Coverage of Oakland violence does not offer proper context

This column was originally published on The Oakland Tribune. - MIJE Staff

To the outside observer, my neighbor Sasha probably looks like a homeless drug addict.

On the surface, that's true. He's the first to admit it.

For residents on our block, Sasha is also the one who takes out our garbage each week, rakes leaves, trims plants, cleans litter off the sidewalk and brings news of neighborhood goings-on.

In short, skimming the surface with Sasha means missing his essence.