Berkeleyside readers:
Earlier this week, Berkeleyside published an article profiling a 17-year-old former Berkeley High School student who was shot and killed in East Oakland over the weekend. Berkeleyside’s Emilie Raguso took the time to speak to Olajuwon Clayborn’s friends and relatives to paint a portrait of a life cut down in its prime.
That same night, the same reporter attended the Berkeley City Council meeting until nearly midnight and then went to the scene of a car accident in west Berkeley which sent a pedestrian to hospital in critical condition.
If you’re a loyal Berkeleyside reader, you’ll know that these stories were only two of several original pieces of reporting that we have brought you in the past few days. [And, if you receive our free Daily Briefing email, you will have probably already read this open letter, so feel free to move along and read one of those great stories elsewhere on the site!]
We also told you this week about a couple in North Berkeley caught with a stockpile of weapons who had talked of “eventual war with the government.” And we trawled through a 348-page police report to publish a detailed timeline of what happened on the night in February when a Berkeley resident died while in police custody.
It’s not all grim news: in the past few days we’ve also written about “modern art” cakes (left), attempts to save the downtown post office, new school board appointments, and behind the scenes in the new Berkeley Art Museum.
As Berkeley’s independent, locally owned news source, Berkeleyside prides itself on consistently going beyond the headlines, taking the time to dig deeper, analyze public documents and engage directly with the community. We make the calls and pound the pavements so that you can know the truth in the most timely fashion.
If you live or work in Berkeley, you deserve nothing less than this dedicated approach.
But our labor-intensive journalism is only possible with your help. A sustainable Berkeleyside requires support from a number of different sources, including our community of readers. It costs money to cover our complex, wonderful city.
Become a Berkeleyside member with a $5/month or $10/month subscription or a single-payment donation up to any amount, and show us that you care about sustaining hard-hitting, in-depth reporting that you just can’t find elsewhere.
As a Berkeleyside member you’ll receive great benefits:
- Regular Members’ Newsletter
- Invitation to the annual Members’ Drinks Party
- Discounts on tickets to our speaker events
Also, we have five (more) $15 gift certificates for Berkeleyside readers’ favorite ice cream spot, Lush, to give away to the first five people to become new supporters after this post is published.
Thank you for helping bring solid journalism and civil discourse back to Berkeley.
Visit our Support Berkeleyside page to sign up as a Member.
With sincere appreciation,
Frances Dinkelspiel, Tracey Taylor, Lance Knobel and Emilie Raguso, Berkeleyside’s editorial team
