Academy of da Corner, the Most Dangerous Classroom in the world

Protesters demonstrate against war games and an arms show on Friday at 14th and Broadway,
in front of Academy of da Corner.
photo Marvin X

Urban Shiled hit Oakland today, police units from throughout the Bay Area participated in the annual war games to master control of out of control crowds. Academy of da Corner's stand at 14th and Broadway was under occupation by various police units. Academy of da Corner carried on business as usual, serving as free space in the war zone. No police said anything to us at Academy of da Corner, although people were concerned. Marvin X told people the police leave me alone for the most part, maybe they realize I am taking pressure off them, as the guards said when I addressed the Youth Prison at Rikers Island, New York. But my work today included visits by persons in grief and trauma, over a son who attacked his mother due to mental illness. The mother is homeless because she doesn't want to have a space where her son can come to attack her. We served as a micro loan bank to those who needed a dollar or two. Around six o'clock marchers came from down the block at the Marriott when protesters were gathered outside an arms show to promote weapons of crowd control, yes, at the same time police from around the world are gathered in Oakland for war games.

--Marvin X, Editor, The Black Bird Press News @ Review, Academy of da Corner, Oakland

  Marvin X and Gregory Fields, Professor of Law at Academy of da Corner

photo Gene Hazzard

 Youth reading at Academy of da Corner. Have you ever seen four youth reading on the corner anywhere in the world?

photo Walter Riley, Esq.

Oakland Post Publisher Paul Cobb whose editor was assassinated down the block at 14th and Alice in
broad daylight. Black Muslims were convicted of his murder. Who mentored the young Black Muslims? An Oakland police officer who was also in charge of the crime scene and led the raid on the Black Muslim Bakery the day after Chauncey was assassinated. The raid was scheduled the day before.

 Marvin X organized Bay Area writers, activists in honor of Chauncey Bailey outside the Joyce Gordon Gordon Gallery, 14th and Franklin
photo Gene Hazzard, Adam Turner

photo Francisco Barradas

Plato Negro at work. If you want to learn about motivation and inspiration, don't spend all that money going to workshops and seminars, just go stand at 14th and Broadway and watch Marvin X at work. He's Plato teaching on the streets of Oakland, says writer Ishmael Reed.

With his exhibit of the Drs. Nathan and Julia Hare archives, Marvin X has observed

persons become filled with emotion at seeing historical figures on the cover of Black Scholar magazines. Dr. Nathan Hare was the founding publisher. He recruited English professor Bob Chrisman to be editor (RIP).

Academy of da Corner student Jermaine Marsh, Civil Rights attorney Walter Riley and Blues living 

legend Sugar Pie de Santo and Marvin X.

Murder in the Classroom

We think Marvin X’s Academy of da Corner may be the most dangerous classroom in the world. Located at 14^th and Broadway, downtown Oakland, murders are a frequent occurrence, including Saturday morning’s shooting of three, a woman later died. Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey was assassinated in broad daylight down the street from Plato Negro’s Academy (Ishmael Reed says Marvin X is Plato teaching on the streets of Oakland). During Occupy Oakland, a man was murdered

across the street from the Academy. A rapper named Purple was killed after he won a rap contest. Yes, his win cost him his life, the disgruntled loser shot him to death. He stumbled into the legendary DeLaur’s book store and expired. Academy of da Corner was also scene of the Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin protests.

This may be why the street people welcomed the poet/philosopher with open arms after his absence of several months. “They need you down here, Mr. X! You make things better.”

People ask Marvin X does he have permission to be at 14th and Broadway. He replies, "My people shed blood on the streets of Oakland for me to be on this corner. I don't need to ask anyone anything. I'm taking authority over my post, soldier! The OPD don't f... with me anymore, though they used to.
I talked to the merchant police so bad they don't come close to me. The Mayor (Jean Quan) knows I'm out here. I've been out here six or seven years, long before Occupy Oakland came, I was occupying 14th and Broadway.