Family of Oakland baker seeks 'restorative justice' for her death following robbery
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The long lines outside of Angel Cakes bakery in Oakland owe to the popularity of its products and the creator, Jen Angel.
"She has this lemon cake that has this lemon curd in it, with a raspberry on top. It is by far my favorite," Emily Harris said.
Harris spent the past week at the ICU to be with her friend, Angel.
Angel died on Thursday from injuries she suffered following a car break-in near Wells Fargo Bank in Downtown Oakland on Monday. She was dragged 50 feet by a getaway car after she tried to chase down the suspects.
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"We are really trying to orient towards her brilliant life, and that actually, she is not a person who would support the policing and imprisonment of the people who harmed her," Harris said.
Family and friends say that Angel saw many instances of violence and theft as related to larger systemic issues around poverty and racism. In her passing, they are focusing on restorative justice, which they say was central to Angel's teachings.
"Feels like absolutely an opportunity to stand in her values, and support the world that she wants. By actually showing that something different than actual policing and prosecution is possible, and is how we can have accountability," Harris said.
"It definitely had an impact," said Nenna Joiner, owner of Feelmore in Oakland. "As a female body, going to work every day, how is it to own a business in the city of Oakland with some of the difficulties. It won't stop you, but it will make you pause and think about your own mortality."
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Joiner knew Angel from Oakland's small business collective. She says she's troubled by yet another violent death in Oakland, but was encouraged by Angel's commitment to the city.
"Being in the city of Oakland, as an entrepreneur, as a small business owner, you have to know why you are there. And a lot of us are doing activist work as we are doing small business work at the same time," Joiner said.
"She was always really forward thinking and mindful of ways that we could do better by our community," said Stevie Stacionis, the owner of Bay Grape wine shop in Oakland.
Stacionis also formed a friendship with Angel through business networks. She says Angel was a leader who was focused on social equity years before it became more mainstream.
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On Friday night, the community is hosting a fundraiser, with the proceeds going toward a GoFundMe set up in Angel's honor.
"If anything, maybe the positive that comes out of that, is that she reignites some of that spark and more of a spotlight on the work that needs to be done," Stacionis said.
The Oakland Police Department was not available for comment about this case.
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