Oakland's Voice at the Table: KOCO Heads to June 27 Community Benefits Summit as South Side's Future Takes Shape

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Oakland · June 21, 2026

Oakland's most enduring community champion is gearing up for one of the summer's most consequential South Side conversations. The Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) — a cornerstone institution in Community Area 36 — is among the neighborhood voices preparing for the upcoming Community Benefits Agreement Summit on June 27, where residents from communities surrounding the new Obama Presidential Center will gather to hammer out priorities for preserving affordability and shaping the neighborhood's future.

KOCO Executive Director Shannon Bennett has been at the forefront of these discussions, pressing for concrete, written protections for longtime Oakland residents as development interest accelerates. The stakes are real: with the Obama Presidential Center now open in nearby Jackson Park, property values and rents are climbing across the surrounding South Side communities. Advocates point to hard-won policy victories — including the 2025 Jackson Park Housing Pilot Ordinance, which reserves city-owned lots for affordable housing and expands tenant protections — as proof that organized Oakland voices produce results.

For Oakland residents, the June 27 Summit is more than a policy meeting — it's a chance to help write the next chapter of Community Area 36's story on their own terms. Are you planning to attend, or do you have thoughts on what affordability and community preservation mean for Oakland's future? Share your voice with Socialhood — your neighborhood deserves the spotlight!

Sources:
1. https://news.wttw.com/2026/06/17/south-side-residents-voice-gentrification-concerns-ahead-obama-presidential-center