My name is Gabriela Ornelas and I am an Oakland resident.
The 50% allotment of Oakland’s general fund to OPD is harmful.
It deprives our black & brown communities from vital services - education, public health, living wages, housing, and youth services.
Our public servant’s fiscal and epistemological prioritization of police has resulted in the infliction of intergenerational, institutional trauma upon our black communities, our black trans woman, our brown communities, our unhoused, our neighbors with mental illness and/or addiction, and our neighbors with intellectual disabilities.
So, I call for the divestment of the people’s money from OPD!
Defund OPD, invest in our Community, and allow communities most impacted by police to lead re-envisioned community safety alternatives!
I stand by the APTP’s demands to defund OPD by 50%, invest that into the black new deal, stop the use of violence against protesters & remove CHP from Oakland.

I am a District 1 resident urging the Council to defund OPD by at least 50% and reinvest that money into services that keep our community safe – affordable housing, services for homeless, food security, restorative justice, mental health services, etc. As Laura Bekes noted below, "a budget is a moral document that reflects our values." Please listen to your constituents and adopt a budget that actually reflects the values of the Oakland community and residents.

I am a resident of District 2 - While this budget is an improvement in making some reductions to funding of OPD, it does not go far enough to defund police and provide our communities with the supports we need. I support Nikki Fortunato Bas's proposal to reallocate funding from the police toward mental health, homelessness prevention, and other services Oakland residents need.

I am a resident of East Oakland (D6) and every day I can look around and see things that my community very obviously needs. We need housing, food, health care, mental health services, economic opportunity, and so much more. We do not need to be criminalized and surveilled. I urge you to prioritize spending on the services and programs that can help address the root causes of violence and crime, things that this community has been denied by systemic racism. Please join me in supporting Councilmember Bas' proposal to reallocate the OPD budget to programs Oakland deserves.

My name is Mari Amend and I am an Oakland resident of District 2 writing to urge you to defund OPD.

I support the spirit of the proposal by Nikki Fortunato Bas: "to reallocate (from the police budget) at least $25 million towards improving safety and providing the services our residents really need," but this proposal does NOT go far enough!

Over 700 people e-commented on last week’s meeting. Over 150 spoke at the meeting itself. Over 95% of both sets of comments were in favor of defunding the Police. Listen to your constituents.

As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:

1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST that $150 million in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland

Thank you for being on the right side of history. We will remember in November.

I'm a resident, voter, and homeowner in District 1. I strongly urge the city to commit to a substantial reduction in OPD's budget immediately. Especially during a pandemic, we don't need to be putting people in jails for offenses that could be handled outside of the police and prison systems.

I'm a resident, voter, and homeowner in Oakland in District 2. Oakland of all places needs to lead the way with progressive social justice policies. I support Nikki Bas proposals:
1. IN THE SHORT TERM, **immediately** commit in this FY 2020-21 budget to reallocate at least $25 million of the OPD budget toward community programs and service.
2. IN THE LONG TERM, commit to developing a plan for a 50% reduction in the OPD budget for the next two-year budget cycle FY 2021-23, from 44% to 22% of the General Purpose Fund and conversely, significantly increase funding for departments providing community programs and services that address the root causes of violence and crime.

I am an educator and District 2 resident. I urge you to support Councilmember Fortunato Bas’s proposal to immediate reduce OPD’s budget by $25 million and to create a plan to further reduce their budget by 50% by FY 2021-23. These funds need to address the real safety needs of Oakland residents - health, housing, and jobs.

I am a resident and voter in District 1 and I urge the city council to defund the Oakland Police Department by 50% and reinvest funds in programs and resources we know keep communities safe. My council representative, Dan Kalb, said in a recent newsletter that he strongly supports allocating $1 million to a new MACRO program. This suggestion is in direct opposition to the clear demands of constituents. Investing a tiny fraction of the funds needed for a pilot program to function while maintaining the bloated spending on OPD makes no meaningful impact on the community's demands for true safety. It is an insult to the intellect and clarity of your constituents. This council has been provided a clear path forward from organizers and constituents. Reduce funding to OPD by at least 50% and reinvest funds into programs our communities need- youth programming, affordable housing, restorative justice initiatives, and mental health services.

Chelsea Miller

I write as an Oakland resident, voter and public school parent. While this budget is an improvement in making some reductions to funding of OPD, it does not go far enough to defund police and provide our communities with the supports we need to whether the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racism. I urge this council to adopt the amendments proposed by Councilmember Bas to reallocate at least $25 million of the OPD budget toward community programs and service and commit to a plan for a 50% reduction in the OPD budget for the next two-year budget cycle FY2021-23, from 44% to 22% of the General Purpose Fund and significantly increase funding for departments providing community programs and services that address the root causes of violence and crime. Oakland must be on the forefront of reimagining community safety. As someone who works in deep partnership with Oakland public schools, our Black and Brown students and families need more services and supports--not more police.

I wonder why the system is still taking so long to accomplish tasks that have been so clearly outlined for you.
How can your entire community, which lives the truth of this wretched environment you have created, be considered wrong in your eyes?
I wonder why you hesitate so much to trust the people you were sworn to protect and serve?
I wonder what you're really trying to protect.
I wonder where your hearts are in relation to your minds.
Have you too been lost to the mind bending mold of the system?
Or have you preserved righteousness? Have you the same courage?
Then get off your knees and stand with us.
I shouldn't have to break down this budget to tell you what to do.
That's what we pay you for. Listen to our needs, and make them happen.
You've got one job.
Do it or lose it.

I live Loren Taylor's district, and have lived in Oakland for 20 years. City Council must defund OPD, cutting its budget in half and redirecting that money to the types of things that will create true community wellbeing. For example, as Laura Bekes says: affordable housing, restorative justice, mental health services, etc. I also agree with her that "a budget is a moral document that reflects our values and we cannot continue to pour our limited public dollars into a police department that terrorizes our most vulnerable communities." As Keith Ellison once said, "The question is simple. Do you love justice or not?" Oakland voters (and history) have their eyes on you. DO THE RIGHT THING.

I am a District 1 resident urging the Council to defund OPD by at least 50% and reinvest that money into the things that actually keep our community safe – affordable housing, restorative justice, mental health services, etc. The amount of public dollars we pour into OPD and the violence and terror that OPD enacts on black and brown communities are OBSCENE and UNJUST. A budget is a moral document that reflects our values and we cannot continue to pour our limited public dollars into a police department that terrorizes our most vulnerable communities. Why are we even asking OPD to respond to mental health crises? To terrorize unhoused people? To tear gas protestors? As you can see in these comments, will hear in the public comments at the meeting, and have seen in every single day and night of protests, if you do not defund OPD and reinvest in the community, you will be going against the wishes of your constituents.

I was born and raised in Oakland and am a social worker at a large OUSD high school. Like others who have posted before me, I support a 50% reduction in budget for OPD with money reallocated to a M.A.C.R.O program for response to 911 calls and to further social services including mental health and housing. Ms. Schaaf needs to listen to her constituents who want to defund the OPD in favor of programs that will support our community and actually reduce crime, rather than just criminalizing and harming entire communities. This was clear in written and verbal comments made at last week's meeting; I am not sure why another meeting is needed. As Adrian Vasquez said, "thank you for being on the right side of history"--this is the moment!

Thank you,
Rumeli Snyder
Longfellow resident and voter

I support a 50% reduction in OPD budget and redirection to community investment and crime prevention. A MACRO program with staffing and leadership by formerly incarcerated people is one excellent way to start saving money and eliminating the use of police for non-criminal calls. Libby's proposal showed an unwillingness to listen to the vast majority of Oaklanders who have been looking for citizen police reviews and disinvestment from OPD for awhile now.

Thank you,
Alanya Snyder
Lifelong Oaklander
Glenview resident and voter

I am a life-long Oakland resident and current D1 resident writing to oppose the City Administrator’s recommended budget. The budget does not include any reductions to sworn public safety officers while claiming that the “midyear budget is a significant tool for improving race and equity.” These two ideas are completely at odds. Any claim that this budget is equitable is a harmful lie. I support Councilmember Fortunato-Bas’ amendment, but the $25M reduction in OPD funding doesn’t go far enough and should be taken further. Council needs to listen to Black Oaklanders and take immediate action to change Oakland’s racist systems that do not the protect the lives of Black Oaklanders and actively harm their ability to live and thrive.

My name is Adrian Vazquez and I am an Oakland resident writing to urge you to defund OPD.

I support the spirit of the proposal by Nikki Fortunato Bas: "to reallocate (from the police budget) at least $25 million towards improving safety and providing the services our residents really need," but this proposal does NOT go far enough!

Over 700 people e-commented on last week’s meeting. Over 150 spoke at the meeting itself. Over 95% of both sets of comments were in favor of defunding the Police. Why do you need another meeting? Just listen to your constituents.

As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:

1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST that $150 million in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland

Thank you for being on the right side of history. We will remember in November.

While reducing OPD’s budget and purview is great, completely eliminating OPD is the most crucial opportunity Oakland has before it. The money saved could support programs of actual value. We do not need to be tear gassed. We need homes, access to food and medicine, childcare; human needs. Stop investing in pain and death and start investing in communities and the people who actually live here.

At the Police Commission meeting the Chief acknowledged about 40% of calls would be better handled by people who were not police officers. If you can't see your way to a 50% cut then go with the 40% the Chief has said doesn't need police. Here are some things the Chief probably doesn't recognize as ways to reduce police time which could get you to the 50%:

What if police didn't automatically get dispatched to protests? What if the dispatch only happened if a store was being robbed?
Stop arresting sex workers.
Stop going after drug users.
Stop pulling people over for minor traffic infractions.

There is no better time than now with significant reductions in revenues to make this cut and put money into housing, health and other things that are demonstrably better for the community than police.

I'm encouraged the city has begun to seriously contend with civilianizing OPD positions, saving other departments from labor concessions, and funding programs like MACRO. However, there is still more to be done. I would like my Council Member Dan Kalb to work with Council Members Bas, Kaplan and others to continue pushing Budget Director Benson and Mayor Schaff to craft a budget which complies with the demands of Oakland to reimagine public safety without over-policing, starting now. This will be a voting issue for many of us in November.