I approve the transfer of funds from OPD to the Civilian Police Review Board (CPRA)which would end the Internal Affairs Division (IAD) and allow the CPRA to investigate all reports of police misconduct. The Federal Court Monitor reports have included many criticisms of IAD in not being thorough, consistent and impartial as they investigate their own colleagues. CPRA has no such bias and employs experienced investigators. The duplication of effort is a big waste of taxpayers' money. The transfer should take place on Jan 1, 2021.
Rebecca's resolution to approve a transfer of funds with an effective date of Jan 1, 2021 to end Internal Affairs and transfer the expenditures associated with IAD to CPRA who would handle ALL investigations of complaints!
I am a resident of District 3, and support a reconsideration of the budget passed last week. Since I've lived here, I've seen the rise of thousands of shiny new condos right alongside the rise of not so shiny tent encampments. We are spending our money on the police instead of the people who live here, being reactive instead of proactive.
As an Oakland resident, I am in strong agreement with the previous commenters and am urging city council to reconsider the 2020 - 2021 budget passed in the last meeting. Defund OPD and reinvest those funds into communities that have been brutalized, criminalized, and imprisoned by our racist judicial system. I support council member Bas' proposal to cut $25 million from OPD as a step towards an overall reduction of 50%.
My name is Yeshe and I am a resident of district 2. I continue to urge you to defund OPD! Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS 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 Carrie Sownie of District 3 and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for education, homelessness, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
I am a longtime resident of District 5 and I urge Noel Gallo and all members to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs. We continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
I am an Oakland resident in District 1. I sat through the whole meeting last week where I listened to the city council pushed through a budget that wasn't properly reviewed by the entire council or the public. I was particularly confused by Councilmember Kaplan's passionate speech about listening to the people of Oakland only to have her turn around and push through this budget that disregarded the voice of the people of Oakland. Please re-open the budget discussion and pass amendments to defund the OPD by at least 50%. We are paying too much attention to be duped into thinking the cuts that were made last week address our concerns in any way.
I am an Oakland resident and demand the following (via Anti Police-Terror Project):
1) Defund the police by 50% (not $2.5M, which is around 1% or less of their total budget)
2) Invest that $150M into the Black New Deal
3) Cancel CHP's contract and remove them from Oakland
4) Stop the use of violence against protesters
5) No unauthorized overtime for OPD
6) No general fund $ to pay legal settlements due to police murder, misconduct, and negligence
7) Invest in housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, and mental health workers to keep the community safe
I am a resident of District 1, and strongly urge the City Council to listen to their constituent base and meaningfully defund OPD. Our demands are:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
As an Oakland resident of District 1, I echo the concerned voices of my community and join them in demanding that council re-open the 2020-2021 budget discussion and pass amendments to DEFUND OPD by 50% and CANCEL CHP's contract NOW.
As a resident of district 2 who listened into the last week's meeting, I am proud to call Nikki Bas my councilperson. And I am extremely disappointed in the actions of the so-called "equity" caucus and councilmember Kaplan. The decision to move forward with a budget that was not shared with the public, and that was introduced AFTER the meeting had started is a slap in the face of democracy. I strongly urge you to reconsider the adoption of the budget from last week, actually have a real conversation about budget amendments that reflect the defunding of police and refunding of public programs that so many thousands of Oakland residents have been calling for. Re-open the discussion and amend the budget along APTP's suggestions as the people have called for. Defund OPD by 50%. Invest that money into the Black New Deal. Stop the use of violence against protesters. Remove CHP from Oakland's streets.
I am a District 6 resident, and I urge the City Council to vote to meaningfully defund OPD.
I strongly support Councilmember Bas's plan to partner with grassroots organizations and leaders to design and implement a community-centered transition plan for a transition that reduces OPD's budget by 50% in the next budget cycle 2021-23. Initiatives like APTP's Black New Deal should help guide the Council's actions.
My name is Ashley Erickson and I'm a long time resident (and voter) in District 3. I sat through the entirety of last week's City Council meeting and was shocked and dismayed to hear the "Equity Caucus" propose a brand new budget, give zero time for council or public review and then force an unnecessary vote. I am particularly disgusted with your behavior Lynette McElhaney. Your Oscar-winning tearful performance served to force a vote NOT to reflect the demands of the people you were elected to represent. It was a slap in the face of the thousands of people who have called, emailed, protested and asked for the resources our community needs. Councilmember Bas’s proposal alongside her commitment to defund the police is a good first step but it’s not enough.
Our ask is clear:
1) Reduce the general police fund budget by at least 50% and redirect those resources to housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, and mental health workers to keep the community safe.
2) Disallow unauthorized overtime by OPD.
3) Discontinue use of general fund dollars to pay for settlements due to police murder, misconduct, and negligence.
4) Denounce all use of Measure Q funds to pay for salaries of the OPD.
As a resident of District 1 I, like many in my community, am deeply concerned and frustrated by the council's decision to pass budget amendments without adequate time for review by all council members and the public. This process should be transparent, not slipped in at the last minute. The council MUST re-open the 2020-2021 budget discussion and pass amendments that reflect the demands of the community.
These demands include:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
The community and I will be watching in Novemnber.
My name is Kat and I am a long-time resident of District 2. My wife and I listened to the entire meeting in which you guys haphazardly voted on a budget that no one had taken enough time to review, and that the public had not even had a chance to see. It's a slap in the face for every Oakland resident that Councilmembers Gallo, Reid, Taylor, McElhaney and Kaplan think that their decision will appease the people who put their trust in them and placed them in office.
I echo the sentiments of those who have been voicing out. The "Equity Caucus" should be ashamed of themselves. This budget stinks of fear, complacency, and laziness.
I join many others from this community in the demand that you reconsider the amendments to the budget which were unethically passed last week and move to adopt a proposal more closely resembling Councilmember Fortunato Bas', which still falls short at only defunding OPD by $25M, but is significantly better than the insulting proposal from last week.
I am seriously concerned with the lack of transparency and disregard for public input on the budget, which was rammed through last week without sufficient time for the public or even councilmembers to review amendments. To respond to the groundswell of public support for defunding the police, and to do the right thing in the face of continued police terror, you must reopen discussions on the budget and ensure that the package of amendments and policy directives provides a path forward for decreasing OPD's budget by 50% and reinvesting those funds in programs that support our community rather than terrorize it.
Like so many others, I am deeply concerned and frustrated by the council's decision to pass budget amendments without adequate time for review by all council members and the public. This process should be transparent, not slipped in at the last minute. The council MUST re-open the 2020-2021 budget discussion and pass amendments that reflect the demands of your community. Reduce OPD's budget by at least 50% and invest in education, healthcare, employment, and housing. Pass the Black New Deal. Show us you are listening!
My name is Jon and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS 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 Saundra and I am a long time resident of District 2. I urge you to please reconsider the budget that was disgracefully passed last week after so many weeks of your constituents making calls and engaging with you. Please understand we have a place to make history in this time and I implore you to be on the side of the people by reallocating $150M from the police budget into non-violent de-escalation services, education, mental health services and please please please housing for our unhoused population.
t's has been extremely insulting how you all have handled our unanimous demand to defund OPD. Stop ignoring us. DEFUND BY 50% and redistribute all funds to community resources!! Housing, jobs, education, mental health services and other crisis intervention workers that will replace police so that police will not be able to repetitively abuse and murder our people. And end all unauthorized police overtime pay. DEFUND AND REDISTRIBUTE, we see through all the weak attempts to deflect our demands. As an objective and sober observer, our outrage will not subside until you actually hear out and follow our demands.
I approve the transfer of funds from OPD to the Civilian Police Review Board (CPRA)which would end the Internal Affairs Division (IAD) and allow the CPRA to investigate all reports of police misconduct. The Federal Court Monitor reports have included many criticisms of IAD in not being thorough, consistent and impartial as they investigate their own colleagues. CPRA has no such bias and employs experienced investigators. The duplication of effort is a big waste of taxpayers' money. The transfer should take place on Jan 1, 2021.
Rebecca's resolution to approve a transfer of funds with an effective date of Jan 1, 2021 to end Internal Affairs and transfer the expenditures associated with IAD to CPRA who would handle ALL investigations of complaints!
I am a resident of District 3, and support a reconsideration of the budget passed last week. Since I've lived here, I've seen the rise of thousands of shiny new condos right alongside the rise of not so shiny tent encampments. We are spending our money on the police instead of the people who live here, being reactive instead of proactive.
As an Oakland resident, I am in strong agreement with the previous commenters and am urging city council to reconsider the 2020 - 2021 budget passed in the last meeting. Defund OPD and reinvest those funds into communities that have been brutalized, criminalized, and imprisoned by our racist judicial system. I support council member Bas' proposal to cut $25 million from OPD as a step towards an overall reduction of 50%.
My name is Yeshe and I am a resident of district 2. I continue to urge you to defund OPD! Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS 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 Carrie Sownie of District 3 and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for education, homelessness, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
Thanks for your good work.
I am a longtime resident of District 5 and I urge Noel Gallo and all members to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs. We continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
I am an Oakland resident in District 1. I sat through the whole meeting last week where I listened to the city council pushed through a budget that wasn't properly reviewed by the entire council or the public. I was particularly confused by Councilmember Kaplan's passionate speech about listening to the people of Oakland only to have her turn around and push through this budget that disregarded the voice of the people of Oakland. Please re-open the budget discussion and pass amendments to defund the OPD by at least 50%. We are paying too much attention to be duped into thinking the cuts that were made last week address our concerns in any way.
Hi all,
I am an Oakland resident and demand the following (via Anti Police-Terror Project):
1) Defund the police by 50% (not $2.5M, which is around 1% or less of their total budget)
2) Invest that $150M into the Black New Deal
3) Cancel CHP's contract and remove them from Oakland
4) Stop the use of violence against protesters
5) No unauthorized overtime for OPD
6) No general fund $ to pay legal settlements due to police murder, misconduct, and negligence
7) Invest in housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, and mental health workers to keep the community safe
I am a resident of District 1, and strongly urge the City Council to listen to their constituent base and meaningfully defund OPD. Our demands are:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
As an Oakland resident of District 1, I echo the concerned voices of my community and join them in demanding that council re-open the 2020-2021 budget discussion and pass amendments to DEFUND OPD by 50% and CANCEL CHP's contract NOW.
As a resident of district 2 who listened into the last week's meeting, I am proud to call Nikki Bas my councilperson. And I am extremely disappointed in the actions of the so-called "equity" caucus and councilmember Kaplan. The decision to move forward with a budget that was not shared with the public, and that was introduced AFTER the meeting had started is a slap in the face of democracy. I strongly urge you to reconsider the adoption of the budget from last week, actually have a real conversation about budget amendments that reflect the defunding of police and refunding of public programs that so many thousands of Oakland residents have been calling for. Re-open the discussion and amend the budget along APTP's suggestions as the people have called for. Defund OPD by 50%. Invest that money into the Black New Deal. Stop the use of violence against protesters. Remove CHP from Oakland's streets.
I am a District 6 resident, and I urge the City Council to vote to meaningfully defund OPD.
I strongly support Councilmember Bas's plan to partner with grassroots organizations and leaders to design and implement a community-centered transition plan for a transition that reduces OPD's budget by 50% in the next budget cycle 2021-23. Initiatives like APTP's Black New Deal should help guide the Council's actions.
My name is Ashley Erickson and I'm a long time resident (and voter) in District 3. I sat through the entirety of last week's City Council meeting and was shocked and dismayed to hear the "Equity Caucus" propose a brand new budget, give zero time for council or public review and then force an unnecessary vote. I am particularly disgusted with your behavior Lynette McElhaney. Your Oscar-winning tearful performance served to force a vote NOT to reflect the demands of the people you were elected to represent. It was a slap in the face of the thousands of people who have called, emailed, protested and asked for the resources our community needs. Councilmember Bas’s proposal alongside her commitment to defund the police is a good first step but it’s not enough.
Our ask is clear:
1) Reduce the general police fund budget by at least 50% and redirect those resources to housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, and mental health workers to keep the community safe.
2) Disallow unauthorized overtime by OPD.
3) Discontinue use of general fund dollars to pay for settlements due to police murder, misconduct, and negligence.
4) Denounce all use of Measure Q funds to pay for salaries of the OPD.
Hello,
As a resident of District 1 I, like many in my community, am deeply concerned and frustrated by the council's decision to pass budget amendments without adequate time for review by all council members and the public. This process should be transparent, not slipped in at the last minute. The council MUST re-open the 2020-2021 budget discussion and pass amendments that reflect the demands of the community.
These demands include:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
The community and I will be watching in Novemnber.
My name is Kat and I am a long-time resident of District 2. My wife and I listened to the entire meeting in which you guys haphazardly voted on a budget that no one had taken enough time to review, and that the public had not even had a chance to see. It's a slap in the face for every Oakland resident that Councilmembers Gallo, Reid, Taylor, McElhaney and Kaplan think that their decision will appease the people who put their trust in them and placed them in office.
I echo the sentiments of those who have been voicing out. The "Equity Caucus" should be ashamed of themselves. This budget stinks of fear, complacency, and laziness.
I join many others from this community in the demand that you reconsider the amendments to the budget which were unethically passed last week and move to adopt a proposal more closely resembling Councilmember Fortunato Bas', which still falls short at only defunding OPD by $25M, but is significantly better than the insulting proposal from last week.
I am seriously concerned with the lack of transparency and disregard for public input on the budget, which was rammed through last week without sufficient time for the public or even councilmembers to review amendments. To respond to the groundswell of public support for defunding the police, and to do the right thing in the face of continued police terror, you must reopen discussions on the budget and ensure that the package of amendments and policy directives provides a path forward for decreasing OPD's budget by 50% and reinvesting those funds in programs that support our community rather than terrorize it.
Like so many others, I am deeply concerned and frustrated by the council's decision to pass budget amendments without adequate time for review by all council members and the public. This process should be transparent, not slipped in at the last minute. The council MUST re-open the 2020-2021 budget discussion and pass amendments that reflect the demands of your community. Reduce OPD's budget by at least 50% and invest in education, healthcare, employment, and housing. Pass the Black New Deal. Show us you are listening!
My name is Jon and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS 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 Saundra and I am a long time resident of District 2. I urge you to please reconsider the budget that was disgracefully passed last week after so many weeks of your constituents making calls and engaging with you. Please understand we have a place to make history in this time and I implore you to be on the side of the people by reallocating $150M from the police budget into non-violent de-escalation services, education, mental health services and please please please housing for our unhoused population.
t's has been extremely insulting how you all have handled our unanimous demand to defund OPD. Stop ignoring us. DEFUND BY 50% and redistribute all funds to community resources!! Housing, jobs, education, mental health services and other crisis intervention workers that will replace police so that police will not be able to repetitively abuse and murder our people. And end all unauthorized police overtime pay. DEFUND AND REDISTRIBUTE, we see through all the weak attempts to deflect our demands. As an objective and sober observer, our outrage will not subside until you actually hear out and follow our demands.