Hello, I live and work in District 1 of Oakland.
Developing healthy communities comes from investing in quality education, local business and employment programs, health care, and affordable housing. It does not come from an excess of law enforcement that has exacerbated existing disparities, escalate crisis situations, and useS excessive force. Please consider where Oakland’s priorities should lie in order to help its citizens thrive.

I strongly urge 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
5. End Oakland School Police who contribute to the school to prison pipeline by disproportionately targeting students of color.
6. Create a plan to completely defund the police by 2030

Thank you.

Hi my name is Spencer Lopez. I strongly oppose the "Equity Causes" budget amendments. This budget is an amendment is an embarrassment to the people of Oakland and largely ignores the demands of the people. We are looking for real divestment from OPD. To avoid divesting from the police, you choose instead to cut OUSD's food programs?

The Oakland Police Department has a history of misconduct, with 1051 cases of sustained misconduct for a police force of less than 800. We have one of the highest police spending per capita and our police department still hasn't finished the NSA after 17 years. The Stanford body cam analysis as well as the Police discipline disparity show clearly that the department has problems with racism. I strongly urge the council to cut funding from the police budget to fund community programs.

I’m a resident in D7. It’s insane the way you’re grasping for crumbs, selling the coliseum, stealing from measure Q, etc., when the solution to all of our problems is right in front of us and painfully clear.

Stop trying to rush through a sale of the Coliseum when you know the community isn’t onboard with it. Defund the OPD by 50% and plug that budget hole, redirect funds to healthcare, COVID support and housing, and reinvest in our communities.

My parents are oakland residents of district 4 and I grew up in oakland. Please defund OPD by 50% and reinvest in our schools, mental health services, and housing. What we needed when I was growing up, what my peers needed, and what we need now, is not more policing but more community resources.

My name is Lauren Rosenfield and I live in District 1.

All budget amendments and proposals on the table (even Councilmember Bas's proposal) DO NOT GO FAR ENOUGH and will not achieve TRUE COMMUNITY SAFETY for all Oakland residents.

Me and my fellow concerned Oakland residents WILL NOT REST until we see an actual defunding of OPD to ensure the safety of our community. You have one time right now to get this right for the NEXT 2 YEARS. Do not squander this opportunity for real change.

Hello, I'm a resident of District 4 and live in the Laurel neighborhood. I know that the City is facing difficult decisions to balance its budget. I support the spirit of Councilmember Bas' amendment, but urge the City Council to go further in reducing and redirecting funding for the Oakland Police Department to affordable housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, and mental health workers to keep the community safe. I ask that you also:
- Reduce OPD’s allocation from the General Fund by 50% (roughly $150 Million)
- Disallow unauthorized overtime by OPD
These actions will help ensure the long-term safety of all residents of Oakland.

My name is Kaleb and I am an Oakland resident living in District 4.

I strongly urge you to do the following:
- DEFUND OPD by 50% this year, including a transitional plan for the next 6-9 months.
- INVEST that $150 million in the Black New Deal
- STOP the use of violence against protesters
- CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
- NO unauthorized overtime for OPD,
- NO general fund $ to pay legal settlements, due to police murder, misconduct, and negligence,
- INVEST in housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, and mental health workers to keep Black, Brown, and all marginalized communities safe.

I am an Oakland resident and I urge you to follow the leadership from Oakland Rising, Anti-Police Terror Project, and Black Organizing Project on the following: 1) Defund Oakland Police department’s share of the general fund by a minimum of $150 million; 2) discontinue unauthorized overtime by OPD; and 3) invest that money into the Black New Deal, deeply affordable housing, youth programs, restorative justice, and other services that make our community stronger and actually keep us safe.

Oakland Police Department does not keep us safe. OPD remains a lethal threat to Oakland’s Black and Brown communities. Stand with community leaders and show with your budget priorities that Black lives matter. Thank you.

I do not support the budget as currently proposed but do support the Bas amendment. Please defund OPD.

Councilmember Bas' amendments are moving in the right direction, but do not yet go far enough.

This moment of twin pandemics requires immediate action, and it is entirely possible to cut OPD's budget by more than 50% THIS fiscal year. Importantly, these cuts need to reduce the core size and scope of the department, not just freeze hiring or make peripheral changes. We need fewer officers, weapons, and military technology on our streets. Even if we could ignore the thousands of incidents of brutality and corruption, there is a clear financial case - I recently saw 3 police cars and 6 officers responding to a nonviolent traffic search. This is clearly excessive.

Meanwhile, the city is failing in its obligation to offer hotel rooms to unhoused residents at risk of COVID. This needs to happen NOW, not next year. $500 thousand for the mental health response program is clearly insufficient - it deserves millions more.

Defund OPD now.

I am a resident and homeowner in District 1. Clearly, something needs to change if half of our general fund is going toward OPD. More clearly does not mean better. I am in support of Councilmember Bas' proposal to reduce funding by at least $25 million and reallocating it to the social services she has listed as a start. It has been eye-opening to realize how our tax dollars have been spent and we will be watching to see how councilmembers vote moving forward. Thank you.

My name is Aislinn Sterling and I am an Oakland resident in District 1. I'm writing again to urge you to defund OPD. I support the spirit of the proposal by Nikki Fortunato Bas's "to reallocate (from the police budget) at least $25 million towards improving safety and providing the services our residents really need," but this is NOT NEARLY 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. Please listen to your constituents; it is your job.

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 choosing to be on the right side of history. I will remember in November.

My name is Hillary and I am an Oakland resident and educator living in District 4.

I strongly urge you to do the following:

- DEFUND OPD by 50% this year, including a transitional plan for the next 6-9 months.
- INVEST that $150 million in the Black New Deal
- STOP the use of violence against protesters
- CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
- NO unauthorized overtime for OPD,
- NO general fund $ to pay legal settlements, due to police murder, misconduct, and negligence,
- INVEST in housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, and mental health workers to keep Black, Brown, and all marginalized communities safe.

Thank you.

My name is Heather Hart and I'm a resident of District 1. I'm here to ask that you defund the Oakland Police Department by at least 50% and reinvest in the community.  While I appreciate the spirit of the proposal by Councilmember Bas, it does not go far enough to address the urgency of the situation.

If you are truly listening to the community, you know by now that policing is a source of deep pain and trauma. I'm asking you to trust the community's voice when we say that we need a complete overhaul of the way we think of community safety. Stop putting money in something that doesn't work and doesn't make us feel safe. Instead, reinvest in sources of healing and empowerment - housing, education, restorative justice, mental health. We need to see you take the community's voice seriously and stop trying to placate us with minimal superficial changes. I am waiting for you all to embody the leadership needed to take us through the level of change we are demanding.

My name is Emily and I am an Oakland resident and counselor living in District 1.
Law enforcement does not solve the underlying social, economic, and health issues and disparities in our community. OPD has been under federal oversight for over a decade and has never earned the trust of the community. While I appreciate Council Member's Bas' proposal to reallocate at least $25 million of OPD's budget towards community services, it is not enough.

As an Oakland resident for over 6 years, I strongly urge 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
5. End Oakland School Police who contribute to the school to prison pipeline by disproportionately targeting students of color.
6. Create a plan to completely defund the police by 2030

Thank you.

My name is Kevin McDonald. I'm a resident of District 1.

I support the spirit of Councilmember Bas' amendment submitted June 22nd as a first step, but we must go further to defund OPD. It is important the Council adopt time-certain commitments to reducing OPD's budget by at least 50%, immediately removing law enforcement from Oakland schools, and reinvesting resources into services that provide aid to marginalized communities. As OPD becomes defunded, the Council must remain vigilant to prevent new services from becoming policed.

To do this quickly, the Council must address the sworn officer provisions of Measure Z. The Measure permits the Council to adopt a resolution to reduce the number of sworn officers if the Council can provide factual findings that doing so is necessary. At this moment, the city is speaking loud and clear that defunding OPD is absolutely necessary. Please act with the urgency that this moment demands.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

My name is Victoria and I am an Oakland resident and a case manager in District 1.
Law enforcement does not solve the underlying social, economic, and health issues in our community. They exacerbate existing disparities, escalate crisis situations, and use excessive force. OPD has been under federal oversight for over a decade and has never earned the trust of the community.
For these reasons I strongly urge 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
5. End Oakland School Police who contribute to the school to prison pipeline by disproportionately targeting students of color.
6. Create a plan to completely defund the police by 2030

Thank you.

The Hu-Nguyen family, residing in district 2, supports Councilmember's Bas' proposal to reallocate at least $25 million of OPD's budget towards community servies

My name is Heather Buchheim and I have been a resident of Oakland and District 1 for the past 2 years.

OPD takes almost half of Oakland’s general fund per year & this percentage has skyrocketed in the past 20 years as essential city services & programs have had their budgets slashed. This is absolutely unacceptable. The investment in police has not made us safer. Divesting from OPD is long overdue. I demand the city take these steps immediately:

Reduce OPD’s allocation from the General Fund by 50% or $150 million.

disallow unauthorized overtime by OPD

no general fund monies be used to pay legal settlements due to police murder, misconduct, and negligence.

invest in housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, and mental health workers to keep the community safe.
We can not keep investing in the militarization of a police force that has proven itself to be unreformable. We can't keep ripping apart Black and Brown communities through harmful and violent policing.

My name is Hillary Pierce 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.