News

Protests Continue in Killing of Sahleem Tindle by BART Cop

Published

9 years ago

March 23, 2018

Registered nurse Monica Ramos of West Oakland holds a sign at a rally on March 20 outside of the OPD calling for the arrest of BART officer Joseph Mateu for the killing of Sahleem Tindle in January. Photo by Sarah Carpenter.

Protesters gathered in the rain outside of the Oakland Police Department headquarters on Tuesday to call for the arrest of BART officer Joseph Mateu for the killing of 28-year-old Sahleem Tindle.

“It’s great we have 40 people out here in the rain, but we need 400 like when Oscar Grant was killed,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP).

Mateu shot Tindle three times in the back in front of the West Oakland BART station on Jan. 3. Leaked bodycam footage showed Officer Mateu approaching two men in an altercation on the ground, yelling at them to show their hands before shooting Tindle in the back. Tindle later died in the hospital.

After the footage was leaked, it was presented to the media by BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas during a press conference on Feb. 21. Rojas’ presentation included his own interpretation of events, hailing Mateu as a “hero,” and narrating the officer’s potential mindset during the incident.

BART police citizen review board member George D. Perezvelez proposed a motion to prevent Rojas from speaking to the media at their March 12 board meeting. Nine of the 11 board members voted in favor.
Cathryn Freitas of District 2 and Richard Knowles disagreed with the motion—Freitas characterized it as a “gag order.”

But Brooks considers it a “victory,” saying the motion will stop Chief Rojas from re-traumatizing the Tindle family.

The family has called for the firing of Mateu from BART, and are now calling for criminal charges against the officer.

“The video should be enough to get him arrested,” Brooks said.

Tindle’s mother, Yolanda Banks Reed, spoke to the rally by phone. Her voice was amplified by four speakers on a pickup truck. “I’m so sad that I even have to protest,” she said.

Monica Ramos, a West Oakland registered nurse, held a sign at the rally saying, “Mateu is a murderer.”

She said she was angry and grief-stricken because “this is just a normal family, and they have to turn into activists.”

Reed lamented that she could only bring charges against the man who killed her son by pressuring District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to do so. A petition calling for Mateu’s indictment is available at: bit.ly/INDICTMATEU. The DA’s office has confirmed that an independent investigation is underway, but were unable to comment on the ongoing investigation.

While many protesters have called for policing reform, some are even less optimistic about the future of policing in Oakland.

Speaking at the rally outside police headquarters, Noelle Audrey Rose from East Oakland asked, “How do you reform an un-reformable system?

“My question for the community is: How do we take care of each other so that we don’t need the police?”

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Black History

HISTORY MADE: Keisha Lance Bottoms Becomes First Black Woman Elected Governor in American History

ATLANTA DAILY WORLD — History has been made in Georgia. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, has been elected governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman in American history to win the highest executive office in any state.

Published

1 week ago

November 5, 2026

Post News Group

Keisha Lance Bottoms during her 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary victory speech. Photo: Sikis2021 / Wikimedia Commons.

History has been made in Georgia. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, has been elected governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman in American history to win the highest executive office in any state.

Bottoms’ victory over Republican businessman Rick Jackson represents a defining moment in American politics, breaking a barrier that has stood since the nation’s founding and placing Georgia at the center of a historic political transformation.

For generations, Black women have played a critical role in American democracy, organizing communities, leading movements, mobilizing voters and shaping public policy. Yet despite their contributions, no Black woman had ever been elected governor of a U.S. state.

Until now.

Bottoms’ election also makes her the first woman and first Black person elected governor of Georgia, a state whose political history has been deeply shaped by slavery, segregation, the civil rights movement and the long struggle for equal representation.

Her victory carries particular significance in a state where Black women have been among the most influential forces in voter registration, political organizing and Democratic electoral success.

A fifth-generation Georgian, Bottoms previously served as Atlanta’s 60th mayor from 2018 to 2022. During her administration, she led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, nationwide protests over racial injustice and a period of significant economic and population growth.

Following her time as mayor, Bottoms served as a senior adviser in President Joe Biden’s administration before returning to Georgia politics to pursue the governorship.

Her campaign focused on expanding access to health care, strengthening public education, increasing wages and addressing the rising cost of living. She also advocated for expanding Medicaid, raising Georgia’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and increasing compensation for teachers and other public employees.

Bottoms faced Jackson, a wealthy health care executive who invested heavily in his campaign and positioned himself as a political outsider. The contest drew national attention as Democrats sought to reclaim the Georgia governor’s office after more than two decades of Republican control.

The historic nature of Bottoms’ victory extends well beyond party politics.

Georgia, once at the center of some of America’s most consequential civil rights battles, has now elected a Black woman to lead its state government. It is a milestone that reflects generations of political participation, organizing and leadership by Black Georgians.

For Atlanta, the moment is especially significant. A former mayor of the city that helped shape the modern civil rights movement will now lead the entire state.

Bottoms’ election opens a new chapter in Georgia’s political history and establishes a milestone that will be remembered far beyond the 2026 election.

For continuing election coverage and results, visit AtlantaDailyWorld.com/election26.