Government

‘CAREN Act’ Aims To Stop Discriminatory 911 Calls To San Francisco Police

Published

4 years ago

July 15, 2020

By Kiki

On July 7, 2020, Supervisor Shamman Walton introduced an ordinance to amend the San Francisco Police Code known as the Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies (CAREN) Act.

The ‘CAREN Act’ will make it unlawful to “fabricate false, racially-biased emergency reports.”

CAREN is a play on words of a name ascribed to (mostly) white women – ‘Karen’ – who attempt to police the ordinary activities of people of color. The men who take such actions are referred to as ‘Ken.’

California State Assemblymember Rob Bonta of Oakland has a similar measure with AB 1550 bill and they are joining forces.

The bill and ordinance were motivated by what was considered frivolous calls to the police in the Bay Area and other cities. For instance, in Alameda, because Mali Watkins, a Black man, was dancing in the streets in front of his own home; James Juanillo, a Filipino man, was stenciling “Black Lives Matter” in chalk in front of his own San Francisco home and was confronted by a ‘Karen’ and her male partner who called the police.

A ‘Karen’ in New York falsely called the police on Craig Cooper while he was bird watching and asked her to put a leash on her dog.

These incidents were recorded and got media attention. There are countless others unrecorded.

“The CAREN Act and AB 1550 are a joint local and state effort to address and discourage using 911 as customer service based on someone’s race, said Walton. “We know that Oregon and New York have passed similar legislation and we hope that other municipalities and states can implement laws to protect the rights of communities of color who are often targeted and victims of fraudulent emergency calls.

“The CAREN Act will make it unlawful for an individual to contact law enforcement solely to discriminate on the basis of a person’s race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We will also introduce a resolution today in support of AB 1550 at the full board.”

People should not be allowed “to use our 911 and law enforcement systems as weapons for hate, Bonta said. “The CAREN Act and my AB 1550 demonstrate our commitment to directly address such racism and bolster our California values of justice, inclusion, equity and opportunity.

“If you are afraid of a Black family barbecuing in the community park, a man dancing and doing his normal exercise routine in the bike lane, or someone who asks you to comply with dog leash laws in a park, and your immediate response is to call the police, the real problem is with your own personal prejudice, Bonta said.

Human Rights Commission Director Sheryl Davis said there should be consequences for actions that threaten the freedom and safety of others. Calling the police on someone that you label as out of place, simply for being Black or a person of color in public, is just as dangerous as yelling fire in a crowded theater, Davis said.

“You are putting someone’s well-being at risk by subjecting them to a humiliating, unnecessary, sometimes lethal police interaction,” Davis said. “Fining 911 abusers who waste police time and violate their fellow citizens’ civil rights is one way to discourage this abhorrent behavior.”

Shakirah Smiley, director of the Office of Racial Equity, is of the same mind. “It’s time to hold people accountable for these frivolous, racist, and life-threatening calls,” she said. “In a time where we are rethinking policing and its disparate impact on the Black community, we need more meaningful measures in place to put an end to racial profiling.”

The CAREN Act and AB 1550 will provide a civil cause of actions for the people harmed by the 911 calls. There will also be monetary fines.

AB 1550 will classify the false call as a hate crime and allow for damages.

The bills aim to discourage people from making the discriminatory calls and to compensate the victims if calls are made.

By Kiki

Posts by By Kiki

Up Next

ICE Says Foreign Students Must Attend In-Person Classes to Stay in U.S. in Fall

Don't Miss

COVID Prison Release to Start With Non-Violent Inmates Over Age 30

By Kiki

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

Published

2 days ago

December 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Last City Council Meeting of the Year Ends on Sour Note with Big Budget Cuts

In a five to one vote, with Councilmembers Carroll Fife and Janani Ramachandran excused, the council passed a plan aimed at balancing the $130 million deficit the city is facing. Noel Gallo voted against the plan, previously citing concerns over public safety cuts, while Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Treva Reid, Rebecca Kaplan, Kevin Jenkins, and Dan Kalb voted in agreement with the plan.

Published

4 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland City Council voted on a plan to balance the $130 million deficit at their last regular meeting of 2024. The plan reduces police spending by $25 million, temporarily closes two fire stations, and guts the cultural arts programs. iStock photo.

By Magaly Muñoz

In the last lengthy Tuesday meeting of the Oakland City Council for 2024, residents expressed strong opposition to the much needed budget cuts before a change in leadership was finalized with the certification of election results.

Oakland police and fire departments, the ambassador program, and city arts and culture will all see significant cuts over the course of two phases.

Phase 1 will eliminate two police academies, brown out two fire stations, eliminate the ambassador program, and reduce police overtime by nearly $25 million. These, with several other cuts across departments, aim to save the city $60 million. In addition, the council simultaneously approved to transfer restricted funds into its general purpose fund, amounting to over $40 million.

Phase 2 includes additional fire station brownouts and the elimination of 91 jobs, aiming to recover almost $16 million in order to balance the rest of the budget.

Several organizations and residents spoke out at the meeting in hopes of swaying the council to not make cuts to their programs.

East Oakland Senior Center volunteers and members, and homeless advocates, filled the plaza just outside of City Hall with rallies to show their disapproval of the new budget plan. Senior residents told the council to “remember that you’ll get old too” and that disturbing their resources will only bring problems for an already struggling community.

While city staff announced that there would not be complete cuts to senior center facilities, there would be significant reductions to staff and possibly inter-program services down the line.

Exiting council member and interim mayor Bas told the public that she is still hopeful that the one-time $125 million Coliseum sale deal will proceed in the near future so that the city would not have to continue with drastic cuts. The deal was intended to save the city for fiscal year 2024-25, but a hold up at the county level has paused any progress and therefore millions of dollars in funds Oakland desperately needs.

The Coliseum sale has been a contentious one. Residents and city leaders were originally against using the deal as a way to balance the budget, citing doubts about the sellers, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group’s (AASEG), ability to complete the deal. Council members Reid, Ramachandran, and Gallo have called several emergency meetings to understand where the first installments of the sale are, with little to no answers.

Bas added that as the new Alameda County Supervisor for D5, a position she starts in a few weeks, she will do everything in her power to push the Coliseum sale along.

The city is also considering a sales tax measure to put on the special election ballot on April 15, 2025, which will also serve as an election to fill the now vacant D2 and mayor positions. The tax increase would raise approximately $29 million annually for Oakland, allowing the city to gain much-needed revenue for the next two-year budget.

The council will discuss the possible sales tax measure on January 9.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Protesters Gather in Oakland, Other City Halls, to Halt Encampment Sweeps

The coordinated protests on Tuesday in San Francisco, Oakland, Vallejo, Fresno, Los Angeles and Seattle, were hosted by Poor Magazine and Wood Street Commons, calling on cities to halt the sweeps and focus instead on building more housing.

Published

4 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

The California Poor People’s Campaign’s Victoria King erected encampments for unhoused Oaklanders. Victoria King and her committee erected these emergency tents to symbolize the needs of unhoused Oaklanders. Photos by Post Staff.

By Post Staff

Houseless rights advocates gathered in Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other city halls across California and Washington state this week protesting increased sweeps that followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision over the summer.

“What we’re dealing with right now is a way to criminalize people who are dealing with poverty, who are not able to afford rent,” said rights advocate Junebug Kealoh, outside San Francisco City Hall.

“When someone is constantly swept, they are just shuffled and things get taken — it’s hard to stay on top of anything,” said Kealoh.

Local houseless advocates include Victoria King, who is a member of the coordinating committee of the California Poor People’s Campaign. She and Dr. Monica Cross co-chair the Laney Poor People’s Campaign.

The demonstrations came after a June Supreme Court ruling expanded local governments’ authority to fine and jail people for sleeping outside, even if no shelter is available. Gov. Gavin Newsom in California followed up with an order directing state agencies to crack down on encampments and urging local governments to do the same.

Fresno, Berkeley and a host of other cities implemented new rules, making it easier for local governments to clear sidewalk camps. In other cities, such as San Francisco, officials more aggressively enforced anti-camping laws already on the books.