The Council must support CM Bas's visionary proposal to reduce OPD's budget by $25M mid-cycle and engage in a year-long planning process to reduce it by 50% in the next two-year budget cycle. Oakland has the opportunity to be a national leader in the movement to defund the police and re-envision community safety. Diverting funds from OPD now by reducing overtime and freezing vacant positions and reinvesting those funds in direct community safety and transition planning is a bold move that works toward urgent community demands. CM Taylor, Reid, Gallo, and McElhaney's proposal uses strong words about "ensuring justice for all," but its proposals don't meet that need. Tinkering on the edges of OPD and creating yet another "taskforce" does not meet the community's clear and persistent call for radical change now. I urge the Council to act on the right side of history: defund OPD now and commit to further defunding in the future to invest in true community safety and the Black New Deal.

The police should be left to police and redistrubtibg money to programs in schools such as art, sports after school programs, job training for at risk youth, mentorship, seed money to start Black and POC owned business. More 5150 community services so LCSW goes out with police. Defend the budget of the police to provide programs in community where overpolicing occurs. Thank you Mrs. Lee schuster

I strongly urge you to defund OPD by at least 50%. We know that reform does not work in a police system that is rooted in racism and violence, and that the presence of OPD terrorizes and brutalizes Oakland communities, particularly Black, Brown, and unhoused people. Oakland needs to take responsibility for the crises of racism and poverty in this city and meet them with community resources rather than armed police. When communities are adequately resourced and invested in, given the tools to work through conflict and build resilience, the supposed need for police is eliminated.
I DEMAND that Oakland City Council DEFUND OPD and REINVEST in community by:
-Defunding the Oakland Police Department by at least 50%
-Investing the money from defunding OPD into passing the full Black New Deal
-Stopping the use of violence of any kind against protesters
-Cutting the contract with the California Highway Patrol and removing them from Oakland
Listen to your constituents, we are counting on you.

I am a current resident in District 3, a Public Health graduate student and I urge you to DEFUND OPD. This funds need to be reinvested in our community in programs that support restorative justice, housing for our unhoused population and public health programs that support and empower young people.

My name is Merilee Sader 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. 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.

My name is B. Vaughn Sulit. I am an Oakland resident, and I support defunding OPD. Over the years, Oakland has continued to put more and more money into OPD, yet OPD is as ineffective and dangerous as ever. As a result, social programs that would actually make the city safer by protecting and supporting the people—such as housing, mental health, public transportation, and more—continue to remain drastically underfunded. Oakland must act immediately and reallocate at least 50% of OPD’s exorbitant budget towards social programs such as these. Pouring more money into OPD for reforms *will not* fix any problems, and will only make things worse.

I urge Councilmembers to vote to support to defund the police and reimagine what public safety can look like - for example: moving uniformed officers from responding to non-criminal 911 calls and supporting a MACRO model, removing uniformed officers from "policing" peaceful protests unless a criminal act is in progress, etc... Respond to the cries from the voices of our impacted community members and move Oakland towards a truly peaceful approach to public safety. Thank you.

I am an Oakland resident of 13 years,
This proposal does NOT go far enough! Honor the Oakland community's call for 50% cut to the OPD budget, and investing $150 million in funding for education, housing, healthcare and food security. People are essential, police are not.

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

I support the Anti-Police Terror Project's call to defund OPD by 50%, reinvest in the community, stop the use of violence against protesters, and cancel CHP's contract and remove them from Oakland.
I appreciate that you have chosen what I'm sure are difficult careers as public servants, I'm sure with the intention of serving your community and improving it. Please listen to the community now when we tell you that we want you to invest in the community, not police. I would note that if my representatives fail to represent me, I will vote for new ones.
Thank you.

None of these supplementary reports go far enough. We must not pretend like more data or more time or more analysis will help make this easier. The Council can't keep pretending like there's no plan and no experts. People in our own community are experts, and their plan is to defund OPD by 50% and reinvest that money in the community. I'm horrified by Reid, Gallo, McElhaney and Taylor's proposal to cut the city's funding from OUSD food supplements. I can't believe that during this pandemic, these council members would rather fund the OPD than make sure our children don't go hungry. Shame on you. Take $150 million from OPD and give Oakland children a shot at REAL equity.

The Council must also stop the use of violence against protesters. Every time Chief Manheimer is given a chance to explain OPD's side of the story to the public, she lies. While I am grateful for the members of the Council that call her out, I am sick of the fact that there are no consequences for her or OPD. Enough.

I am a resident of District 2. I echo the clear call from our Oakland communities to reduce OPD funding by 50% and to reallocate those funds across the range of departments and at-risk community members where this funding could more directly and substantively effect positive change in our city. This includes (and not limited to) affordable housing, mental health and public education.

The energies of this council and our Mayor that have recently been put towards promoting half-measure "reforms" for our police should instead be funneled to evaluating detailed and effective funding reallocation planning.

I am a District 1 resident in Oakland, and I urge the City Council to reallocate at least 50% of OPD's budget to community support services like housing, education, healthcare, and mental health services including the MACRO program. I am disgusted that the city's response to protests against police brutality have only resulted in more police brutality. It is unconscionable, especially in the middle of a pandemic, to invest our money in continuing to surveil, intimidate, and murder Black and Brown residents in Oakland. Reforms here and in other cities have been ineffective at preventing racist police violence, and it is imperative that we pass the Black New Deal put forward by the Anti-Police Terror Project and cut ties with the California Highway Patrol.
Look at all these comments. Listen to the protesters. You know what people want - put our money where your mouth is and invest in Black lives and futures.

As an east oakland resident, I demand that Oakland:

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 (We want justice for Erik Salgado)

if Oakland truly wants to thrive and the members of this council want to truly address these pressing issues, then we need to INVEST in resources that actually address these issues. INVEST in housing, INVEST in parks and recreation, INVEST in a new model of public safety where every human is treated with dignity and their needs are truly met.

I support the MACRO program, the Fortunato-Bas and Kaplan proposals. On the Reid et al proposals, support the use of $905,000 Meas Q for community-supported campsites (if this means new programs, not the old costly and temporary tuffshed model). Question: on the Racial Equity page 1, line 9, a single program analyst seems to be budgeted for 450,000 which seems kind of high. I support the department but can we get more than one staffer with this amount of funding? Thank you for your efforts to improve this budget.

Another reminder that an overwhelming majority of the community members you represent demand that you defund the Oakland Police Department by, at the very least, 50% and put that money into programs many of your campaigns ran on, as well as banning tear gas forever, cutting contract with California Highway Patrol, investing in the Black New Deal, and so many other things my fellow Oaklanders have listed in these comments.

See you in November?

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

I am writing to urge you to defund OPD right now by at least 50% and reinvest that money into essential community services. Listen to the voices of this community. Stop being cowards.

I stand with the community and the Anti Police-Terror Project's call for a 50% cut to the OPD budget. Investing $150 MILLION in the community could improve the lives of so many Oakland residents through better funding for education, housing, healthcare and food security. People are essential, police are not. Do the right thing now, or you will be voted out.

Hi my Name is Cherri Murphy.
I am a Social Justice Minister.
I am a member of Heart and Soul Center of Light, District 1
I reside in the Fruitvale neighborhood, District 5

As a member of our city’s faith communities, I must insist that you adopt a budget that reflects a deep commitment to fairness, safety and health for our most vulnerable communities. I stand by the demands of the APTP and urge you to take immediate action to ensure the following:

● Defund from Oakland Police Department by 50%
● Invest in community services
● STOP the use of violence against protesters
● Listen and adhere to your constituents.

Thank you.

None of these supplementary reports go far enough. We must not pretend like more data or more time or more analysis will help make this easier. The Council can't keep pretending like there's no plan and no experts. People in our own community are experts, and their plan is to defund OPD by 50% and reinvest that money in the community. I'm horrified by Reid, Gallo, McElhaney and Taylor's proposal to cut the city's funding from OUSD food supplements. I can't believe that during this pandemic, these council members would rather fund the OPD than make sure our children don't go hungry. Shame on you. Take $150 million from OPD and give Oakland children a shot at REAL equity.

The Council must also stop the use of violence against protesters. Every time Chief Manheimer is given a chance to explain OPD's side of the story to the public, she lies. While I am grateful for the members of the Council that call her out, I am sick of the fact that there are no consequences for her or OPD. Enough.