Chauncey Bailey

Chauncey Wendell Bailey Jr. (October 20, 1949 – August 2, 2007) was an American journalist noted for his work primarily on issues of the African-American community.

Bailey earned an associate degree from Oakland's old Merritt Community College in 1968, and a Bachelors in Journalism from San Jose State University in 1972.

Bailey first wrote for the Oakland Post in 1970, and made his foray into television news that year as an on-air reporter with station KNTV in San Jose, California, where he continued through 1971.

During the next three years he worked at the San Francisco Sun Reporter.

In the mid-1970s, Bailey moved to Hartford, Connecticut, to work on the Hartford Courant for three years.

Bailey was the first American journalist killed for domestic reporting since 1976.

After working for a year on the rewrite desk at United Press International in Chicago, he returned to Oakland in 1978 and wrote for the California Voice through late 1980.

Bailey again moved to Chicago, where he worked as a publicist for the nonprofit Comprand Inc., and then relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1981 to work for a year as press secretary for the freshman U.S. Representative Gus Savage, D-Ill.

Chauncey was born in Oakland, California, into a Catholic family who were members of St. Benedict's Catholic Church on 82nd Avenue.

He lived in East Oakland neighborhoods for many years and attended Hayward High School in the nearby city of Hayward.

From 1982 Bailey spent the next decade as a reporter and columnist for the Detroit News, where he covered city government and worked on special projects.

During this era Bailey was seen throughout the 1990s as an interviewer and commentator on Soul Beat Television on the Oakland cable station KSBT, where he worked along with former Oakland actress Luenell.

In the mid-1990s Bailey split from his wife.

In 1992 he returned to Oakland as public affairs director and newscaster on Bay Area radio with station KDIA, which was co-owned by then mayor of Oakland, Elihu Harris and then California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown.

Bailey worked at the Oakland Tribune from 1993 until 2005.

In 2003 Bailey quit his program on Soul Beat after he failed in his attempt to buy the station.

His program was canceled in 2004.

In late 2004 Bailey became one of the producers, co-founders and hosts for OUR-TV (Opportunities in Urban Renaissance Television) on Comcast Channel 78.

Bailey had been known for his aggressive questioning of city officials.

Oakland Police spokesman Ronald Holmgren said: "I know him as being a somewhat outspoken type individual, assertive in his journalistic approach when trying to get at matters at hand."

Bailey had written several articles about the problems of Your Black Muslim Bakery.

Saleem Bey, half-brother of Antar and Yusuf IV, had anonymously told Bailey that he believed both Antar and Bey IV had looted the business.

By this time, the business was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was over one million dollars in debt.

Bailey was shot and killed while working on a story about the finances of Your Black Muslim Bakery, involving its pending bankruptcy.

The article was never published.

In 2005 he began writing freelance travel stories for the Oakland Post.

He served as editor-in-chief of the Oakland Post in Oakland, California, from June 2007 until his murder.

His 37-year career in journalism included lengthy periods as a reporter at The Detroit News and the Oakland Tribune.

He was shot dead on a Downtown Oakland street on August 2, 2007, the victim of a crime syndicate he was investigating for a story.

His death outraged fellow journalists, who joined together to create the Chauncey Bailey Project dedicated to continuing his work and uncovering the facts of his murder.

He became editor in June 2007, and then editor-in-chief of all five Post weeklies.

The Post is the largest African-American weekly newspaper in northern California, published in Oakland, California, by the Post News Group, and serving mainly Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and San Francisco.

As Bailey walked to work on the morning of August 2, 2007, a van pulled up and a man jumped out and shot the reporter.

According to a witness the man had a "long gun" and ran "full tilt" across the street.

Oakland Fire Capt. Melinda Drayton said Bailey had been shot first in the back and then once in the head.

The killer was later identified as Devaughndre Broussard.

He confessed to the murder, but after almost two years of incarceration, he agreed to testify against Bey IV in exchange for a 25-year sentence.

He told authorities that Bey IV had a hit list of people "he wanted to get rid of" who had "done stuff to" the bakery and that Chauncey Bailey's name was on the list.

In June 2011 Yusuf Bey IV, owner of the Your Black Muslim Bakery, and his associate Antoine Mackey were convicted of ordering Bailey's murder.

A third man, bakery handyman Devaughndre Brousard, had earlier confessed to being the triggerman.