Jen Angel, a social justice activist and founder of popular Downtown Oakland bakery Angel Cakes, has died, friends said in online posts on Thursday.
Angel was hospitalized Monday following a robbery in Downtown Oakland that left her severely injured and in critical condition. A statement about her death just before 6 p.m. said that she had lost all brain function and would not regain consciousness
Angel was robbed while sitting in her car near Webster and 21st streets. After pursuing the suspect to retrieve her stolen belongings, Angel’s clothes apparently snagged in the suspects' car door, and she was “dragged more than 50 feet before falling free in the middle of the street,” according to a crime brief in the San Jose Mercury News.
In an earlier statement Thursday, Angel’s friends shared their feelings about her and gratitude for the outpouring of support they have received since the brutal incident.
"Jen cultivates community everywhere she goes," Pete Woiwode wrote. "Her cupcakes, her organizing work, and every other element of her life have always been an invitation into the beautiful world she hopes to build, where everyone is valued, cared for, and celebrated."
Another friend of Angel's, Moira Birss, organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to go toward her medical expenses and financial support for her family. The fund has raised more than $100,000 since Wednesday.
A statement announcing Angel's death said that if an arrest is made in the case, her family is "committed to pursuing all available alternatives to traditional prosecution, such as restorative justice."