WE THE NORTH 6th ANNUAL HOOD DAY IN HONOR OF COACH BONE

North Richmond the unincorporated area of the city of Richmond celebrated its 6th annual We The North Hood Day festival only this time the founder and strong community leader Lamar T-Bone Williams would not be in attendance. Tragically a little over one year ago Lamar T-Bone Williams or “Coach Bone” was gunned down at the place he loved and cherished for decades Shields Ried’s park. A place he spent his youth and later coached little league baseball and AAU basketball. Coach Bone started Hood Day back in 2016 when so many of the original families were being displaced from their community. The rise in housing costs and crime caused many to flee their beloved homes for the suburbs of Contra Costa County. This annual festival allows them to keep in touch with the community they grew up in and love so much. Back In 2020 Coach Bone announced that he too would be moving out of North Richmond he had finally sold his home and would be retiring to Las Vegas. He also said it was time for the people of the neighborhood to continue his legacy he started with Hood Day. However, in 2021 he would return from Las Vegas to attend a memorial for a family member only to lose his life in a senseless drive-by shooting. After a brief pause in 2021, the event Hood Day would return on August 6, 2022, with a huge success in honor of Coach Bone. The small community pulled together one of the best turnouts, with help from the city of Richmond and Contra Costa County. There was free BBQ, jumpers, face painting for children, and a basketball tournament in honor of Team Bone and Team Jamarrea Frazier (J-Mac), a 17-year-old teen with hoop dreams preparing for college who was gunned down walking to the 5th Market store in North Richmond. Team J-Mac defeated team 11-7 and took home the trophy. The Unique Big Steppers an all-girl youth dance troupe provides a beautiful dance routine for the halftime show. The festival would end with a live music concert by Dreem Live Media and DJ Gary. Entertainment included an all North Richmond native lineup with Lyrics, At-Will, Juice RayDuke, Shakey, 300Twany, 3NG, Jlr_Delly, Kavi Picasso, 8ooPeez, Top Tier Way, D’Barbie Bang Vonnie, and Bla$ta the closer. Special thanks to all organizers who stepped up in the absence of T-Bone he would be proud. We The North! 

Mike Incognito