City Government

Community Members Win Police Accountability Victory

Published

12 years ago

July 27, 2013

After struggling for two years to overcome city staff resistance to carrying out a council-approved reform of intake of complaints against police, PUEBLO and other community organizations finally may be seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

At the Public Safety Committee meeting this week, it was announced that the civilian complaint intake workers would be hired by mid November.

Supporters of the City Council decision to put intake of all police complaints into the hands of the Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) have been continually frustrated by what they have seen as City Administrator Deanna Santana’s actions that “at first delayed and then thwarted and subverted” the decision to hire, train and place intake workers at the office of the CPRB, located at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

This past Monday morning they took their demand to Mayor Jean Quan, Santana’s boss, who up until had refused to take a stand on the issue or set date to meet with them.

A delegation of about 15 people, carrying picket signs, went to Quan’s City Hall office, determined to sit there until she talked to them. One of the signs read, “Quan Keep Your Promise.”

They found the door to the office waiting locked. A staff member inside said through the door that the group could continue standing outside in the hallway if they were peaceful.

Otherwise, the police would be called. All staff were involved in meetings and could not meet with the group, the voice in the office said.

However, Anne Campbell Washington, the mayor’s chief of staff, met with four members of the group, who explained their concerns. Finally, they were told mayor would meet with them, Tuesday, July 30.

Fresh from that victory, PUEBLO and other community attended Tuesday evening’s Public Safety Committee meeting, where they announced they had received support for their position from both Thomas Frazier, Thelton Henderson’s compliance officer over OPD, and Mayor Quan.

“Now it’s clear that there is consensus about the direction. The mayor fully supports that the new intake personnel will reside with the CPRB,” said Rashidah Grinage, executive director of PUEBLO, who also handed out a copy of an email from federal Monitor Robert Warshaw that said he and Frazier had no objections to moving complaint intake to CPRB.

Grinage told the Post she had learned about the mayor’s position earlier Tuesday in a conversation with Campbell Washington.

Presenting her report at the meeting, Santana finally gave a timetable for hiring civilian intake workers. She said the process will be completed by Nov. 15

Santana did not refer to her position, stated an earlier Public Safety meeting, that training of intake workers would take up to 18 months and will be conducted by and at OPD’s Internal Affairs Division. After training is completed, the civilian workers might continue to be located at OPD, she said.

Public speakers were enthusiastic about the announced timetable but remained concerned about Santana’s proposals for training and housing the new workers.

“It is absolutely imperative that the civilians who are hired not be placed temporarily or otherwise within the police department. If you do that, there is no need to make any of these changes,” said community member Claudia Kong.

“I urge you to listen to the public will,” said Kim Mejia-Cuellar, a Yale student and graduate of Fremont High School.

“There seems to be a lack of political will to move this process forward,” said Alona Clifton, co-chair of the John George Democratic Club.

Responding, council members assured community members they had the political will to make police reform happen.

The council passed the resolution transferring intake to civilians two years ago, said Councilmember Libby Schaaf, while the “city was in a huge financial crisis. Yet we allocated a million dollars to fund this change.”

“ You want to talk about political will, this council had the political will and still has the political will to make this change,” she said.

Councilmember Lynette McElhaney acknowledged PUEBLO and other community groups that have fought to implement the council’s decision.

“I want to publicly thank PUEBLO and the advocacy of the community to make sure this remained a front burner issue,” McElhaney said, adding that she backs “the concerns the community continues to voice about making sure that as we train the civilians, we ensure they are impartially trained to maintain the integrity” of their work.

The Oakland Police Accountability Coalition includes PUEBLO and more than 20 other organizations, including the Oscar Grant Foundation, Oakland Black Caucus, Nation of Islam, Black Women Organized for Political Action, Paul Robeson Chapter ACLU, Allen Temple Baptist Church, Lakeshore Baptist Church and John George Democratic Club.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

4 days ago

December 25, 2025

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Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.

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Black Arts Movement Business District Named New Cultural District in California

Located in the heart of District 3, the BAMBD is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most important centers of Black cultural production — a space where artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and cultural workers have shaped generations of local and national identity. The state’s recognition affirms the district’s historic importance and its future promise.

Published

1 week ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Carroll Fife celebrates major milestone for Black arts, culture, and economic power in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) has been selected as one of California’s 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, a distinction awarded by the California Arts Council (CAC), according to a media statement released by Councilmember Carroll Fife.

The BAMBD now joins 23 other districts across the state recognized for their deep cultural legacy, artistic excellence, and contributions to California’s creative economy.

“This designation is a testament to what Black Oakland has built — and what we continue to build when we insist on investing in our own cultural and economic power,” said Fife.

“For years, our community has fought for meaningful recognition and resources for the Black Arts Movement Business District,” she said. “This announcement validates that work and ensures that BAMBD receives the support it needs to grow, thrive, and continue shaping the cultural fabric of California.”

Since taking office, Fife has led and supported multiple initiatives that strengthened the groundwork for this achievement, including:

Restoring and protecting arts and cultural staffing within the City of Oakland.
Creating the West Oakland Community Fund to reinvest in historically excluded communities
Advancing a Black New Deal study to expand economic opportunity for Black Oakland
Ensuring racial equity impact analyses for development proposals, improving access for Black businesses and Black contractors
Introduced legislation and budget amendments that formalized, protected, and expanded the BAMBD

“These efforts weren’t abstract,” Fife said. “They were intentional, coordinated, and rooted in a belief that Black arts and Black businesses deserve deep, sustained public investment.”

As part of the Cultural District designation, BAMBD will receive:

$10,000 over two years
Dedicated technical assistance
Statewide marketing and branding support
Official designation from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030

This support will elevate the visibility of BAMBD’s artists, cultural organizations, small businesses, and legacy institutions, while helping attract new investment to the district.

“The BAMBD has always been more than a district,” Fife continued. “This recognition by the State of California gives us another tool in the fight to preserve Black culture, build Black economic power, and protect the families and institutions that make Oakland strong.”

For questions, contact Councilmember Carroll Fife at CFife@oaklandca.gov.