"Taught" at Youth UpRising

Dance Instructor Charged with Molesting 11-Year-Old

A 22-year-old dance instructor at the Youth UpRising agency is charged with sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl. (Oakland Tribune, March 13 and 14, 2008)

Prosecutors also charged Daryell Barker with illegal possession of a sawed-off shotgun found in the Sycamore Street house where he allegedly sexually assaulted the girl.

The girl and her 12-year-old friend ran away from home. Barker (also known as "Green Eyes") and his pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend met the two girls at a fast food stand and lured them to the house. Police said Barker is believed to have talked to the 11-year-old about becoming a prostitute.

Alleged molester "Green Eyes" at Youth UpRising

Barker taught turf dancing at Youth Uprising, which was apparently unaware of his criminal record of selling marijuana, resisting an officer, and lying about his identity.

After Barker was charged, an Oakland police officer told a meeting, "I've arrested him. He's a known drug dealer."

Informed of the charges against him, Youth UpRising executive director Olis Simmons said, "This is a sign of deeper mental health issues in the community that needs to be addressed."

Ms. Simmons does not get it. Youth UpRising welcomes a misogynist gutter rapper, Too Short, as a "career counselor" to be admired. Youth UpRising lets another dance instructor broker its members as dancers in E-40's hyphy-celebrating music video. Now Simmons is surprised that a man hired to teach turf dancing accurately read Youth UpRising's message – if you can succeed, you did nothing wrong. Instead of examining her practices, the director of Youth UpRising talks about mental health issues among youth. By situating the problem there, she evades examination of the failed policies of Youth UpRising.

Youth UpRising is funded in part by several Measure Y grants.