Activism

OPINION: MACRO, Oakland’s Civilian Policing Unit, Is Underutilized. Why?

The Coalition for Police Accountability hears from residents who associate CPA with the community advocacy and development of MACRO and are disappointed and concerned. We hear from MACRO responders who feel voiceless and frustrated. We hear from City employees who see obstacles unaddressed. We receive calls from people who hope that CPA can help them get an elusive MACRO response to a crisis because the only phone number they can find in connection to MACRO is ours!

Published

2 years ago

October 4, 2023

Oakland Post

Oakland’s MACRO was intended to relieve OPD officers from necessary but mundane calls that don’t require responses by armed officers, like writing a traffic citation. iStock image by N. Nesterenko.

By Millie Cleveland

In 2018, after Oakland police officers, guns, and cruisers amassed to respond to a “dark-skinned” homeless man asleep with a gun nearby, Joshua Pawlik was shot as he stirred. In the aftermath, Oaklanders began advocating for an alternative to police for certain 911 calls.

The Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO) Program is designed to provide a more appropriate, non-police response to non-violent/non-felony calls; a model unique to Oakland; a model that Improves OPD response time to urgent calls; a model based on community members helping their own communities; and, a program that can save the City money and lives, web sources say.

Many Oaklanders supported the development of MACRO utilizing community members who could provide support and de-escalate crises.

At the same time, officers wanted relief from low-level calls so they could focus on high-priority calls and serious crimes. With fanfare and press releases, the City Council passed a resolution to begin a pilot program to demonstrate that this approach could save money by redirecting police resources and providing more effective community support for low-level crises.

After 2020, other cities also implemented non-police crisis programs that are now responding to thousands of 911 calls, instead of police. Tragically, MACRO is not.

As the 18-month pilot ends, MACRO is being dispatched to only three or four 911 calls per day!

MACRO responds to approximately 10% of the emergency calls sent to similar programs in other jurisdictions. Why? Here are some of the reasons.

There is no separate number to request a MACRO response.
MACRO responders have not received adequate training, support, or supervision.
Oaklanders selected for the MACRO Advisory Board because of their expertise in community resources, referrals, and education have been sidelined. The meetings are not open to the public, despite promises.
There has been no community education and engagement campaign. The community excitement that created MACRO has never been harnessed – indeed it is actively rejected.
There is no pilot evaluation plan.

The Coalition for Police Accountability hears from residents who associate CPA with the community advocacy and development of MACRO and are disappointed and concerned.

We hear from MACRO responders who feel voiceless and frustrated. We hear from City employees who see obstacles unaddressed. We receive calls from people who hope that CPA can help them get an elusive MACRO response to a crisis because the only phone number they can find in connection to MACRO is ours!

Although Oakland politicians highlight MACRO while campaigning or discussing public safety, they have done little to oversee MACRO, require answers to residents’ concerns, or keep campaign promises on specific steps so MACRO succeeds.

We thank city leaders for increasing funding to MACRO in the new budget but to use that money effectively, responsible governance is needed. MACRO is easily fixable if politicians stop treating it as a campaign talking point and instead as a real program that begs for committed attention and problem-solving.

We urge city leadership to:

Assign senior-level staff to convene a working group of all city departments involved with MACRO implementation to ensure effective collaboration.
Require regular reports to the City Council and the public safety committee including tracking of data and issues, how to increase dispatched referrals, and instituting a meaningful program evaluation.
Consider moving MACRO directly under the city administrator for comprehensive management.
Make the Community Advisory Board a regular city commission, appointed by the City Council and with public meetings under the Brown Act.

Hundreds of Oaklanders worked to develop MACRO and stand ready to help. Currently, they are locked out.

If city leaders engage to ensure MACRO’s success, it can become the program that Oaklanders remain excited and hopeful for.

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Activism

OP-ED: AB 1349 Puts Corporate Power Over Community

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket prices have jumped more than 150 percent. Activities that once fit a family’s budget now take significant disposable income that most working families simply don’t have. The problem is compounded by a system that has tilted access toward the wealthy and white-collar workers. If you have a fancy credit card, you get “presale access,” and if you work in an office instead of a warehouse, you might be able to wait in an online queue to buy a ticket. Access now means privilege.

Published

1 week ago

January 9, 2026

Oakland Post

Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

By Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

As a pastor, I believe in the power that a sense of community can have on improving people’s lives. Live events are one of the few places where people from different backgrounds and ages can share the same space and experience – where construction workers sit next to lawyers at a concert, and teenagers enjoy a basketball game with their grandparents. Yet, over the past decade, I’ve witnessed these experiences – the concerts, games, and cultural events where we gather – become increasingly unaffordable, and it is a shame.

These moments of connection matter as they form part of the fabric that holds communities together. But that fabric is fraying because of Ticketmaster/Live Nation’s unchecked control over access to live events. Unfortunately, AB 1349 would only further entrench their corporate power over our spaces.

Power over live events is concentrated in a single corporate entity, and this regime operates without transparency or accountability – much like a dictator. Ticketmaster controls 80 percent of first-sale tickets and nearly a third of resale tickets, but they still want more. More power, more control for Ticketmaster means higher prices and less access for consumers. It’s the agenda they are pushing nationally, with the help of former Trump political operatives, who are quietly trying to undo the antitrust lawsuit launched against Ticketmaster/Live Nation under President Biden’s DOJ.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about AB 1349 in its current form. Rather than reining in Ticketmaster’s power, the bill risks strengthening it, aligning with Trump. AB 1349 gives Ticketmaster the ability to control a consumer’s ticket forever by granting Ticketmaster’s regime new powers in state law to prevent consumers from reselling or giving away their tickets. It also creates new pathways for Ticketmaster to discriminate and retaliate against consumers who choose to shop around for the best service and fees on resale platforms that aren’t yet controlled by Ticketmaster. These provisions are anti-consumer and anti-democratic.

California has an opportunity to stand with consumers, to demand transparency, and to restore genuine competition in this industry. But that requires legislation developed with input from the community and faith leaders, not proposals backed by the very company causing the harm.

Will our laws reflect fairness, inclusion, and accountability? Or will we let corporate interests tighten their grip on spaces that should belong to everyone? I, for one, support the former and encourage the California Legislature to reject AB 1349 outright or amend it to remove any provisions that expand Ticketmaster’s control. I also urge community members to contact their representatives and advocate for accessible, inclusive live events for all Californians. Let’s work together to ensure these gathering spaces remain open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of income or background.

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

January 2, 2026

Oakland Post

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Activism

Big God Ministry Gives Away Toys in Marin City

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

From top left: Pastor David Hall asking the children what they want to be when they grow up. Worship team Jake Monaghan, Ruby Friedman, and Keri Carpenter. Children lining up to receive their presents. Photos by Godfrey Lee.

By Godfrey Lee

Big God Ministries, pastored by David Hall, gave toys to the children in Marin City on Monday, Dec. 15, on the lawn near the corner of Drake Avenue and Donahue Street.

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Around 75 parents and children were there to receive the presents, which consisted mainly of Gideon Bibles, Cat in the Hat pillows, Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, and Lego building sets.

A half dozen volunteers from the Big God Ministry, including Donnie Roary, helped to set up the tables for the toy giveaway. The worship music was sung by Ruby Friedman, Keri Carpenter, and Jake Monaghan, who also played the accordion.

Big God Ministries meets on Sundays at 10 a.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA Their phone number is (415) 797-2567.