Dr. Jamelia Brown is running for City Council in District 1 to "See a Better Richmond"
Belding Woods resident Dr. Jamelia Brown is running for Richmond City Council to address what she describes as unmet community needs and boost economic resilience in District 1.
Brown, who has extensive experience in social work and juvenile justice, says her background will help her collaborate with the community to address challenges like homelessness, crime, and economic development.
“I believe that District 1 deserves better,” Brown said. “We’re one of the most overlooked districts when it comes to the attention that’s being placed in Richmond. District 1 is not addressed in some of the most basic ways.”
Brown’s See a Better Richmond campaign focuses on safety, engagement, and economic resilience.
A juvenile justice clinician working inside juvenile halls with incarcerated young people, Brown is also a national addiction counselor with FOCUS Reentry Project, Inc., providing support and treatment for individuals with substance abuse issues.
“I’ve always worked with system and justice-impacted individuals. We have this large scale of people who are going to be returning back into our communities, so in order to curb recidivism, that is, in order to make sure that folks are returning equipped, it’s just something that I’ve taken on as a personal fight of mine,” Brown said.
Brown holds a Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Southern California and a Master's in Human Development, specializing in educational leadership and human services. She is also a certified drug counselor.
Brown said she understands community issues on a grander scale, and her expertise can help the challenges community members face. As a woman of color and a mother, she says her nurturing nature sets her apart.
Brown has worked for nearly 15 years to improve mental health inside state prisons, juvenile halls, group homes, and shelters, along the way acquiring substance use disorder and anger management certifications, which Brown said have allowed her to address a broad spectrum of challenges in an empathetic and compassionate way.
Brown wants to improve community engagement and empower residents to take pride in Richmond and be involved in making the city safer and better. She believes this more profound engagement with the community is a missing component that needs to be addressed.
“I’m doing a lot of voter education right now. We have people that don’t even know that we’re in a district election,” Brown said. “I just think we need to get everyone activated in this voting process.”
Brown has been introducing herself to people by knocking on doors, calling, and attending community events.
“It’s a journey, but it’s been so fulfilling just to be in the community, amongst the residents, hearing what they’re asking for, and really understanding that that’s not a big ask to want a speed bump so your kids can play in the front yard safely,” Brown said.
Brown said the city is currently so focused on being progressive and modern and wanting to be a forward-thinking city that it is forgetting its residents in the process.
“Our city was really forward with the international ceasefire resolution. While that was greatly appreciated, we also need that same council on the front line here where we’re demanding a ceasefire here in our own city,” Brown said.
Richmond has recently experienced a surge in homicides and has already surpassed the total amount of murders for the entire year of 2023.
“I just recently went to a funeral on Monday for the young woman who was killed in front of the Seventh Street store. She was pregnant, and to see her in that casket lifeless with her child’s sonogram blown up in a photo around her casket was beyond heartbreaking,” Brown said. “I feel like if the city council representative was there, or a city council member in that district was there, they would understand the need, that I’m stressing about public safety.”
Last year, three people were injured in a shooting and high-speed chase through 50 city blocks in Richmond, and El Cerrito was a turning point for Brown and what pushed her to run for council.
Soren Hemmila
“I was like, enough was enough. I don’t understand the selective outrage 100, 200, 300 people come to comment about an issue, and we can have four teenagers in a vehicle being chased from one city into the next without any police intervention, and no one is outraged,” Brown said. "It hits different for me because inside that car, I don’t see a constituent, a Richmond resident; I see my child in that car.”
Brown wants to see a fully staffed police department and alternative solutions like the soon-to-be-launched Community Crisis Response Program.
“I’ve seen the 60-odd homicides,” Brown said. “I lived in the Barret Apartment where the rescue helicopter landed right in front of our balcony. We saw who was on a gurney being rushed to the helicopter.”
I know how far we’ve come, but it’s so touching-and-go because although we only had eight homicides in 2023, we have more people from our community die. They just didn’t die in Richmond. It was Antioch, it was Vallejo and other parts of the Bay Area,” Brown said.
Brown discussed the potential for deeper collaboration between law enforcement and business owners and said downtown Richmond’s revitalization depends on ensuring the safety of residents and businesses.
‘If the safety of the residents and the safety of business owners and their property are not protected, and they don’t feel safe owning and operating in our area, then we’re not doing anyone a service,” Brown said.
Traffic safety is another concern for Brown, who says residents have been asking for the same speed bumps and stop signs for years.
“We have kids that are leaving Peres Elementary School that are walking down the street, and cars are coming 50-60 miles an hour because there’s no speed bumps, there’s no traffic signs,” Brown said.
Brown is running against Richmond Progressive Alliance member Melvin Willis and perennial candidate Mark Wassberg.
“Before I leave this earth, I want to see a better Richmond. We have made significant strides, but with better leadership, we’ll be able to attain many things that have been set aside for nearly a decade,” Brown said.
Visit electjameliabrown.com for more information.
This is part of a series of candidate interviews conducted by Grandview with the goal of profiling all who are running for office in Richmond. These profiles aim to provide information to Richmond voters and are not endorsements.
Click to become a Grandview Supporter here, or make a one-time donation here. Grandview is an independent, journalist-run publication exclusively covering Richmond, CA. Every cent we make funds reporting from Richmond's neighborhoods. Copyright © 2024 Grandview Independent, all rights reserved.
