Crime

Public Forum: “To Protect and Serve, How to Fix America’s Police”

Published

7 years ago

July 28, 2017

Author Norm Stamper, Measure LL organizer Rashidah Grinage, police expert Deacon Reginald Lyles and host Lakeshore Baptist Church Pastor Jim Hopkins at July 26 public forum: “To Protect and Serve, How to Fix America’s Police.” Photo by Sue Taylor.

Norm Stamper, author and former police chief of Seattle, Wash., spoke to an audience in Oakland in a public forum Thursday night about police reform.

“It will not happen from within the department; keep up the pressure from the citizens,” was his main message of the night.

“Police belong to the people, not the other way around,” he said during a short opening presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session.

The moderator was Reginald Lyles, former deputy for public safety and liaison to Oakland Police Department (OPD) for former Mayor Jean Quan. The event was held at Lakeshore Baptist Church in Oakland and was a Who’s Who of political activists, who gave a standing ovation to independent police commission Measure LL activist Rashidah Grinage.

Grinage’s long-time commitment to police reform precedes the negotiated settlement agreement – still not completed by OPD – and she’s currently on the selection panel for the new Police Commission. There were 125 applicants for seven commissioners and two alternates. The selection panel has narrowed the field to just over 20 candidates.

In opening remarks, Reginald Lyles said: “We are suffering from issues of police culture – often mean-spirited and deadly. This is low-grade terrorism.”

“There is a callousness of leadership in this town…actually an absence of leadership,” said Lyles.

There were no police or city representatives in attendance.

The purpose of the event was not only to present Stamper’s book but to give those attending a chance to ask questions, and hear ideas for changing police conduct in the United States. The rash of police murders in the U.S. were mentioned often, and Stamper’s general reply about police law-breaking was, “They should be fired.”

“There are police who believe, ‘We’re the cops and you’re not’,” said Stamper. “This cries out for partnerships between people and the police.”

When asked why he was attending, playwright and police officer Jinho “The Piper” Ferreira said, “I want to keep learning.” His play, “Cops and Robbers” was originally written for high school students and has had tremendous success at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco.

“We know ‘what’ is happening, but not ‘why’,” said Stamper. He explained that policing in the U.S. dates back to slave patrols and lynchings, and until the culture is changed, the current problems will continue. Stamper also made clear that change cannot come from within police departments.

“We need to end the ‘drug war,’ set national standards for policing, and make a commitment to authentic community policing,” he said.

Watch the Post newspapers for continuing articles on police reform. Norm Stamper’s book: “To Protect and Serve, How to Fix America’s Police,” is available online and at Walden Pond Books, 3316 Grand

CORRECTION: The article in the July 26 Oakland Post, “To Protect and Serve, How to Fix America’s Police, said that Rashidah Grinage is a member of the selection panel for the new police commission. That is incorrect. Also, there were 150 applicants for commission positions, now narrowed down to 28 finalists. The name of the church where the event was held omits the word “Avenue” – It is Lakeshore
Avenue Baptist Church.

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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

2 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

Shutterstock

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.