This edition of our bi-weekly Emeryville newswire touches on five stories including the start of the trial of accused killer and Emeryville resident Nima Momeni, a protest at the Bay Street Emeryville Apple Store involving the use of cobalt mining, what is thought to be Emeryville’s first Pride event, a new Chronicle data tool that tracks racial discrepancies in police stops of local police departments and a stunning capture of the annual Emery High “Senior Sunrise.”

Nima Momeni Defense Team Teases Strategy

The trial of Emeryville resident and accused killer Nima Momeni kicked off this week with several pretrial motions heard by presiding judge Alexandra Gordon.

Momeni, an Emeryville resident for many years, is accused of killing tech executive Bob Lee with a knife on the early morning of April 4 of last year.

Court documents offered a window into the defense’s strategy that will apparently try to portray Lee as the aggressor in the incident forcing Momeni to “stand his ground.” The defense is also looking to attack Lee’s alleged history of drug use and mental reputation based on his nickname “crazy bob.”

The trial is expected to draw national attention because of both the prominence of the victim and the family of the accused.

Protesters Gather at Bay Street Apple Store

Protesters gathered at the Bay Street Emeryville Apple Store on Friday on the launch of the iPhone 16 to draw attention to so-called “conflict minerals” in components used by Apple and other technology companies.

Cobalt, commonly used in lithium-ion batteries, is mined in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo which holds as much as 70% of the world’s supply of the mineral.

The protesters accused Apple of being complicit in “genocide” based on the 2016 exposé that some cobalt is being hand-mined by children. They also accuse Apple of “retaliating” against employees who express their political beliefs on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while on the job.

The issue with cobalt sourcing is not exclusive to Apple as it is used in almost every smart phone, tablet and laptop that has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery including Google and Samsung products.

Electric Vehicles makers are said to be the largest user of cobalt and much of the mining in the DRC is controlled by Chinese interests.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently pledged to use recycled cobalt in their new products by 2025 and have taken steps to ensure their suppliers are not using hand-mining or child labor.

According to Wired, similar protests took place in at least 10 countries around the world.

Public Market Emeryville to Host City’s First Pride Event

Emeryville Queer Artist Robby Kendall and his Drag Persona “Ms. Sweet Nothing” are working hard to bring together a Pride celebration exclusive to Emeryville. Neighboring cities have long hosted their own unique Pride events while much smaller Emeryville has not.

Kendall, whom we profiled in 2023, has been persistent about building a queer culture in the city with several performance events, trivia nights and a unique film festival. He was honored at last years’ AD18 award celebration for the Art & Festival of the year.

“It’s time and necessary,” Kendall provided. “Our community, our world really, needs more queer entertainment in our lives now more than ever.”

Local organizations will be chipping in and vending including the Emeryville Senior Center, Orange Theory Fitness, FlowToys and BayLands FrontRunners.

Joining Ms. Sweet Nothing for a drag performance will be Rupaul Drag Race Philippines Star DeeDee Marié Holiday. Professional photos with the performing artist be available to guests

The event will be hosted at The Public Market Emeryville on Saturday September 28, from 2 – 6 p.m.

Chronicle Data Project Captures Police Stop Data in Emeryville

The San Francisco Chronicle recently published a data project that attempts to spotlight racial discrepancies in police stops.

Gathering of the data was made possible by the 2015 passing California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) and created an advisory board to oversees it.

RIPA requires law enforcement agencies to submit detailed data on every police stop made by their officers to the California Department of Justice.

According to the data, Emeryville Police Department officers were 3.8 times more likely to stop Black people than white people based on stops per 10,000 residents. The state average is 2.3 times.

It’s important to note that data that relies on Emeryville’s resident population of near 13,000 can be inflated by its daytime population which can easily swell to three times this total.

Emery High Seniors Celebrate Annual Senior Sunrise

Emery High Seniors woke up pre-dawn recently for their annual “Senior Sunrise.”

The event has apparently been a tradition for EHS seniors for years allowing them to hang out, bond and enjoy each other’s company outside of the academic setting.

A stunning photo captured by Emery High Senior Amara Rahsheedon shows the gathering at the Emeryville Marina fishing pier.