Crime

Harrison Unanimously Confirmed: ‘A Path to Reform’

THE AFRO — The official confirmation of a new police commissioner marks a watershed moment for a city that has been without a permanent top cop for almost a year.

Published

5 years ago

March 17, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stephan Janis

The official confirmation of a new police commissioner marks a watershed moment for a city that has been without a permanent top cop for almost a year.

The Council unanimously approved the appointment of former New Orleans Superintendent Michael Harrison Monday, after a series of meetings with the community prior to the vote.

But now that the city has finally found a permanent leader for the department that has been roiled by scandal and weakened by departures, many unanswered questions leave the people rooting for him to succeed—anxious.

Among the most pressing: How can a police chief fix a department under a federal consent decree while battling one of the most turbulent stretches of violence in city history? And what if the Harrison, who has managed to successfully balance crime suppression and reform in New Orleans, doesn’t deliver quick results?

It’s a precarious balancing act reflected in the expectations of community members who spoke to the AFRO about Harrison’s confirmation.

“What I want commissioner Harrison to do first is two things. I want him to come up with a crime fighting plan and how he will implement a path to reform, because they are equally important,” Councilman Brandon Scott told the AFRO.

“I also want him to do a deep analysis on police department efficiency and how they respond to calls,” he said.

Part of his biggest challenge, some say, is that the BPD, can barely go a week without a scandal erupting, an ongoing distraction that continues to detract from both crime fighting and mending the relationship with the community.

Last week, a federal grand jury indicted former Baltimore Police Sergeant Keith Allen Gladstone on charges of denying the civil rights of a Baltimore man who was wrongfully charged. The indictment alleges Gladstone planted a BB gun on the suspect after a member of the notorious Gun Trace Task Force intentionally struck him with a police vehicle.

Then, there’s a legacy of police brutality that also continues to cause tensions. One of its victims Tawanda Jones, whose brother died in police custody in 2014, thinks Harrison has to laser focus on establishing a real sense of community oversight.

“I had the opportunity to meet with him at a meet and greet. He sounds amazing,” Jones told The AFRO.

“However, we need to see full transparency. And most importantly we need accountability.”

During his series of encounters with community members, one of the biggest themes that emerged was both the poor attitude and lack of engaged patrol officers. The chronically understaffed division has been cited by residents as the one aspect of policing they would actually like to see expanded.

“When police get a call, they have tendency to come into the community and shine a light on someone’s house,” said Lloyd McGuire during the meeting at the Forest Park School in the Northwest police district. “It’s not good.”

How Harrison plans to direct the department in his first days on the job is unclear. Police department spokesman Matt Jablow did not make him available for an interview with the AFRO.

However, not all community members are pleased with Harrison’s responsiveness so far.

NAACP Baltimore Branch Criminal Justice Chairperson Christopher Irvin says he has been waiting three weeks to sit down with Harrison. But he has not been given a time frame for when that meeting will occur.

“I have reached out to his scheduling person as the chair of criminal justice for the NAACP to meet with us both city and state conference. They confirmed receipt of the email. That was three weeks ago and haven’t heard a word from him,” Irvin told the AFRO.

“They can’t publicly wring their hands over crime but not sit with the people who are directly engaging with the community.”

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Justice for Henry Texada

Henry Texada was known as a leader, a role model, godfather, and a friend to all. He enjoyed mentoring younger members of his family and participants at the Boys and Girls Club. He was always giving and present in the lives of others with a kind word or suggestion. Henry used the skills gained at Youth Radio as a digital media photographer to inspire others. He wanted to learn as much as he could to be a supportive person for youth, so he enrolled at Laney College for the fall of 2020 for classes in Early Childhood Development. He was killed when several people exited a 2020 silver Nissan Armada and shot him around 2 p.m. on April 28, 2020, on 68th Avenue in East Oakland.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Henry Texada was 23 when he was slain in 2020. Courtesy photo.

Family Seeks Justice for Murdered Son on Fourth Anniversary of His Death

Special to The Post

Henry used the skills gained at Youth Radio as a digital media photographer to inspire others. He wanted to learn as much as he could to be a supportive person for youth, so he enrolled at Laney College for the fall of 2020 for classes in Early Childhood Development.

He was killed when several people exited a 2020 silver Nissan Armada and shot him around 2 p.m. on April 28, 2020, on 68^th Avenue in East Oakland. Police were able to recover the vehicle, which had been rented in Reno, Nev., but have been unable to solve the case.

Henry’s senseless murder continues to deeply impact his loved ones who are suffering from his loss.

“I hate the phrase passed away or died,” his mother says. “My son, Henry, was very protective of me, and we had a bond that could not be broken. I miss him so much.

“I hate April 28th because I feel Henry should be here, because he had a purpose helping others and working with youth. He was physically strong and had a plan, goals, and dreams. Henry had a smile that would light up the room. He is a wonderful son, brother, and uncle.”

“Instead of imploring you for information and help, I should be telling you about all the things he has achieved and all the people that he touched,” his mother said. “But instead, here I am praying for justice because a person who would take the shirt off his back for others was murdered.

“There is no word to describe this everyday pain for me. I expect him to text me at any moment because his favorite saying was “don’t say bye, say see you later.” It’s four years later and I can’t physically hold him,” his mother comcluded.

The Family Support Advocates join with Henry Texada’s grieving family and loved ones in their pursuit of justice. Anyone in the community with information about Henry’s murder is asked to contact the Homicide Section of the Oakland Police Department at (510) 238-3821 or the TIP LINE at (510) 238-7950. CrimeStoppers of Oakland is offering a reward for an arrest in this case. #JusticeforHenry.

FAMILY SUPPORT ADVOCACY TASK FORCE

The mission of the Family Support Advocacy Task Force, a committee of the Violence Prevention Coalition, is to advocate for local, state and federal policies and legislation to enhance and expand support to families and friends of those who experienced violence; for more compassionate and transparent communication between law enforcement, the district attorney with the family of homicide victims and to push for the elimination of all violence, but particularly gun violence and homicides.

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Activism

Calif. Anti-Sex Trafficking Advocates Discuss Competing Bills, Strategies

Advocates from across California are challenging state officials and community leaders to support legislation that provides resources and services for survivors and victims of human trafficking, as well as assistance as they transition back into civil society.  Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

Published

3 days ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

According to the FBI, a report covering a two-year period found Black children accounted for 57% of all juvenile arrests for prostitution. In addition, 40% of sex trafficking victims were Black and 60% of those victims had been enrolled in the foster care system.

“It is time to hold the perpetrators who take advantage of our children accountable,” said the Rev. Shane Harris, a San Diego-based activist, former foster youth and founder of the Peoples Association of Justice Advocates, (PAJA), a national civil rights organization and policy think tank.

“It is time to send a thorough message that if you seek to buy a child for sex, you will pay the highest criminal penalties in this state,” added Harris who was speaking at a rally at the State Capitol earlier this month. Harris was speaking in support of Senate Bill 1414, authored by Sen. Shannon Grove (D-Bakersfield), which calls for people who buy sex from minors to be punished with a felony. The punishment includes a two-year prison sentence and a $25,000 fine.

Harris said the PAJA is the only civil rights organization in the state that supports SB 1414.

Harris urged other Black-led groups who favor anti-trafficking legislation more focused on criminal justice reforms (as opposed to stiffer penalties), to “join the movement.”

Many of those civil rights groups fear that SB 1414 could lead to the incarceration of more Black youth.

Those sentiments were echoed in a panel discussion organized by Black women advocates on April 26 to examine the cause and effects of human trafficking in California’s Black communities. The virtual event was hosted by the Forgotten Children, Inc, a faith-based nonprofit that advocates for survivors and victims of human trafficking through anti-trafficking campaigns and initiatives.

Panelists shared the psychological impact of sexual exploitation on youth and children in the long term.

Author and educator Dr. Stephany Powell shared statistics and information revealing that African American women and girls are the most trafficked nationwide.

Powell, who serves as the senior advisor on law enforcement and policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said that national data indicates that sex trade survivors are disproportionately women of color. She stated that male survivors often go unnoticed because boys rarely report trafficked crimes.

Powell said that decriminalizing prostitution in California could increase human trafficking. She argued that Senate Bill 357, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which was signed into law in 2022 and legalized loitering for prostitution, caused a surge in street-level prostitution.

Panelist and psychologist Dr. Gloria Morrow shared opposing views on decriminalizing prostitution. She said that decriminalizing prostitution could help survivors gain access to state resources and support.

Despite opposing views, Powell and Morrow agree that the Black community needs resources and educational programs to address human trafficking.