Community
OUSD Places Security Officers on Leave After Video Shows Student Was Punched and Choked
By Post Staff
Schools Supt. Antwan Wilson has apologized to a student and his family on behalf of the school district after a video was released last week that shows two school security officers using excessive force to subdue a Fremont High school freshman, including punching him and placing him in a chokehold.
District officials contacted the student’s family last Friday to apologize, and Supt. Wilson apologized in an internal memo to district staff and leadership.
“We are deeply sorry and apologize to (the student) and his family, as well as the OUSD community at large,” he wrote. “What happened in this January 2014 incident is absolutely unacceptable. This should not and cannot occur anywhere in OUSD, ever.”
The January 2014 incident occurred during the administration of interim Supt. Gary Yee. Supt. Wilson, who started in July, told staff that this incident would be investigated and all previous investigations related to excessive force by school security officers would be reviewed.
The significance of the video did not come to light until Oakland Unified School District’s Legal Department received an inquiry from a local attorney.
When Oakland School Police Chief Jeff Godown reviewed the written report and the DVD of the incident, he discovered that the video did not corroborate the written report, and proper protocols were not followed in handling of the incident, according to a school district memo.
Chief Godown was not yet working for OUSD at the time of the incident.
“The only narrative in the entire (district police report) that had any truth to it is the child’s statement,” said the chief.
“I just don’t see any reason for them to have physically touched him or pushed him,” he said. “You see the kid punch the (school security officer), which he admits because he’s choking to death,” Godown said.
In response to the video, the district “placed the two (security officers) in question on administrative leave, effective Tuesday, March 3,” sent the video to the local police and District Attorney for potential criminal prosecution, and is planning to provide training for all school security officers, according to the March 6 memo.
“This incident is unacceptable because of its very nature: adults in an educational environment treating a child in a violent manner,” the memo said. “The overall response of the students and adults in the video suggest disturbing acceptance of this type of situation.”
This incident comes less than a year after another incident where two school security officers assaulted a student in a wheelchair at Oakland High in May 2014.
“While the Fremont incident predates the one at Oakland High by several months, their proximity suggests a systemic problem that needs to be addressed with significant and tangible reform,” the memo said.
The January 2014 video shows the 15-year-old student in a doorway when he is confronted by two security guards, one of whom shoves him from the back. They place him in a chokehold and drag him, his arm twisted, into the office of the school.
When he attempts to flee, he is pushed against a wall and swings at the security officers. Then, mostly off camera, according to district officials, one of the officers punches him several times.
Supt. Wilson said in his letter to school employees: “When I watched the video, I was angered by what I saw; not only the excessive force, but also the apparent response of some of the adults who either failed to act on behalf of the student during and/or after the incident,” he wrote.
“The security footage shows people going about business normally as the struggle unfolds in the school office,” he wrote.
School district spokesman Troy Flint told the Post that the video was originally “reviewed by certain site staff as well as members of the police force who conducted an investigation of the incident.”
“Our concern, beyond the obvious and reprehensible misconduct,” Flint said, “is that the investigation was not conducted to an appropriate standard and that relevant personnel beyond those at the school site, staff and in the police department were not informed of the incident. That includes (former interim Supt.) Gary Yee.”
A school security officer goes to trial next month for felony assault for punching the student in a wheelchair in May 2014 at Oakland High School.
The security officer’s attorney Nabiel Ahmed told the SF Chronicle: “Without the appropriate resources, a school security officer is forced to deal with a very difficult situation alone or with very limited help.”
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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