To: Jean Quan, Mayor, City of Oakland, John Tortora, COO, San Jose Sharks, and Governor Gavin Newsom
OAKLAND BEARS YOUTH HOCKEY-WE NEED NEW MANAGEMENT
We the undersigned are the parents, coaches, volunteers, and supporters of the City of Oakland-owned Oakland Bears Youth Hockey Club. Since 2007 we have lost many excellent Bear's families, coaches, players, and supporters.
We have done everything possible to work with the current San Jose Sharks Management that runs the Oakland Ice Center and our Oakland Bears Hockey club.
At this point we demand that a change in leadership be made forthwith.
The current management led by Melissa Fitzgerald has caused good families and coaches to run from the club, and has steadily decimated our youth hockey club in every way.
There has been a revolving door of managers, hockey managers and staff at the Oakland Ice Center. Currently there is no Hockey Director and has not been for 5 months. Recently, we were told that "No one even remotely qualified has applied for the position."
Not only has the quality of the program and morale been diminished, but most alarmingly, our young children have been repeatedly and recklessly put in harms way.
The San Jose Sharks Management team led by Melissa Fitzgerald recently recruited and welcomed a registered sex offender from the State of Michigan who by law was not allowed to work or volunteer with children under the age of 16. This man became head coach of our second youngest team, which included boys and girls ages 8-11. Although this man's background check by CAHA initially flagged the sex offender status and felony conviction, member(s) of the San Jose Sharks Management team assisted this man in obtaining a waiver and he was placed in a position with full access to our children, even behind the closed locker room doors.
At no point were parents notified of any of this by the management or were even allowed to make their own decision as to whether they were comfortable with this decision.
When the Oakland Police Department intervened and made a notification to the staff at the Oakland Ice Center and arrested the coach, Melissa Fitzgerald phoned the investigating officer and made complaints about the officer's judgment in notifying the staff and also, in the officer's opinion, tried to defend and belittle the actual charges against the coach.
Even after this event, volunteers and coaches have been allowed to have access to many of our children without being properly screened and having the required background check.
We have felt up until this point that a complete public airing of these deficiencies could cause more harm than good to our club. With these recent events, those scales have now been tipped.
A change MUST be made by the City of Oakland and/or the upper Management within the San Jose Sharks organization. As of now, the City of Oakland has failed to respond to our repeated requests to meet.
The current management team at the Oakland Ice Center led by Melissa Fitzgerald must immediately be changed to a more responsive and safety-oriented team that will protect our Oakland Bears children.
We demand an immediate change in leadership.
Go Bears!
We have done everything possible to work with the current San Jose Sharks Management that runs the Oakland Ice Center and our Oakland Bears Hockey club.
At this point we demand that a change in leadership be made forthwith.
The current management led by Melissa Fitzgerald has caused good families and coaches to run from the club, and has steadily decimated our youth hockey club in every way.
There has been a revolving door of managers, hockey managers and staff at the Oakland Ice Center. Currently there is no Hockey Director and has not been for 5 months. Recently, we were told that "No one even remotely qualified has applied for the position."
Not only has the quality of the program and morale been diminished, but most alarmingly, our young children have been repeatedly and recklessly put in harms way.
The San Jose Sharks Management team led by Melissa Fitzgerald recently recruited and welcomed a registered sex offender from the State of Michigan who by law was not allowed to work or volunteer with children under the age of 16. This man became head coach of our second youngest team, which included boys and girls ages 8-11. Although this man's background check by CAHA initially flagged the sex offender status and felony conviction, member(s) of the San Jose Sharks Management team assisted this man in obtaining a waiver and he was placed in a position with full access to our children, even behind the closed locker room doors.
At no point were parents notified of any of this by the management or were even allowed to make their own decision as to whether they were comfortable with this decision.
When the Oakland Police Department intervened and made a notification to the staff at the Oakland Ice Center and arrested the coach, Melissa Fitzgerald phoned the investigating officer and made complaints about the officer's judgment in notifying the staff and also, in the officer's opinion, tried to defend and belittle the actual charges against the coach.
Even after this event, volunteers and coaches have been allowed to have access to many of our children without being properly screened and having the required background check.
We have felt up until this point that a complete public airing of these deficiencies could cause more harm than good to our club. With these recent events, those scales have now been tipped.
A change MUST be made by the City of Oakland and/or the upper Management within the San Jose Sharks organization. As of now, the City of Oakland has failed to respond to our repeated requests to meet.
The current management team at the Oakland Ice Center led by Melissa Fitzgerald must immediately be changed to a more responsive and safety-oriented team that will protect our Oakland Bears children.
We demand an immediate change in leadership.
Go Bears!
Why is this important?
The City of Oakland owns the Oakland Ice Center and the Oakland Bears Youth Hockey Club. The City of Oakland hired and contracted the San Jose Sharks Management to run the Ice Center and the Oakland Bears Youth Hockey Club. The San Jose Sharks management has been ineffectual at running the club and has repeatedly and recklessly put our children directly in harms way. We need an immediate change.