By Paul Kersey
06/30/2023
âSave the ones you can, Jake. The rest, youâve got to let go.â â The Guardian (2006)
Shot.
Left-wing activist baker who believes in abolishing police dies after robbers mowed her down at bank in Oakland â victimâs family say killers shouldnât go to jail as murders soar 50%, Daily Mail, February 14, 2023
The family of an Oakland baker and former publisher who espoused anarchist beliefs believe that the thieves who killed her in a daylight robbery and assault shouldnât go to jail and her death shouldnât be used to argue for more police.
Jennifer Angel, 48, founded Angel Cakes bakery in Oakland in 2008. Prior to that, she was a publisher of what she described as âradical, progressiveâ magazines and a publicist for authors.
On Monday, Angel was leaving her car in front of a bank in uptown Oakland when two robbers smashed her car window and ran off with her belongings, her fiance Ocean Mottley said.
She then went after the robbersâ getaway car, catching up with it but getting trapped in its door and being dragged over 50 feet. Her head was crushed on the sidewalk and the car drove away.
By Thursday, her family had confirmed her death after spending days in a coma at a local hospital.
While local authorities investigate her death as a homicide, the family has requested that her brutal killers not be sent to jail.
In a statement on a GoFundMe that has raised over $130,000 as of Saturday, those close to her said they would pursue âalternativesâ to prison for the criminals.
âAs a long-time social movement activist and anarchist, Jen did not believe in state violence, carceral punishment, or incarceration as an effective or just solution to social violence and inequity,â they wrote.
They added: âWe know Jen would not want to continue the cycle of harm by bringing state-sanctioned violence to those involved in her death or to other members of Oaklandâs rich community.â
In fact, she once bragged on Facebook that she had taught her employees to do what she does and ânever call the cops.â
Emily Harris, a close friend of Angel and an âanti-prison director,â told the San Francisco Chronicle that the statement fits with her radical liberal principles.
âI think Jen would affirm that of course thatâs what people have been trained to believe is the answer, to lock people up,â Harris said. âBut we know that if the people who cause her harm are sent to jail, all weâre doing is perpetuating more harm.â
Before starting her bake shop, Angel was an editor of the left-wing publication Clamor and also worked for the seminal punk rock journal MaximumRocknRoll, as well as a personal zine entitled F**ktooth.
Leftist outlet Democracy Now and radical Canadian punk rockers Propagandhi were among those to celebrate Angel in her wake.
Democracy Now described Angel as âactively involved in antiwar and anti-capitalist struggles through the years, including Occupy Wall Street.â
In a remembrance, Crimethincc quoted her stating her anarchist leanings as: âThe core tenets of anarchism are autonomy, mutual aid, voluntary association, and direct action. These are all positive things.â
Her bake shopâs website even included a statement of political beliefs.
â[Angel] believes that Black Lives Matter and that every person has the right to choose their own gender identity and gender expression,â the storeâs âAbout Usâ section proclaims.
âAs a shop we strive to reduce waste through limiting use of plastics and choosing products that are gentle on the environment. We do our best to be a good neighbor and community member through donating to and providing desserts for various social justice efforts, particularly in the areas of environmental justice, housing, and criminal justice reform.â
Chaser.
Suspect charged in death of âanarchistâ baker in robbery gone wrong as victimâs family urges no jail time, New York Post, June 25, 2023
A 19-year-old San Francisco man has been charged in the death of a popular baker who was dragged by a getaway car chasing after armed robbers â and the woke activistâs family has urged authorities not to jail her two assailants because it goes against her social justice beliefs.
Ishmael Burch was charged June 5 by the Alameda County District Attorneyâs Office in Oakland on suspicion of felony murder with robbery enhancements in the slaying of Jen Angel, owner of Angel Cakes, the San Francisco Examiner reported.
The suspect was first taken into custody in San Francisco on June 2 on battery charges.
Police confirmed Saturday that Burch was charged in connection with the Feb. 6 death of Angel, 48, who was robbed by two thieves who smashed her car window on Webster Street in Oakland and made off with her purse.
She chased after their getaway car, but got caught in the vehicleâs door and was dragged more the 50 feet, smashing her head on the sidewalk. She was put in a medically induced coma and later declared dead.
âAs a long-time social movement activist and anarchist, Jen did not believe in state violence, carceral punishment or incarceration as an effective or just solution to social violence and inequity,â her loved ones wrote on a GoFundMe page after the brutal crime.
Her family is âcommitted to pursuing all available alternatives to traditional prosecution, such as restorative justice,â the post said.
âWe know Jen would not want to continue the cycle of harm by bringing state-sanctioned violence to those involved in her death or to other members of Oaklandâs rich community,â the family added.
In the wake of Burchâs arrest, Angelâs friends and family reiterated her âcommitment to restorative and transformative justice.â
âThe community that Jen built and surrounded herself with was vast. The group of us working to carry out her wishes reflect a variety of life experiences. Some of us share Jenâs political beliefs and ideals. Some of us are newer to alternatives to the status quo,â the statement reads, the Mercury News reported.
âOthers of us may make very different decisions on our own behalf than what Jen believed in. Among all of us, no matter where we stand individually, collectively we are committed to ensuring that harm is not done in Jenâs name. We are committed to working together to uphold the values Jen lived for,â it says.
âJen lived her full and vibrant life with the understanding that the potential for a healthy and just society depends on replacing racist and violent institutions like policing, jails, and prisons with models of public safety that actually keep everyone safe,â it continues. âThis case is an opportunity for Alameda County to not only honor the wishes of Jen and her loved ones, but also to model a framework that seeks to address the root causes of harmful behavior and find meaningful ways to ensure true justice in our communities.â
We canât save or reform the U.S., but we can survive and endure. Jennifer Angel may have been anti-white & advocated for black criminals, but she didnât deserve to die at the hands of a black criminal.