The City of Oakland this week paid $1.2 million in a wrongful death settlement to the family of Demouria Hogg, who was killed by Oakland police in June of 2015. 

Hogg, 30, a Hayward resident, was killed on June 6 while asleep or unconscious in a parked car on the Lakeshore Ave. exit of Interstate 580 near Lake Merritt.

Demouria Hogg

Police repeatedly attempted to wake him, using a bullhorn and tried to break the car windows with beanbag rounds. When Hogg awoke, one officer fired a Taser, and a second officer shot him with her gun.

For many community members, the amount of money that Oakland taxpayers pay towards settling lawsuits involving police misconduct is one reason why they feel reform is needed in the Oakland Police Department.

“We pay out millions of taxpayer dollars every year due to police misconduct and murder in Oakland,” said Cat Brooks of the Anti Police-Terror Project.

“This is another example of Mayor Libby Schaaf’s inability or unwillingness to hold OPD accountable for anything,” she said.

Rashidah Grinage, who spearheaded getting the police commission—Measure LL—on the November ballot, also emphasized the need to create a citizens’ review board to oversee OPD misconduct.

“Is it any wonder (Oakland) needs a bond measure to fix pot holes,” said Grinage, referring to the $600 million infrastructure bond that the mayor is trying to get passed in November.

“Fixing OPD should be our main priority—much more important than fixing pot holes,” Grinage said.

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