Community

City Council Votes to Prioritize Gun Violence, End OPDs Partnership with Fed Terrorism Task Force

Published

4 years ago

October 22, 2020

Last week the Oakland City Council passed two resolutions introduced by Council President Rebecca Kaplan. The Oakland Police Department is now asked to prioritize gun violence by tracing and shutting down sources of illegal guns, and no longer participate in the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The City of Oakland has experienced an uptick in violent crimes, OPD’s time and resources should always be used in alignment with Oakland values and preservation of public safety. OPD is to prioritize decreasing the number of illegal guns on the streets of Oakland and gun violence in the City by effective means such as increasing gun-tracing and improving ShotSpotter response time level of service in the City of Oakland.

According to an OPD report, “the Firearms Unit has suffered long-standing vacancies and currently has two Criminalist II vacancies in the face of a 40% increases in violent gun crime since March 2020; these vacancies translate into vastly increased firearm caseloads for the Crime Lab…as well as per criminalist.”

Council President Kaplan’s resolution asks OPD to now unfreeze the previously budgeted positions.

Kaplan states, “The overwhelming majority of gun crime is committed with guns acquired illegally. Illegal gun dealing is putting all of our community at risk, and there is extensive concern that gun crimes are not receiving high enough priority response, I thank my colleagues for supporting our community in making Gun Violence a top priority for the City of Oakland.”

Given the need to prioritize shutting down illegal gun dealing and gun violence, it is also important that OPD not waste time or undermine community credibility by participating with a Federal agency with a history of racial profiling and religious discrimination. The JFFT has come under scrutiny for racial profiling of Muslim, South Asian, Immigrant, and African American communities, and questionable surveillance tactics. The City Council made a strong statement that the questionable tactics of the Trump DOJ would not be enabled by the City of Oakland.

Brian Hofer, Chair, Privacy Advisory Commission, states: “Allowing surveillance without any suspicion of wrongdoing, demographic mapping by race, religion, and country of origin, and civil asset forfeiture are not Oakland values. President Kaplan and the Oakland City Council made it clear that we are not endorsing the human rights violations occurring across the country under the guise of fighting terrorism.”

Sameena Usman, government relations coordinator, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, SF Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA), states: “Oakland’s City Council voted to protect our communities from harmful federal law enforcement practices of profiling, surveillance, and targeting of vulnerable groups. We must continue to uphold our city’s values and build a stronger community.”

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

6 days ago

April 26, 2024

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

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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.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

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.

Oakland Post

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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.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

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.