Jen Angel was a cupcake store owner and social justice activist who died on February 9, 2023, from injuries sustained in a robbery attempt in Oakland, California, according to posts from her small business and KRON4.
Angel’s small business Angel Cakes wrote on Facebook, “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that Jen Angel, founder of Angel Cakes, social justice activist, and community member passed away on February 9, 2023.”
Angel Cakes added: “Community members who wish to support the bakery can especially help through buying gift certificates through the link in our bio, and committing to long-term patronage.”
In a press release released through an Anarchist PR project website, Angel’s family revealed, “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.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Jen Angel Was Dragged by a Getaway Car During a Robbery Attempt, Reports Say
According to KRON4, Angel “was sitting inside her car behind a bank on Webster Street in Oakland when a thief broke into the car and grabbed her purse.”
The robber, who has not been identified, “darted into a getaway vehicle that was waiting nearby,” the television station reported.
“The victim exited their vehicle and attempted to retrieve their stolen belongings from the individual. While the victim struggled for their belongings, they were knocked to the ground and sustained injuries,” being dragged by the getaway car, the Oakland Police Department told KRON4.
In the press release, her family says, “It’s with a heavy heart 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).”
2. The Baker’s Family Says Jen Angel Would Not Want to ‘Continue the Cycle of Harm’
A statement on the bakery’s website reads, “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.”
The statement added: “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.”
According to the family’s press release:
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.
The release added,
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. We do not support putting public resources into policing, incarceration, or other state violence that perpetuates the cycle of violence that resulted in this tragedy.
3. Customers & Friends Remembered Jen Angel as ‘Sweet’ & ‘Supportive’
A woman wrote on Angel Cakes’ comment thread,
This is so heartbreaking. Jen did our wedding in 2016 right after she first opened the storefront. I was so happy to find a local bakery rooted in community values, and I watched her live those values as cars repeatedly trashed the storefront at that intersection. But every time she’d rebuild and forge on. I’m so happy the bakery will continue and will definitely be a lifetime patron. I’m so very sorry for your loss. She is an amazing soul.💔
Another person wrote, “My heart breaks for the family and those who work there. I recall visiting this bakery on one of my first weeks in Oakland and she was so sweet and supportive- felt like old friends.”
Wrote another, “She was a beacon of light and a pillar of our community as well as so many others. My heart is broken.”
Chloe Eudaly wrote on Facebook:
Although I was already bracing myself for the worst based on the reports of her injuries and condition, I have been stunned since hearing the news of Jen Angel’s death last night. It just doesn’t seem possible. She was so full of energy, strength, and determination; she had so much more life to live.
While we weren’t close friends, we had an easy connection and comraderie. I imagine many people grieving her death, who straddle the line of friend and friendly acquaintance, feel similarly. Over the course of nearly 30 years, we got to know each other through brief encounters and short visits in Chicago, Portland, and San Francisco, through our shared beliefs, friends, and community, our love and commitment to independent media, and later, through social media. We were fans and supporters of each other’s work, but our last in-person conversation–nearly ten years ago–was mostly about love and relationships.
While sudden, senseless, and tragic, it seems that she and her loved ones were as prepared as they could be to honor her wishes, preserve her vision, and ensure that in death, as in life, Jen’s legacy will be one of compassion, giving, and justice.
4. Jen Angel, Who Was the Publisher of a Magazine, Learned About Baking From Her Mother
According to KRON4, Angel “established a social justice event production organization called Aid and Abet” and published a magazine called Clamor Magazine.
“Clamor magazine was a movement publication that existed between 2000 and 2006, covering radical politics, culture, and activism. Clamor published 38 issues and featured over 1,000 different writers and artists,” Google Books explains.
Its bio for Angel says,
Jen Angel has been a writer and media activist for over 15 years. Jen’s publishing history includes Clamor, publishing the Zine Yearbook, and editing MaximumRockNRoll. She is a founding board member of Allied Media Projects, a non-profit independent media advocacy organization and a contributing editor to Yes! magazine. Since leaving Clamor, she has worked as a producer for KPFA Radio, and a publicist and tour manager through the cooperative booking agency, Aid & Abet.
According to the Angel Cakes’ website, “Jen Angel created Angel Cakes in 2008, and our retail shop opened on 5th Street in Oakland in March 2016. Jen learned practically everything she knows from her mom, Pat.”
“Although Jen has always been a baker, before cupcaking full time she worked as an independent media and community activist,” the website says.
“Angel Cakes is a small shop and as the owner, Jen strives to create an environment where everyone (staff AND customers) feels included, valued, and respected. She believes that Black Lives Matter and that every person has the right to choose their own gender identity and gender expression.”
5. Jen Angel Called Making Cupcakes the ‘Most Pleasurable’ Job She Ever Had
Angel had “a background in business and marketing and once worked as a book publicist,” according to a profile story on her at Berkeley Side.org.
She entered the “cupcake business” in 2009, the site reported, quoting her as saying it was “by far the most pleasurable job I’ve ever had.”
The site reported that Angel “enjoys coming up with delicious new variations to keep from getting bored. She will also take requests for made-to-order cupcakes. Mini versions are available for any flavor, except those with fillings, as well as gluten-free and vegan options.”
A GoFundMe page reads, “Your donation will go toward the various expenses that may arise, including medical care for Jen, support during this transition for her partner Ocean in covering household and related expenses, for her mom in covering travel and living expenses, and for Angel Cakes bakery.”
READ NEXT: See Videos of the Chinese Spy Balloon Being Shot Down.