An Oakland man is bringing families together to break the cycle of violence in a neighborhood known as the top police beat for violent crime.
Andrew Park helps give away food to nearly 200 families on this day. But he also nourishes the neighborhood’s spirit through his “trybe” of hope and belonging.
“Just as a small nuclear family is complex, you multiply that by a hundred, that’s the work of Trybe,” Park said.
A child of immigrant parents, Park himself struggled growing up in East Oakland. He was headed in the wrong direction.
“Folks know it starts with 4th, 5th grade: you start fighting a bunch. You get to middle school, it’s like, you start roaming the hallway. As I started doing that, that’s when a few folks grabbed a hold of me,” Park said.
Because of those critical mentorships, he now walks on a brighter path.
He’s a pastor, Cal Berkeley PE department manager, and also leads Oakland Trybe , the nonprofit he founded in 2007 to tackle the pain and poverty among East Oakland’s young people.