Jen Angel: Oakland, California, Baker recognized in honors

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Jens Engel

Jen Angel was a cupcake shop owner and social justice activist who died on February 9, 2023 as a result of an attempted robbery in Oakland, California. by posts from her little shop and KRON4.

Angel’s small business Angel Cakes wrote on Facebook“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Jen Angel, founder of Angel Cakes, social justice activist and community member, passed away on February 9, 2023.”

Angel Cakes added, “Community members who wish to support the bakery can help, particularly by purchasing gift certificates through the link in our bio, and committing to long-term patronage.”

In a press release published via the website of an anarchist PR projectAngel’s family revealed, “If the Oakland Police Department makes an arrest in this case, the family has a duty to pursue all available alternatives to traditional law enforcement, such as: B. restorative justice.”

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Jen Angel was reportedly dragged by a getaway car during a robbery attempt

According to KRON4Her Angel “was sitting in her car behind a bank on Webster Street in Oakland when a thief broke into the car and took her purse.”

The unidentified robber “shot into a getaway vehicle waiting nearby,” the TV station reported.

“The victim got out of his vehicle and tried to retrieve his stolen belongings from the person. While the victim was struggling for his belongings, she was thrown to the ground and sustained injuries,” the Oakland Police Department told KRON4 as she was being pulled from the getaway car.

In the press releasesaid her family: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Jen Angel, a baker, small business owner, social justice activist and community member from Oakland, has been medically determined to have lost all brain function and will not regain consciousness. Her official time of death was 5:48 p.m. PT.”

2. The baker’s family says Jen Angel doesn’t want to continue the cycle of harm

A statement on the bakery’s website It says: “Jen’s friends and family hope that the story of this final chapter of her brilliant, fulfilling, dynamic life will focus on her commitment to the community, the care she and her family receive from the people she… loved ones, and the generous and courageous role played by countless healthcare workers and public servants in fighting to save their lives.”

The statement added, “We know that Jen does not wish to continue the cycle of harm by inflicting state-sanctioned violence on those involved in her death or other members of Oakland’s wealthy community.”

According to the family press release:

A long-time social movement activist and anarchist, Jen did not believe in state violence, jail time, or incarceration as an effective or just solution to social violence and injustice. The outpouring of support and caring for Jen, her family and friends, and the values ​​she holds dear is a resounding demonstration of the harm response Jen believed in: community members relying on one another, leading with love and the needs who put people first are the most vulnerable and don’t resort to revenge and do more damage.

The publication added,

If the Oakland Police Department makes an arrest in this case, the family agrees to pursue all available alternatives to traditional law enforcement, such as: B. Restorative Justice. Jen’s family and close friends are asking the media to respect this request and carry the story of her life forward with solemnity and clarity about the world she wanted to build. Jen’s family and friends ask that stories related to Jen’s life do not use her legacy of caring and community to further fuel narratives of fear, hate and revenge. We do not support directing public funds into policing, incarceration, or any other state violence that perpetuates the cycle of violence that led to this tragedy.

3. Clients and friends remembered Jen Angel as “cute” and “supportive”

A woman wrote in the Angel Cakes comment thread,

This is so heartbreaking. Jen celebrated our wedding in 2016 right after the store opened. I was so fortunate to find a local bakery that is rooted in community values ​​and watched them live those values ​​as cars repeatedly vandalized the storefront at this intersection. But each time she rebuilt and forged on. I’m so happy the bakery will continue and will definitely be a lifelong patron. I am very sorry for your loss. She is an amazing soul.💔

Another person wrote: “My heart breaks for the family and those who work there. I remember visiting this bakery one of my first weeks in Oakland and she was so sweet and supportive – I felt like old friends.”

Another wrote: “She has been a beacon and pillar of our community as well as so many others. My heart is broken.”

Chloe Eudaly wrote on Facebook:

Although I had already braced myself for the worst based on the reports of her injuries and condition, I have been stunned since I heard the news of Jen Angel’s death last night. It just doesn’t seem possible. She was so full of energy, strength and determination; She had so much more life to live.

Although we weren’t close friends, we had an easy connection and camaraderie. I can imagine that many people who are mourning their deaths, who straddle the line of friends and friendly acquaintances, feel similarly. Over the course of nearly 30 years, we came to know each other through brief encounters and brief visits to Chicago, Portland and San Francisco, through our shared beliefs, friends and community, our love and commitment to independent media, and later, through social media. We were fans and supporters of each other’s work, but our last face-to-face conversation – almost ten years ago – was mostly about love and relationships.

Though sudden, pointless and tragic, it seems that she and her loved ones were prepared as best they could to fulfill their wishes, preserve their vision and ensure that in death as in life Jens will be a legacy of compassion. giving and justice.

4. Jen Angel, who was a magazine editor, learned to bake from her mother

According to KRON4, Angel “founded a social justice events production organization called Aid and Abet” and published a magazine called Clamor Magazine.

“Clamor magazine was a publication of the movement that existed between 2000 and 2006 and covered radical politics, culture and activism. Clamor published 38 issues and featured over 1,000 different authors and artists.” Google books explained.

His bio for Angel says,

Jen Angel has been a writer and media activist for over 15 years. Jen’s publishing history includes Clamor, publishing the zine yearbook and editing MaximumRockNRoll. She is a founding board member of Allied Media Projects, a non-profit independent media advocacy organization, and Associate Editor of Yes! Magazine. Since leaving Clamor she has worked as a producer for KPFA Radio and as a publicist and tour manager for the cooperative booking agency Aid & Abet.

According to Angel Cakes website“Jen Angel founded Angel Cakes in 2008 and opened our retail store on 5th Street in Oakland in March 2016. Jen learned practically everything she knows from her mother Pat.”

“Although Jen has always been a baker, prior to cupcakeing full-time she worked as an independent media and community activist,” the website reads.

“Angel Cakes is a small business and as the owner, Jen strives to create an environment where everyone (employees AND customers) feels included, valued and respected. She believes Black Lives Matter and that every person has the right to choose their own gender identity and gender expression.”

5. Jen Angel called baking cupcakes the “most fun” job she’s ever had

Angel had “a background in business and marketing and once worked as a book publicist,” according to a profile story about her at Berkeley Side.org.

She got into the “cupcake business” in 2009, the site reported, quoted as saying it was “by far the most enjoyable job I’ve ever had.”

The site reported that Angel “enjoys coming up with delicious new variations to keep from getting bored. She also takes requests for made-to-order cupcakes. Mini versions are available for all flavors except those with fillings, as well as gluten-free and vegan options.”

A GoFundMe page reads“Your donation will be used to cover the various expenses that may arise, including Jen’s medical needs, support during this transition for her partner Ocean to cover household and related expenses, for her mother to cover travel and living expenses and for the Angel Cakes bakery.”

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