Oakland independent newspaper ransacked overnight

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland Post, the largest Black weekly newspaper in Northern California, was burglarized overnight, and the intruder was caught on camera.

The weekly newspaper's downtown office was in disarray Wednesday and covered in glass after a burglar struck in the middle of the night.

Paul Cobb, publisher of the newspaper, said the intruder tried to steal a flat screen TV and rifled through offices.

"We've been broken into, our office has been ransacked. They tried to take the computers out of the wall, but I guess they were in a hurry and they didn't get to take them," Cobb said.

Business manager Brenda Hudson said, "We have to prepare. This the wild wild West."

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Hudson said the thief did take an audio recorder, credit cards, and cameras used by reporters.

Surveillance video captured the suspect on a bike and using a card to pop the front door open.

He takes his bike inside and helps himself. 

The burglar also broke into an office used by nonprofit, OCCUR.

"Stole all the check. Our debit cards, they've already used them," said Sondra Alexander, the organization's executive director.

The break-in happened just weeks after a stretch of 14th Street was renamed after Chauncey Bailey, the Oakland Post reporter who was shot and killed in 2007.

"I'm just happy to be alive. I'm happy I wasn't there and I'm happy that none of our staff was hurt. As you know we suffered the loss of Chauncey Bailey, our celebrated editor," Cobb said.