We got yet another reminder of the crying need for effective and powerful civilian oversight of the police from both the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the brutal overreactions of police departments across the country to the resulting demonstrations. But Oakland has the potential to be different and to lead the way for the rest of the country. Although we have a strong community-led police commission to oversee our police department, the City Administration’s resistance has hobbled the Commission. The Commission’s powers need to be clarified in a new ballot measure that would further amend the City Charter. The Coalition for Police Accountability has partnered with the Police Commission to create a joint Charter amendment that will allow the Commission to be truly effective in ensuring that the Oakland Police Department is firmly and permanently dedicated to constitutional policing. When this Charter amendment is enacted, we will finally be able to transition from federal court oversight through the NSA to local oversight by the Commission. Those who see political advantage in opposing progressive reform have been promoting the idea that the Commission is trying to enlarge its power and interfere with the operations of the Police Department. That is simply not true. Please look carefully at the changes we are proposing and evaluate them for yourselves. The main changes from current law that the Coalition and the Police Commission are proposing are as follows: 1. The Commission can hire its own attorneys who will report to it and not the City Attorney. 2. The Commission will be able to hire an Inspector General who will audit the police department and be able to recommend policy changes to the Commission. 3. The Commission will have access to all police department records and files. 4. The Commission will be able to impose discipline in cases where the investigations have not been completed in time or when required body camera footage has not been a component of the investigation. We want the Police Commission/Coalition draft adopted–there is strong community support for it. District 1 residents are asking Councilmember Dan Kalb and Council President Rebecca Kaplan to please move forward with these important changes. We are living through unprecedented times that demand bolder action by the Oakland City Council.

The murders of George Floyd, Sean Monterrosa, Stephon Clark, Oscar Grant and many, many other instances of racism, brutality and murder by police, highlight the need for major reforms in law enforcement, including enhanced training, transparency, and accountability. We can no longer allow police departments to self-regulate. Too often, police misconduct gets swept under the rug, and officers are able to continue working or transfer to another department after documented instances of misconduct. Police are granted extraordinary power and authority over the rest of us and carry around dangerous weapons, yet they have less training, experience, or oversight than many others who perform valuable services to our community.

View full letter here for more details on the policies we are demanding: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r46kOyh3c27hz0412kWD9eeMHCO7TW0CXt9ucVad2r4/edit?usp=sharing We need a new normal and that requires a new strategy. It is not enough to say you’ll do better. It is time that Philadelphia acknowledges its past and actively engages and commits to change. In light of recent police brutality throughout the country, American citizens are protesting racist police departments, and the generations of pain and suffering they have inflicted on Black Americans. Please do not be mistaken, this is an issue in the city of Philadelphia, as well. There is a long history of police terror and murder of Black Philadelphians. Police have brutalized Black Philadelphians and displaced Black neighborhoods since the institution began. The protests will not stop until Philadelphia accounts for its racist and unjust history and commits to real change. In 1985, the Philadelphia Police Department (the “PPD”) dropped a bomb, one typically used in war combat, on its West Philadelphia residents in an attempt to rid the city of a Black liberation group called MOVE. Eleven people, including five children, died and a Philadelphia neighborhood burned down. The actions of the PPD destroyed more than 60 homes — leaving 250 Philly residents homeless. To this day, many of those homes remain vacant and the PPD’s insidious racism and overt violence continues to loom over the city of Philadelphia. Last summer, the PPD was involved in yet another racist incident when it was revealed that several officers made racist posts on Facebook. The PPD responded by: (1) suspending 15 officers with an intent to dismiss and (2) removing 72 officers from the streets. An additional seven officers resigned. Shortly thereafter, in September of 2019, a Philadelphia police officer shot a man who was holding a box cutter. This racism and injustice only continues as Philadelphians raise their voices to promote change. On June 1, 2020, the PPD allowed a group of protestors to gather and protest onto the I-676 highway. Then, the PPD tear gassed the protestors from above via helicopters and from the ground by throwing gas canisters, to the point that bodies were rolling down the hill adjacent to the highway on live television. Tear-gas is a chemical compound so dangerous that it is not even allowed as a war tactic, yet it was used to thwart unarmed protestors. Philly sanctioned the use of this chemical against its own residents, knowing that this tactic could further exacerbate symptoms of COVID-19 and put Philadelphians at risk for asphyxiation. In response to protests against police brutality, as of June 1, 2020, military tanks were seen riding through the neighborhoods of Philadelphia—the biggest show of force yet. Where reasonable force, impartiality, health and safety is a concern, the PPD has failed in serving its citizens. The entire law enforcement system needs to be reformed to better suit the needs of citizens. Officers are public servants and police departments are funded by the tax dollars of all Philadelphia residents, yet, the PPD continuously fails to serve all members of the Philadelphia community. Police are supposed to be trained to handle difficult and intense situations without resorting to deadly force, yet time and again, deadly force is used. Philadelphia police officers are six times more likely to kill suspects than NYPD police officers. Furthermore, Philadelphia police officers used deadly force nearly 400 times between 2007 and 2013. The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, including the use of unreasonable force by police officers. However, the Philadelphia Police Department has continuously used unreasonable force, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Nationwide protesting has occurred for the unjust death of George Floyd, police brutality, and Black Lives Matter movement. There have been numerous occurrences where peaceful protesters advocating for the victims of fatal unjustified racial bias have been shot with these lethal weapons by officers. Citizens protesting police brutality are becoming victims of the cause they are fighting to end. These bullets cause serious injuries including blindness, permanent disability, broken bones, and death. Rubber bullets kill 3% of people they injure, and cause serious complications in far more victims. These weapons are not non-lethal. To say so is false. It is the use of these weapons that turned the protests violent. As seen in Austin, Texas recently in a protest against racism and police brutality was turned violent because of officers at the protest, presumably defending the safety of those present. Rubber bullets are banned in wartime use due to serious injuries. There's no justification for using these lethal weapons on civilians. We will continue to advocate for the ban of rubber bullets and calling for peaceful crowd control measures on the peaceful protesters.

“More than 1,000 people are killed by police every year in America, and Black people are three times more likely to be killed than White people. We can take steps and make reforms to combat police violence and systemic racism within law enforcement. Together, we can work to redefine public safety so that it recognizes the humanity and dignity of every person. Mayors and other City Council officials“ (county executives) “are uniquely positioned to introduce common-sense limits on police use of force.” As it states on this webpage, https://www.obama.org/mayor-pledge/ This is the link to the 8 things that need to change!!: https://8cantwait.org/

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that shields police from legal liability for murder, violence, and other misconduct. Qualified immunity must end now, for the memory of George Floyd--and countless others who've suffered and died at the hand of lawless police brutality. The police should be accountable to, not immune from, the same laws they enforce. They should be accountable to, not immune from, their violation of our constitutional rights. Federal law ending qualified immunity will deter police violence by making law-breaking police officers accountable for their actions. It will give the public--who both fund the police, and whom the police are supposed to protect and serve--legal recourse for police violence. Please take action to end qualified immunity for police now.

If we want to change the epidemic of mostly black men being murdered by police, we have to take strong action and this proposal is just one change that is needed.

Dear David Carlucci, We are NY-17 voters who stand firmly opposed to police violence against Black communities. We are concerned by your long track record of accepting political donations from law enforcement interest groups and your failure to support meaningful reforms in the State Senate. Over the course of your 10-year political career, you have accepted at least $124,736 in campaign contributions from law enforcement interest groups. These contributions have come from interest groups that fight to keep police misconduct reports secret, actively protect violent police officers from culpability, and oppose efforts to end the war on drugs. These groups have successfully fought for years to keep in place Section 50-a of the Civil Rights Law, which allows police departments to refuse to release records of police misconduct. Section 50-a prevents the public from identifying instances of police violence, holding police forces accountable, or fighting systemic abuse. The New York State Troopers, who have given you $13,500, have invoked Section 50-a to shield the records of an off-duty trooper who ran over a man on the side of the highway and then fled the scene; the New York Police Department has cited Section 50-a in refusing to release the records of the officer who choked Eric Garner. An elected official who stands for the interests of these groups cannot stand for the interests of Black communities. Your funders have consistently blocked reforms seeking to make police forces more just, transparent, and accountable; their efforts have enabled the rampant police violence now being perpetrated against protesters and journalists in New York. We need elected officials who will fight for communities impacted by police violence, not protect law enforcement from accountability. You have represented us in the State Senate for ten years, but you have failed to support meaningful reforms to law enforcement. As of this writing, your Congressional campaign website still does not include a criminal justice policy platform. Last year, you refused to sign onto a proposal, supported by 20 of your Democratic colleagues, to repeal Section 50-a. We look forward to your response.

If he is not immediately removed from office (and subsequently arrested for his multiple crimes against humanity), this country, with all the immense challenges it is facing, will not survive until November. He has made it abundantly clear he will not cede control of the office of president, regardless of the outcome. He has sanctioned the murder and open violence against the majority of the electorate by his sharing the despicable vitriol of a supporter stating "the only good Democrat is a DEAD Democrat". He has openly called for the unlawful and illegal suppression of our constitutional rights to redress our grievances and lawful assembly- as he did in his phone address to our Nation's Governors on June 1st, 2020.

"The one word I have to use with respect to what he's been doing for the last several years is the word I would never have used before, never would have used with any of the four presidents I worked for: He lies. He lies about things, and he gets away with it because people will not hold him accountable." Colin Powell, former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Speaking of President Trump, on June 7, 2020 Finally, we are hearing a voice from the Republican Party, acknowledging that the Republian leadership in government and congress are major contributors to the disentangling of the democratic fabric of our county. While there has never been as divisive a President as Donald Trump, every American should realize that the problem is not just with a single leader but with an entire entrenched system that has come to depend on and embrace the manipulation, intimidation, and disinformation his every word and action exemplifies. We must take action against this oppressive regime and call on all who enable it to step aside now.

URLEIA sets in place ongoing pattern or practice (POP) investigations in every community throughout the United States. A Pattern or Practice Investigation is the tool the Department of Justice (DOJ) currently uses to curtail unconstitutional policing in local jurisdictions. Investigations are usually commenced by DOJ after highly-publicized use-of-force events such as the shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson or the asphyxiation of George Floyd in Minnesota. URLEIA allows for the early identification and permanent removal of problem officers. URLEIA also introduces a host of new nationwide standards for policing, including a national use-of-force statute, training requirements, monitoring and measurement mechanisms, policies for interfacing with disabled citizens as well as quality standards that give rise to a best-in-class policing culture. URLEIA's foundational principle is "smart policing," which imposes upon law enforcement officers an obligation to preserve life and prevent injury. URLEIA introduces a national data repository that will capture data on every law enforcement agent and entity in the United States, including local policing jurisdictions, jails, prisons, juvenile facilities and private-duty security. Learn more: https://changeisonus.org/know-the-benefits-of-urleia/

R1 zoning is for single-family residences. It was never intended to house 20 plus inmates next to families with children or near seniors and pre-schools. In a community that is already overburdened with homeless shelters, permanent supportive housing, gang violence, and several other transitional housing during a time of a pandemic and civil unrest our elected leaders should have considered those who live in the area and notified the community as they are obligated to do so and obtain feedback. Although, transitional housing may have some benefits the disadvantages are greater. Homeowners have spent their life savings to buy their homes. Children and preschoolers should live in a safe environment and as our recent pandemic has proven. Density housing is a failure and should never be rushed into. A single home with over 20 people who are violent offenders should have never been rushed into.