Sacramento S Oak Park

The history of American cities is a history of suburbs. It is a history of moving out and settling in, of technological innovation, of rearrangements of space, and the creation and erosion of community. Oak Park was Sacramento's first suburb, and before being officially annexed to the city in 1911, it prided itself on having separate law enforcement, its own newspaper, and perhaps most importantly, its own amusement park--Joyland. Unlike the more elite neighborhoods of Land Park and East Sacramento, Oak Park has always reflected working-class values and a less pretentious approach to architecture. Today, Oak Park is actively rediscovering and reestablishing its roots as a distinct, vital community and urban center.

AS FAR AS FITTING the STEREOTYPES bestowed to infamous chain-link murderers that exist outside African American culture, there was a time when black serial killers were recognized, to some extent, implausible by purported experts who probably cared not to explore the primary nature of the slayers' transgressions. Nevertheless, the obscured story of handyman Morris Solomon Jr. has to be one of the most interesting tales untold as it is one of the most horrific yarns in the annals of American crime. the handyman's misdeeds, when briefly brought to the public's attention, virtually reminded society that killers continuously come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Solomon was convicted of killing six young women, ages 16 to 29, in the Sacramento, California, neighborhood of Oak Park between 1986 and 1987. the handyman's grisly method of murder left detectives and medical examiners mystified. the identification process of his victims' remains was distinctly a laborious assignment, too. the victims --drug addicts, prostitutes, and devout mothers -- were stuffed in closets, hidden under debris, and arguably, one court judge strongly considers, buried alive. In retrospect, the handyman was first accused of murder in the mid-1970s; and authorities suspect him to be linked to four more homicides in Sacramento. Solomon -- once declared as a "Mentally Disordered Sex Offender"-- is now on death row in Northern California's San Quentin State Prison awaiting execution. the unassuming handyman's 18-year reign of terror includes a record of sexual assaults, attempted kidnappings, and separate despicable sex acts performed strictly for humiliation. In the Homicidal Handyman of Oak Park: Morris Solomon Jr., author and journalist Tony Ray Harvey recounts the black serial killer's dysfunctional upbringing, atrocious crimes, and hardly noticeable court trial. Harvey's book also provides explicit crime scene photos, the history of the death penalty system in the state of California, the city of Sacramento's drug culture in the mid-1980s, and exclusive prison interviews of the mild-mannered handyman.

Touted as progress, postwar redevelopment spawned a new age in Sacramento, California. As city planners designated areas of urban blight and directed bulldozers to make way for commercial districts and pedestrian malls, the churches, jazz clubs and family homes of the West End and Japantown were upended and residents scattered. Displaced families and businesses reestablished themselves and redefined their communities around new cultural centers. Historian William Burg weaves oral histories with previously unpublished photographs to chronicle the resurgence of Sacramento's art, music and activism in the wake of redevelopment. Celebrate the individuals and organizations that defined an era: the beatniks and Black Panthers of Oak Park, Southside Park's "League of Nations," George Raya of Lavender Heights and the Royal Chicano Air Force in Alkali Flat.

Perhaps more than any other Central Valley community, Sacramento is changing so rapidly as to become almost unrecognizable. New hou si ng project s a nd ongoi ng redevelopment efforts have led to a decline in the original, elegant homes in this city. Thankfully, this is not the case in Boulevard Park! Preservationists and architectural historians have prevailed in this neighborhood to keep the Colonial Revival and Craftsman homes intact for the most part, even as the city around them grows as never before. Boulevard Park sits on the site of the old Union Park racetrack, where Edweard Muybridges early experiments in motion picture technology (photographing Occidental, Leland Stanfords horse) were pioneered in the 1870s; the street signs here have a horse-andcarriage motif to honor those equine origins. Perhaps more than any other Central Valley community, Sacramento is changing so rapidly as to become almost unrecognizable. New hou si ng project s a nd ongoi ng redevelopment efforts have led to a decline in the original, elegant homes in this city. Thankfully, this is not the case in Boulevard Park! Preservationists and architectural historians have prevailed in this neighborhood to keep the Colonial Revival and Craftsman homes intact for the most part, even as the city around them grows as never before. Boulevard Park sits on the site of the old Union Park racetrack, where Edweard Muybridges early experiments in motion picture technology (photographing Occidental, Leland Stanfords horse) were pioneered in the 1870s; the street signs here have a horse-andcarriage motif to honor those equine origins.

Faith Made Flesh brings together the experience, insight, and stories of those actively addressing societal and educational disadvantages of Black children in Sacramento, California. Editors Lawrence "Torry" Winn, Vajra M. Watson, Maisha T. Winn, and Kindra F. Montgomery-Block seek to offer viable solutions to racial injustice by centering the voices of organizers, policymakers, educators, scholars, and young people alike. Focused on the Black Child Legacy Campaign (BCLC), a ten-year community-driven initiative to respond to disproportionate health outcomes, the contributors analyze the impact of the BCLC's successes, providing an empirically rich narrative of its transformative alliances and radical actions. Through timely and urgent case studies and personal reflections, Faith Made Flesh advances the need to address societal challenges through creative engagement with diverse institutional and individual stakeholders. The findings offer an innovative model to other regions aiming to cultivate thriving community-city-school partnerships that center the well-being of Black children and Black futures.

Among politicians of national stature today, there is perhaps none more respected as a principled conservative than Rick Santorum. In It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good, Santorum articulates the humane vision that he believes must inform public policy if it is to be effective and just. An appreciation for the civic bonds that unite a community lies at the heart of genuine conservatism. Moreover, Santorum demonstrates how such an approach to political, social, and economic problems offers the most promise for those on the margin of life: the poor, the vulnerable, and minorities who have often been excluded from opportunity in America. Santorum argues that conservative statesmanship is animated by a sense of stewardship for an inheritance. But what do we inherit as Americans? And how can we be good stewards of that inheritance? Building on Robert Putnam's discussion of "social capital," the habits of association and trust that are the preconditions of any decent society, Santorum assesses how well, in the past generation, Americans have cared for the "fabric" of society. He explores in detail various dimensions of social and cultural connection that are the foundation of the common good. And he presents innovative policy proposals for the renewal of American society at all levels. Throughout his book, Santorum emphasizes the central role of the family—in contradistinction to the metaphorical "village" of the federal government, as promoted by Hillary Clinton—in achieving the common good. With a sustained argument touching on first principles throughout, this ambitious and original book is a major contribution to contemporary political debate. It Takes a Family further establishes Santorum as the leader of reform-minded civic conservatives in America.

Until 1947, Sacramento's streetcars linked a bustling downtown district with residential neighborhoods, workplaces, and a growing series of suburbs. Starting with horse-drawn cars on Front Street, the streetcar system owned by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company expanded to include Midtown, Curtis Park, Land Park, Oak Park, and East Sacramento. But PG&E was not alone; two other companies ran streetcar routes downtown, along with suburban lines to West Sacramento, North Sacramento, Rio Linda, Elverta, Colonial Heights, and Colonial Acres. Sacramentans rode the cars to work, to school, to the state fair, and just about anywhere they wanted to go until the streetcars were replaced by buses owned by National City Lines.

Mass consumption is a defining feature of modern American culture. During the 20th century, mass production, discretionary income, and modern advertising combined to create and fulfill demand for more products than ever before. From butchers and bakers to big-box retailers, the story of the buying and selling of goods tells the history of our cities from a unique perspective. The Good Life approaches Sacramento's history from the bottom up, with a look at the city's past from the perspective of ordinary citizens. From the gold rush to the dot-com bubble and beyond, it tells the story of changing times, changing styles, and changing fortunes, and their effects on the lives of the people of Sacramento.