Bay Area

Wilson Riles Jr., Former City Council Member, Settles Police Brutality Lawsuit for $360,000

In 2019, former City Councilmember Wilson Riles Jr. was arrested at the city’s zoning department when he went to complain about the latest obstacles in a years-long dispute with staff of the Oakland Planning Department about the use of a sweat lodge to conduct Native American ceremonies in the backyard of the house where he and his wife reside in Oakland.

Published

4 years ago

July 30, 2022

Oakland Post

Wilson Riles was 73 years old when he was brutally arrested by Oakland police in 2019.

By Ken Epstein

The Oakland City Council has approved a $360,000 settlement with former City Councilmember Wilson Riles Jr., who filed a lawsuit alleging that the city and Oakland Police Department violated his civil rights for throwing him facedown to the ground and arresting him when he went to a city office to complain about a zoning issue.

A City Councilmember from 1979 to 1992, Riles was 73 when the incident occurred in 2019. He filed a federal lawsuit in 2020, represented by Oakland civil rights attorney Walter Riley.

Riles was arrested at the city’s Zoning Department as he expressed his frustration about the ongoing obstacles thrown in his path in a years-long dispute with staff of the city’s Planning Department over the use of a sweat lodge to conduct Native American ceremonies in the backyard of the house where he and his wife live in Oakland.

He said the arrest occurred after he told a Zoning Department employee that the building permit they wanted and other requirements they were demanding of him were not part of the building code. He asked the employee to look at the building code, but the employee refused.

“I raised my voice and asked him to get a supervisor to talk to me,” he said. “That’s when they called the police. A Black man raising his voice should not be a threat to anyone in the city,” and is not a sufficient reason to call the police to have someone arrested, he said.

As he was leaving the office, Riles was arrested on charges of obstructing a public officer and battery of a police officer. However, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges.

The city’s settlement with Riles comes out of the millions of dollars the city set aside “to pay for bad police actions,” he said.

“I don’t believe this is justice. The city made a financial decision,” he said, figuring it was cheaper to settle than to hire outside lawyers and run the risk that Riles would win more at a trial.

“They are not going to look at their policy, they are not going to look at retraining their police officers, nor are they admitting they’ve done anything wrong,” said Riles.

Riles has a second state lawsuit against the city to demand relief from the city’s use of building code and an attempt to put a lien on his home to stop his sweat lodge. While many neighbors were supportive, officials acted on the complaints of one or two neighbors.

“They immediately assumed that we need to be shut down,” he said. “They came out here and looked for every kind of violation, including threatening property liens. The Zoning Department enforces these kind of class/race restrictions in this city, and they get away with it.”

“There’s a long history here,” Riles continued. “Reparations should be paid for the way Black people were forced out of West and East Oakland, often enforced by the Zoning Department.”

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IN MEMORIAM: Longtime OUSD Employee Debra King-Cooper, 73

Longtime OUSD Employee Debra King-Cooper, 73 Caption: Debra King-Cooper. Courtesy photo. Special to The Post Debra King-Cooper, a beloved mother, grandmother, queen, sister, church member, caregiver, and matriarch, transitioned peacefully on May 20 surrounded by family and love i

Published

2 days ago

June 17, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Debra King-Cooper. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

Debra King-Cooper, a beloved mother, grandmother, queen, sister, church member, caregiver, and matriarch, transitioned peacefully on May 20 surrounded by family and love in the comfort of her home. To her children, she was royalty, grace, strength, and unconditional love embodied.

Debra Diane Edgar was born on May 28, 1952, in San Francisco, California, to Charles Edgar Sr. and Mamie Arthur Edgar. She was raised alongside her younger brother, Charles Edgar Jr., affectionately known as “Little Brother” or “Lil Bruh.” She also shared close bonds with her older siblings Carol Edgar-Lang, Maryann Edgar Calloway, and Lonnie Lewis Sr.

A proud product of San Francisco’s historic Fillmore District, Debra attended Andrew Jackson Elementary School, where she met her lifelong best friend and adopted sister, Lynn Green, in the fifth grade. She later attended Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School, Roosevelt Junior High School and Thomas Jefferson High School.

Debra’s mother transitioned when she was only 17 years old, and her father transitioned when she was 23. Despite these profound losses, Debra remained grounded through the love and support of extended family and lifelong family friends,

In 1971, she married Harold King. On Sept. 24, 1972, they welcomed their first son, Dajuan Artese King, affectionately called “Pop” or “Poppa.” On Aug. 5, 1976, they welcomed their second son, Dante Dupree King, affectionately called “Tay” or “Taboocoo the Baby.”

After her divorce in 1982, Debra assumed full responsibility for raising her sons.

She supported Dajuan’s passion for football by purchasing sports equipment and attending games faithfully. She supported Dante’s love of music by enrolling him in the San Francisco Boys Choir, Oakland Boys Choir, and the Castlemont Castleers.

Professionally, Debra built an exceptional career. She worked at Blue Shield of California from 1973 until 1994, earning multiple promotions.

She later joined the Oakland Unified School District, initially in a temporary role before being promoted into management within the Labor Relations Department. She retired from OUSD in 2015 after years of distinguished service. During her years at OUSD, she built meaningful friendships with her colleagues.

Faith was central to Debra’s life. During the 1980s, following personal hardship, she joined Love Center Church under the leadership of Bishop Walter Hawkins, where she brought her children regularly. She later became a member of Triumphant: A Church Without Walls Ministries under Pastor Dr. Larry Short, who became a beloved spiritual mentor.

After Triumphant closed in 1992, Debra joined Cosmopolitan Baptist Church in Oakland under the leadership of Pastor Larry Ashley, where she remained for the rest of her life.

At Cosmopolitan, she worked in numerous ministries. She served on the usher board, sang in the choir, participated in the AIDS ministry during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, helped feed and support unhoused community members, and mentored and supported a group of young girls.

After retirement, she cared for older adults in her church community, driving them to appointments, cleaning their homes, managing finances, preparing meals, and helping families navigate funeral arrangements after loved ones transitioned.

Even while battling Stage 4 cancer herself, she continued caring for others.

Debra was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Edgar Sr. and Mamie Arthur Edgar; her brothers, Lonnie Lewis Sr. and Charles Edgar Jr.; her sisters, Maryann Edgar Calloway and Victoria Stephenson Knight; and her adopted mother, Clara Oliver.

She leaves to cherish her memory her beloved sons, Dajuan King and Dante King; grandson, Tiyler Dajuan Artese King; sister, Carol Edgar-Lang; goddaughters Monique Belle and Ricketa Matthews Jones (Leonard); daughter-in-love Quiona Sullivan; son-in-love Marcel Walker; sister-in-law Delores Lewis; adopted sisters and lifelong friends Lynn Green, Barbara Stephenson Hill, and Sarah Fine; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, great-nieces, great-nephews, extended family members, her church family and dear friends.