Lark Shavers, a 37-year-old man, was killed in Oakland, California on July 9, 2011. His death came during an especially violent year for the city, which recorded 110 homicides in 2011 and faced a low homicide clearance rate that year.

Shavers’ killing is presented within a broader pattern of violence linked in reports to poverty, limited economic opportunity, and strained local policing; the Oakland Police Department reportedly cleared only 23 of 103 homicide cases in 2011 amid understaffing and management problems. Community leaders at the time argued for investments in restorative justice, social services, and economic revitalization as part of any response to the city’s violence.

Anyone who knew Lark Shavers or has information about his death is asked to come forward.