Crime

OP-ED: When one’s house is burning, the first course of action is to extinguish the fire

Published

10 years ago

April 12, 2015

Although it has been 35 years since I last suited up for the Oakland Police Department, even so, when it comes to the subject of public safety in the City of Oakland, I feel I still possess a certain bonafide expertise.

In response to Publisher Paul Cobb’s challenge, I will attempt to proffer what I think is the problem (not rocket science), and what solutions exist to bring about a substantive change in the crime rate of Oakland (also not rocket science).

I was born in Berkeley and raised in east Oakland where I attended elementary, junior high, and high school from 1956 to 1969. I have fond memories of an idyllic time when the milkman, in full white regalia, delivered milk to the family doorstep. This was an unremarkable time when I could ride my bike to the store and lay it down, untethered and unlocked, on the sidewalk.

Gun violence in my neighborhood was a scene played out on the silver screen at the local theater. Indeed, the ultimate conflict arbiter resided in our fists where the scrapes, bumps, and bruises of a fight would, more often than not, lead to a new friendship. Such was Oakland of the past which is altogether elusive and wanting today

Gregory Taylor in uniform

The Oakland Police Department, once the bellwether of policing, has now been reduced to an agency so hamstrung that it can’t, with any consistency, carry out many of its designed duties–or get out of its own way. In 1972, at the age of 21, I joined the department which at that time was a bastion of technological prowess that stood head and shoulders above all other California Police Agencies–and that included the famously touted LAPD.

Although they are unexceptional today, in the early 1970s OPD was one of three police agencies in the entire country that had in-vehicle Computers called Digital Computers, AKA, Digicom—Albany, N.Y. and Kansas City, MO., were the other two. Argus, our helicopter, was so indispensable to the beat officer that exhausting foot chases often turned into a couple of fence hops followed by the capture or surrender of a befuddled suspect.

We were always on the cutting edge of technology. I remember patrolling in a newly minted police vehicle loaded with all the bells and whistles of its time thinking I was piloting a state-of-the-art fighter jet or a NASA space capsule. The array of buttons on the overhead console, paired with a touch-sensitive digital map mounted above the computer, had us all beaming with pride to be part of such a forward-thinking, highly-trained, superbly equipped police organization in all of America.

OPD was so respected and well-thought-of that most of the surrounding agencies like Hayward, San Leandro, Alameda, and Fremont paid to put their recruits through Oakland’s Academy which ran nonstop three classes at a time.

Now, sadly, and with a bit of embarrassment, I hear reports of the Highway Patrol and the Alameda Co. Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) taking calls for service in Oakland. How could this be?

In my day, the deepest a CHP officer ventured into Oakland was to find a place to eat off a nearby freeway ramp, and an ACSO officer might occasionally be seen, if one didn’t blink, serving a subpoena or an eviction notice. As it is today, the homicide rate was ascending the charts establishing high water marks for the record books; all the same, there was a high clearance and conviction rate to keep pace with the murder rate. The number of sworn personnel, as best I can remember, never exceeded 715–if it ever got that high.

So, where did the train run off the track? How can the department, thus, the city be returned to the previous years of competent and effective crime-fighting when Oakland is in perpetual-fiscal decline? A shrinking tax base caused by fleeing businesses due to persistent crime stifles new development and home ownership.

This vicious circle of reciprocating cause and effect can NOT be hidden by a mulligan stew of tax increases, fines, fees, infrastructure neglect, service charges, or grants & subsidies; nor can creative accounting, that would make a wall street derivative broker blush, put off the inevitable collapse (bankruptcy). How long can the city fathers continue to rob Peter to pay Paul before the lights are turned off? Until Oakland’s checkbook is brought into balance the fate of Detroit looms large in its future?

Oakland will forever be chasing its tail, while crime, and its perception, remains the reputation of the city. There must be the will, the know-how, and most of all, the persuasive personality to coalesce disparate views into an effective plan of attack to do what must be done. Name one city where crime is an issue and the people are prosperous. You want your tax base and your educated class back in numbers that matter? Only when it is SAFE to return.

Gregory Taylor has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a minor in Asian Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Chinese. He has traveled extensively concentrating the past 18 years in Asia, where he has lived an aggregate of 4 years.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Hundreds Defend ‘Afrika Town’ Community Garden

Don't Miss

Dr. David Tom Cooke, Oakland Native, Receives Cal Alumni Excellence Award

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

Published

4 days ago

January 11, 2025

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

Activism

‘In 2024, We Had a Decrease in Shootings and Killings,’ Says Oakland Mayor Nikki Bas and Ceasefire Leaders

“The Ceasefire Strategy is once again being properly implemented and fully executed by all its partners as a data-driven gun violence reduction strategy. It is reducing gun violence in the City of Oakland with remarkable results and tangible improvements. The leadership of Rev. Damita Davis- Howard, Ceasefire director, Dr. Joshi of the Department of Violence Prevention, and the Ceasefire Strategy partners must be commended for this incredible work in ensuring public safety,” said Pastor Michael Wallace, Oakland Public Safety and Services Oversight Commission member.

Published

1 week ago

January 7, 2025

Oakland Post

Some faith and community leaders who attended the year-end Ceasefire press conference are (left to right): Rev. Damita Davis-Howard, Oakland Mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas, Rev. Michael Wallace, and Brooklyn Williams. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

From Oakland City News Sources

Oakland’s Ceasefire partners, including representatives from the City of Oakland Department of Violence Prevention (DVP), Faith in Action East Bay, and other community leaders held a press conference Monday to discuss year-end reductions in gun violence and share community support for the Ceasefire Strategy.

“Our communities have never wavered from our support of the Ceasefire Strategy. We knew in the beginning that Ceasefire saves the lives of Oakland’s most vulnerable,” said Alba Hernandez, Faith in Action East Bay.

According to the DVP, Oakland will finish 2024 as the safest year since the start of the COVID pandemic. As of Dec. 23, there has been a 35% decrease in murders accompanied by a 33% reduction in nonfatal shootings compared to 2023.

As Oakland’s primary violence reduction strategy, Ceasefire seeks to identify individuals at very high risk of being involved in gun violence. Those high-risk individuals who are arrestable are prioritized for law enforcement action. Others at the highest-risk are informed of their risk and offered intensive community-based services such as life coaching, workforce development, and mental health care.

Ceasefire operates through close coordination and collaboration between the Mayor’s Office, DVP, the Ceasefire director, Oakland Police Department, and the Alameda County Probation Department, with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) and California Partnership for Safe Communities (CPSC) providing training and technical assistance.

“I am extremely grateful for the successful resurrection of the Ceasefire Strategy and for the historic declines in shootings and homicides that followed in just one year. I am proud to have worked with [former] Mayor Sheng Thao to reinvest in Ceasefire, and I commend the leadership of Brooklyn Williams in the Mayor’s Office, who has assembled a committed team that is saving lives every day,” said Mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas.

Said Pastor Hopkins, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, “I have been a pastor in Oakland for 36 years, and for each of those years the number of homicides has been a crisis in our community. Ceasefire is an answer to prayer because it serves to save lives by stopping the shooting and serving as a lifeline to healing,”

“The Department of Violence Prevention is grateful for the on-going support of Faith in Action East Bay and committed community leaders,” said Dr. Holly Joshi, chief of the DVP.

“Their vision to bring the Ceasefire strategy to Oakland over a decade ago, advocacy for its initial implementation, and determination to see it successfully re-rooted are commendable. With Ceasefire fully up and running, DVP life coaches and violence interrupters are in communities every day working with high-risk individuals, mediating conflicts, and preventing retaliatory violence. Through hard work, focus, and partnership, we have made significant progress this year in reducing gun violence,” said Joshi.

“The Ceasefire Strategy is once again being properly implemented and fully executed by all its partners as a data-driven gun violence reduction strategy. It is reducing gun violence in the City of Oakland with remarkable results and tangible improvements. The leadership of Rev. Damita Davis-Howard, Ceasefire director, Dr. Joshi of the Department of Violence Prevention, and the Ceasefire Strategy partners must be commended for this incredible work in ensuring public safety,” said Pastor Michael Wallace, Oakland Public Safety and Services Oversight Commission member.

“The Oakland Ceasefire Strategy is one of the most comprehensive, intelligence-led violence reduction initiatives I have had the privilege to be a part of and fully support,” said Oakland Police Department Chief Floyd Mitchell.

“The 2024 violent crime reduction data realized by the City of Oakland underscores the effectiveness of our unwavering focus, strategic emphasis, and strong collaborative partnerships within the Ceasefire framework,” Mitchell continued. “Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Oakland Police Department, and the invaluable contributions of our community, county, state, and federal partners, Oakland has achieved a 34% decrease in homicides, a 33% decline in firearm-related assaults, and a 25% reduction in robberies.”

“Oakland is once again a national leader in gun violence reduction,” said David Muhammad, executive director of NICJR. “Through the hard work of community violence intervention workers in partnership with city staff, police officers, Alameda County Probation, and others, many lives were saved in Oakland this year.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

New Report Shows Disparities in Police Stops of Youth in California

“Like those before it, the 2025 RIPA report provides actionable information to address bias in policing. This year’s report is particularly important with its focus on young Californians. The racial disparities of policing stops, searches and use of force of youth is alarming,” said Andrea Guerrero, co-chair of the RIPA Board and executive director of Alliance San Diego.

Published

1 week ago

January 5, 2025

Oakland Post

Andrea Guerrero, co-chair of the California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board. Courtesy photo.

African Americans were stopped ‘126% more frequently than expected’

By Post Staff

The California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board this week released its annual report on police stops across California, analyzing 4.7 million vehicle and pedestrian stops conducted in 2023 by 539 law enforcement agencies in California.

The analysis, conducted as part of the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA), shows disparities consistent with those observed in prior years’ data based on perceived race, age, and disability status.

The report finds that the disparity between the proportion of stops and the proportion of residential population was greatest for individuals perceived to be Black, who were stopped 126% more frequently than expected, followed by individuals perceived to be Latino, who were stopped 44% more frequently than expected.

In addition to providing an in-depth look into policing in 2023, the report contains a wide array of best-practice recommendations related to policing.

“Young Californians who are driving, biking, and walking and perceived to be Black or Brown are regularly stopped, asked to consent to a search, handcuffed, sat on the curb, put in a police car, and questioned for information that is recorded on a field interview card before being released,” said Guerrero.

“This is California’s version of stop-and-frisk that causes immeasurable harm to the community and erodes trust in law enforcement from a young age. In this report, the Board makes a number of recommendations that we encourage policy makers, law enforcement agencies, and community advocates to consider eliminating bias in policing and enhance public safety,” she said.

“The annual collection of RIPA stop data is one part of our broader effort to increase public safety for all Californians. Through the analysis of stop data and recommendations for thoughtful reforms, we’re continuing to strengthen trust between local law enforcement and the communities they serve,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Key findings of the report related to youth include:

Actions Taken: Overall, Native American, Black, Latino, and multiracial individuals had more actions taken per average stop than other racial and ethnic groups. For youth ages 1-17, officers reported the highest average of actions taken during a stop for Black youth. And for those perceived to be 18-24, officers reported the highest average number of actions were taken for Black and Latino youth. Youth perceived to be 12-14 were more likely to be searched, handcuffed, and detained during a stop than any other age group.
Search Rates: Native American and Black individuals were searched at higher rates than those who are white, and officers were less likely to discover contraband or evidence during searches of those individuals than they were during searches of individuals perceived to be white.
Use of Force: For youth ages 12–24, officers were more likely to use force in stops of youth perceived to be Black and Native American compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Black and Native American youth also had the highest rates of handcuffing, and the highest rates of a firearm pointed at them during a stop. Youth with a perceived disability were more likely to be handcuffed as part of a stop than youth without a perceived disability.
Results of Stop: Officers were also more likely to report ‘no action taken’ for stops of individuals perceived as Native American and Black. Individuals perceived as transgender were arrested at approximately double the rate of those perceived as cisgender or gender nonconforming.

The Board’s Report also contains a wide array of policy recommendations related to policing, with a particular focus on the impact of police interactions with youth, civilian complaint processes, accountability, officer decertification, and training, on racial and identity profiling.