(Sacramento Bee) The owner of an Oakland bakery and social justice activist died Thursday from injuries she sustained after being dragged more than 50 feet by a car during a violent robbery.
Jen Angel was sitting inside her car Monday behind a bank in downtown Oakland when a thief broke into the car and grabbed her purse. The robber then darted into a getaway vehicle that was waiting nearby, police said.
Angel chased after the thief and somehow got caught in the getaway vehicle that dragged her, causing head injuries in an attack that happened in broad daylight and shocked the community, KRON-TV reported.
Angel was well known in the Bay Area as a champion of social justice. She founded Angel Cakes in 2008 baking cupcakes, planning weddings, and catering events. She also established a social justice event production organization called Aid and Abet and was the publisher of Clamor Magazine, a bi-monthly alternative magazine.
(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.
…
“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.”
