Lorrain Taylor lost both of her twin sons to gun violence in East Oakland. “The pain of that winter afternoon rarely ebbs, but in the 13 years since her sons’ deaths, Taylor has transformed her grief into a full-time mission to help others who have lost loved ones.” In the SF Chronicle, my friend Carolyn Jones shares the story of the woman people call when they need the ultimate support.

+ Life, death, and PTSD in Oakland: “There is basically a war going on in Oakland. It’s not that you leave the war. You always live inside the war. You’re not going back home.”