A political activist who operated an anarchist-inspired bakery in Oakland, California has died following a brutal robbery this week.
Angel Cakes owner Jennifer Angel was reportedly dragged at least fifty feet after getting caught in the door of a getaway car which a pair of thieves used to box her vehicle in.
According to her fiancé, she sustained mortal injuries while attempting to chase down the assailants, who smashed in her window in broad daylight as she was leaving the parking lot of a Wells Fargo bank just a mile from her shop, Angel Cakes, on February 6.
After spending three days in a medically-induced coma, Angel was declared legally dead on Thursday following two unsuccessful attempts to remove her from life support.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao lamented Angel’s passing on Twitter, writing on Friday that she’d met Jen last year and found her “an absolute joy who worked every day to spread love and kindness.”
“She shared her joy through her baking and her advocacy for a better Town for everyone, and her impact on Oakland’s communities can never be replaced,” Thao added.
Police say they’re investigating the crime as a homicide, but they’ve yet to apprehend the suspects, who they reportedly described as a pair of thieves known to the department.
But it’s unclear what consequences they would face in the event of their arrest.
Family and friends who’ve spoken with local media reportedly say Angel wouldn’t want them to go to jail.
“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,” a statement released Friday indicates.
Emily Harris, a friend who described Angel as her political mentor, reportedly told local media: “I think Jen would affirm that of course that’s what people have been trained to believe is the answer, to lock people up.”
“That doesn’t mean that there isn’t accountability that we would want for [the perpetrators],” Harris reportedly said.
“But we know that if the people who cause her harm are sent to jail, all we’re doing is perpetuating more harm,” she added.