In a heart-breaking development, Jen Angel, the founder and owner of Angel Cakes bakery died on Friday after bravely fighting for her life following a violent encounter with thieves during a robbery attempt in Uptown Oakland. As per US media reports, Jen Angel was dragged by a car seconds after being robbed, resulting in severe injuries. US media quoted the Police saying that the woman remained in the hospital in a 'grave' condition more than 48 hours after the attack. However, Jennifer Angel, the founder of Oakland’s Angel Cakes bakery, Angel died at 5:48 p.m. (US Time). The doctors treating her confirmed that she had lost all brain function. Her death follows several days on life support at Highland Hospital, where she was cared for after an Uptown Oakland robbery attempt during which Angel was gravely injured.
Jen Angel's family message to Americans and the world
"It’s with very heavy hearts that we announce that Oakland baker, small business owner, social justice activist, and community member Jen Angel has been medically declared to have lost all brain function and will not regain consciousness. Her official time of death was 5:48pm (PT).
Friends and family of Jen hope that the story of this last chapter of her brilliant, full, dynamic life is one focused on her commitment to community, on the care bestowed upon her and her family by the people who loved her, and on the generous and courageous role of countless health care workers and public servants who fought to preserve her life. We know Jen would not want to continue the cycle of harm by bringing state-sanctioned violence to those involved in her death or to other members of Oakland’s rich community.
As a long-time social movement activist and anarchist, Jen did not believe in state violence, carceral punishment, or incarceration as an effective or just solution to social violence and inequity. The outpouring of support and care for Jen, her family and friends, and the values she held dear is a resounding demonstration of the response to harm that Jen believed in: community members relying on one another, leading with love, centering the needs of the most vulnerable, and not resorting to vengeance and inflicting more harm.
Jen believed in a world where everyone has the ability to live a dignified and joyful life and worked toward an ecologically sustainable and deeply participatory society in which all people have access to the things they need, decisions are made by those most directly affected by them, and all people are free and equal.
Angel Cakes, the popular community-based bakery that Jen founded in 2008, will remain open, supported by Jen’s estate, and staffed by the talented team that Jen built. Community members who wish to support the bakery can especially help through buying gift certificates and committing to long-term patronage.
Per Jen’s wishes, her organs will be donated, and her committed medical team has informed the family that those organs will serve to lengthen and improve the lives of up to 70 people.
If the Oakland Police Department does make an arrest in this case, the family is committed to pursuing all available alternatives to traditional prosecution, such as restorative justice. Jen’s family and close friends ask that the media respect this request and carry forward the story of her life with celebration and clarity about the world she aimed to build. Jen’s family and friends ask that stories referencing Jen’s life do not use her legacy of care and community to further inflame narratives of fear, hatred, and vengeance, nor to advance putting public resources into policing, incarceration, or other state violence that perpetuates the cycles of violence that resulted in this tragedy.
We wish for Jen’s legacy to be one of deep commitment to safety and dignity for everyone."
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Who was Jen Angel?
Apart from being the founder and owner of Angel Cakes bakery, Jen was an activist as well. Her Twitter bio says, "Publicist with @aid_and_abet, baker with @AngelCakesSF, contributor to @AnarchistAgency. I talk about food, anarchism, media, and communications. And cupcakes." On Twitter Jen had more than 1500 followers. Jen Angel started making cupcakes in 2008 and opened her own bakery in 2016. Her eponymous shop is located at 745 Fifth St. in a historic building that was once home to a Creole restaurant and tea garden called TJ’s Gingerbread House, per The Oaklandside.
About the incident
The Oakland Police Department told KRON4 that the armed robbery happened in broad daylight shortly before 12:30 PM on Monday, behind Wells Fargo Bank on Webster Street. Paramedics rushed to Angel’s aid and took her to a nearby hospital. She was later identified by her close friends. “Our dear Jen Angel has suffered a severe injury, and she, along with her loved ones, needs our support.”In the wake of the attack, Jen Angel’s friend Moira Birss launched a GoFundMe page. The description of the fundraiser read. As per reports, The GoFundMe fundraiser has already raised more than $59000 at the time of writing and explained in detail how the donation would be used.
My friend, Jen Angel, was the coolest, the most fun, and the fiercest spirit. She was an essential part of so many communities. She passed away tonight, and there is no measure to how much I will miss her and no overstating the size of our collective loss. She is irreplaceable. pic.twitter.com/13YRsqe85L
— Christy Tending🏳️🌈🏴 (@ChristyTending) February 10, 2023
Jen Angel devoted her life to fighting for a better world. She brought joy and inspiration to everyone who knew her. Her death is beyond tragic and she will be missed by so many pic.twitter.com/8bQw6d98jI
— Liam O'Donoghue (@Liam_ODonoghue) February 10, 2023