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Councilmembers Seek More Local Residents, People of Color as Police Officers

Published

9 years ago

September 17, 2016

The City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday voted to continue discussing proposals to reform Oakland Police Department (OPD) hiring and recruitment practices to enable more local residents to become OPD officers.

The committee also directed the administration to provide answers to questions submitted about recruiting, outreach and budgeting that were not previously answered and to come back with a more thorough report.

The vote to move the discussion to Oct. 25 comes nearly two months after the com- mittee approved a proposal by Councilmember-At-Large Rebecca Kaplan, who is advocating for changes in the Police Department.

“Our Police Department contains very few people who live in, or have connections with, the communities of Oakland. In addition, we have underrepresentation of women, LGBT people, and people of color,” Kaplan wrote in a previous letter to the Public Safety Committee.

“These issues have perpetuated a sense of disconnect between our community and Police Department,” she wrote.

The original proposal called on OPD to investigate strategies that would mitigate underrepresentation of women, LGBT people and people of color in the department, increase local hires, and prohibit past marijuana use as grounds for rejection, among other recommendations.

At the July 12 meeting, Councilmember Desley Brooks requested that Kaplan and the Ad-Hoc Working Group on OPD Recruitment return to the Public Safety Committee with more information and examples of implementation.

That happened this Tuesday, when the Ad Hoc Committee returned to the Public Safety Committee this week with a report titled “The Police Recruitment and Hiring Policy Informational Report.”

Kaplan also presented to the committee her own report with hiring practice recommendations, as well as a list of items that OPD had yet to provide information on.

However, Kaplan’s report lacked the type of concrete programs that the committee had requested – which Kaplan said she was unable to provide because OPD had not yet provided information she requested.

As a result, the committee voted to postpone a decision, asking OPD to provide the answers to Kaplan’s questions.

“The fact that the committee supported my request to make (OPD) give us that information is going to make it a lot easier for me to bring back a proposal with specifics of what they need to be doing differently because we’ll have the record of how much they are spending,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan criticized the Police Department for not making a strong enough effort to recruit a police force that’s more representative of the community.

She said OPD should be involved at community events like last week’s Oakland Pride festival to meet and recruit more LGBT people.

“You say you just can’t find women, have you gone to Mills College? These things are achievable, you just have to try,” she said.

Kaplan’s proposals include changing existing policies so that OPD does not eliminate candidates if they are found with past marijuana usage.

A recent police staffing report found that only 9 percent of sworn members of the department were Oakland residents.

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

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June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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May 30, 2025

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Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

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5 days ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”