City Government
Former Councilmember Riles’ Federal Discrimination Lawsuit Against City Moves Through Federal Court
According to the lawsuit, the Planning Commission finally ruled in favor of the couple’s right to use the sweat lodge and hold religious ceremonies. However, the city’s zoning department came up with new obstacles.
A federal lawsuit against the City of Oakland for discrimination and police brutality, filed by community elder Wilson Riles Jr., is winding its way through court hearings and is scheduled for trial late next year.
Civil rights attorney Walter Riley, who represents Riles, told the Oakland Post that the case has been going through the legal process since the suit was filed last year. Most recently, the court held a case management conference to schedule future hearings.
The case is scheduled for trial on Oct. 31, 2022.
“The heart of the issue is the mistreatment of Wilson Riles Jr. and his wife, Patricia St. Onge, who is a Native American elder who engages in Native American religious practices,” including establishing a sweat lodge at their home in Oakland, said Riley.
Though the Planning Commission and the City of Council ultimately supported Riles’ application, some staff in the zoning department for years have been blocking the couple’s right to have the sweat lodge on their property, using zoning and planning procedures to deny the lodge and continuously throw new obstacles in their way, he said.
“They have a constitutional right to engage in their religious practices,” said Riley.
The other part of the lawsuit is directed against the violent treatment and arrest that Riles experienced when he went to the zoning department to complain about the latest obstacles the city was using to block the sweat lodge..
According to the lawsuit, the Planning Commission finally ruled in favor of the couple’s right to use the sweat lodge and hold religious ceremonies. However, the city’s zoning department came up with new obstacles.
Riles, 73, who served on the Oakland City Council from 1979 to 1992, had gone to the city zoning office a little after 8:00 a.m. on Oct. 17, 2019. He was ending a conversation with a supervisor and was preparing to leave. Police approached him, his legs were swept out from under him, he was knocked to the ground and injured, and he was handcuffed. He was arrested and taken to Santa Rita County Jail for battery on a police officer at about 9:00 a.m.
He was released at about 11:30 p.m. after posting a $20,000 bond, according to KPIX Channel 5.
Riles told the Post that he had received a call a few days after the arrest from then-OPD Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, who told him that she had talked to the District Attorney and that all charges against him were being dropped. The chief has ordered an internal affairs investigation into the incident, according to the City.
In a statement released by the City at the time of Riles’ arrest, spokesperson Karen Boyd said the City has to balance protecting Black residents and the need to protect employees against workplace violence.
“We recognize the arrest of former Councilmember Wilson Riles … raises deep community concerns.” Calling it an “unfortunate incident,” she said the city had to deal with “two disturbing national realities … the use of force by police against Black men as well as a heightened fear of workplace violence.”
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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