Detrick Moore of Oakland looks at a memorial for Chauncey Bailey before a community mobilization event in Oakland on Saturday. (Sean Connelley, Oakland Tribune)

Tributes, praise and recollections poured in from around the region Thursday after the death of journalist Chauncey Bailey:

“I was always impressed that he always cared about the people — the ‘little people’ as we sometimes say. He truly was a champion for African-Americans, not just in Oakland, but all over.”— Bob Butler, KCBS reporter and president of the Bay Area Black Journalists Association

“Chauncey will be missed. He was at every media event and he always asked the first question. His questions were thoughtful and you knew that he sought to truly inform the public.” — Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums

“I used to get annoyed at Chauncey. But I learned to appreciate him over the years. He just
stayed with it.” — Pamela Drake, aide to former Oakland City Councilman Nate Miley

“The image that sticks in my mind, of Chauncey, is of him at the gym, in the shorts and the headband and the shirt tucked in, pumping out long-range jumpers, going, ‘Stackhouse! ’ ” — Rory Laverty, former Oakland Tribune columnist

“Chauncey was somebody who cared about the African-American community getting news that he felt was not being reported in the major news media outlets. And he did an incredible job at that.” — Oakland City Councilmember Larry Reid

“He didn’t know me from nobody. He was just very excited. . . . He said, ‘I’m going to get your name out there, because it’s very rare to get a young African-American woman to start a business.’ ” — Chakay McDonald, owner of Louisiana Fried Chicken

“Our community has really suffered a loss. . . . He was the voice for a lot of us, because he gave us access to the media that we didn’t have.” — George Holland, Oakland branch president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

“Chauncey contributed so much to the fabric of our community. . . . It is my hope that the perpetrators of this horrible crime are brought to justice swiftly, and that Chauncey’s untimely death will bring our community together and strengthen our collective hand in rooting out this type of violence.” — Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland

“The very streets that he fought for and wrote about — that his blood should be spilled on those streets today is devastating. . . . He was always on top of everything. He was our link. He was at City Hall fighting for us.” — Luenell, actress and costar of “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” who worked with Bailey on Soul Beat Television

“He has opened up the (St. Kitts) Music Festival to the patrons in the West Coast. He was a pioneer. None of the other major media people ever took advantage of the offers to come to our festival.” — Robert Kelly, director, USA St. Kitts Tourism Authority of the Caribbean island nation, St. Kitts and Nevis

Chauncey Bailey

“This is not just a local loss, this is a loss to the field nationally. His work over the years has probably been responsible for an innumerable set of people being involved in the industry. I know he has been an inspiration to a lot of people.” — David Glover, executive director of OCCUR, the Oakland Citizens Committee for Urban Renewal

“I’m shocked and saddened at the senseless act that took the life of this dedicated father and sensitive human being. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Mr. Bailey and I share the tremendous loss that the community feels for his outstanding journalism and committed civic leadership.” — Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, D-Oakland

“In many ways, Chauncey typified the challenges and struggles of many African-American men. A smart, talented man who chafed at the routine indignities of a white establishment, in this case the media. A loving father denied close contact with his son. And ultimately, unbelievably, a homicide victim, gunned down on the streets of Oakland.” — Brenda Payton, Oakland Tribune columnist

“We’re grief-stricken by his death. . . . I want to urge people in the community to use this as an opportunity to do something about the violence in the community. We’ve got to change this so people can walk safely down the street.” — C. Diane Howell, publisher of the Black Business Listings and producer of Black Expo 2007