M arks’ role as Treasurer for the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, the international network of hospital -based violence intervention program s, continues to prove her passion for touching the lives of our village; and
WHEREAS, YA! has grown tremendously under Anne Marks’ vision. Her hard work and fundraising prowess expanded an agency with 2 programs to help victims of violence, into 7 programs to help everyone—from East Oakland teens to mothers of homicide victims. With great preparation, planning, communication , and concern for the health and well -being of staff, Anne Marks guided Y A! through the depths of the COVID -19 pandemic without any cessation of services to the community or staff layoffs; and
WHEREAS, Anne Marks was a leader in instituting strong policies for staff self-care in a field where vicarious trauma is a primary work hazard. She never hesitated to go to bat for Y A! programs and staff and personally treated everyone with friendliness and enthusiasm; and
WHEREAS, Anne Marks uplifted our community through her sensitivity and openness, as she strived daily to make the world a better place for everyone. She spoke eloquently as a champion of the rights of people and communities crushed by gun violence, to bring them safety, and peace; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That in many ways, Anne Marks has made Oakland a more loving, fairer, and healthier city through her co mmitment to taking action ; transforming its wounded , and protecting its most vulnerable citizens. Her years of tireless work to support the traumatized, suffering, and struggling youth and families, and the Youth ALIVE! Staff has not gone unfelt; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council does hereby honor Anne Marks for over 12 years of exemplary service to Youth ALIVE! and the City of Oakland and wishes success in all her future endeavors.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, JENKINS, KALB, KAPLAN, RAMACHANDRAN, REID, AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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