Hi, my name is Carla Peña and I live In district 4. I demand we defund OPD immediately and put our city’s resources into the things our community needs most, like violence prevention, education, health care, mental health resources, housing, resources for youth, and addressing the opioid crisis. Funding for OPD is a staggering $330 Million which would be better used to support our communities in ways that actually help and not harm folx.
I have lived in Oakland for 28 years, and have owned homes in Oakland for 12 years. I choose to live in Oakland, and pay taxes in Oakland, and educate my child in Oakland because of its progressive politics and activism. In this important time, the city government must take immediate and bold action to support Black lives.
Along with many others, I demand immediate action to protect the lives of our members of our Black community:
Ban the police use of tear gas
Remove Sheriff Greg Ahern as Director of Emergency Management
Defund OPD & reinvest in our community:
-Immediately remove Measure Q&Z funding from OPD
-Commit to a comprehensive audit of OPD in a process shaped & informed by community
-Renegotiate the latest contract agreement with OPD
-Fund mental health services, crisis response & community ambassadors independent of law enforcement
-Restore funding to Parks, Recreation & Youth Development
-Pass the full Black New Deal
Immediate action must be taken to stop the violence perpetrated by police on Black people and Black communities in Oakland. These actions consist of by are by no means limited to:
Remove all law enforcement from Oakland schools
Stop the use of tear gas immediately
Defund and Disband the OPD and invest in Black communities
On June 5, my house in West Oakland put up a sign in our front yard saying, "Happy Birthday Breonna," in celebration of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by a police officer in Louisville, KY. The next morning, we woke up to find glass shattered in our living room. Someone had thrown a rock through our window between 12am and 8am. We know this was an anti-Black attack, in response to our sign.
I immediately emailed Councilwoman Lynnette Gibson McElhaney and her staff, asking for resources for this hate incident. I stated our house *did not* want to get the police involved, because we *do not* want more unnecessary police presence in West Oakland, and we firmly believe that the police would protect the attacker. Councilwoman Gibson responded by email that we should file a police report and contact the police. I responded restating our position and have not heard since from her or Councilmember Kaplan, who I emailed as well.
We demand immediate action to protect the lives of our members of our Black community by
--Banning the police use of tear gas, as called for by Councilmembers Bas, Kaplan & Thao
--Removing Sheriff Greg Ahern from the position of Director of Emergency Management
--Defunding OPD & reinvesting in community by:
------Immediately removing Measure Q&Z funding from OPD; funding should come from general fund only
------Committing to a comprehensive audit of OPD in a process shaped & informed by community
------Renegotiating the latest contract agreement with the Oakland Police Officers’ Association in a manner consistent with other labor renegotiations occurring at this time, the financial crisis facing Oakland, and our dire need for funding in all other areas
------Funding mental health services, crisis response & community ambassadors independent of law enforcement
------Restoring funding to the Department of Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development
--Passing the full Black New Deal
Hi, my name is Carla Peña and I live In district 4. I demand we defund OPD immediately and put our city’s resources into the things our community needs most, like violence prevention, education, health care, mental health resources, housing, resources for youth, and addressing the opioid crisis. Funding for OPD is a staggering $330 Million which would be better used to support our communities in ways that actually help and not harm folx.
I have lived in Oakland for 28 years, and have owned homes in Oakland for 12 years. I choose to live in Oakland, and pay taxes in Oakland, and educate my child in Oakland because of its progressive politics and activism. In this important time, the city government must take immediate and bold action to support Black lives.
Along with many others, I demand immediate action to protect the lives of our members of our Black community:
Ban the police use of tear gas
Remove Sheriff Greg Ahern as Director of Emergency Management
Defund OPD & reinvest in our community:
-Immediately remove Measure Q&Z funding from OPD
-Commit to a comprehensive audit of OPD in a process shaped & informed by community
-Renegotiate the latest contract agreement with OPD
-Fund mental health services, crisis response & community ambassadors independent of law enforcement
-Restore funding to Parks, Recreation & Youth Development
-Pass the full Black New Deal
Be bold and lead the way for other cities.
Immediate action must be taken to stop the violence perpetrated by police on Black people and Black communities in Oakland. These actions consist of by are by no means limited to:
Remove all law enforcement from Oakland schools
Stop the use of tear gas immediately
Defund and Disband the OPD and invest in Black communities
We need to dismantle OPD.
On June 5, my house in West Oakland put up a sign in our front yard saying, "Happy Birthday Breonna," in celebration of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by a police officer in Louisville, KY. The next morning, we woke up to find glass shattered in our living room. Someone had thrown a rock through our window between 12am and 8am. We know this was an anti-Black attack, in response to our sign.
I immediately emailed Councilwoman Lynnette Gibson McElhaney and her staff, asking for resources for this hate incident. I stated our house *did not* want to get the police involved, because we *do not* want more unnecessary police presence in West Oakland, and we firmly believe that the police would protect the attacker. Councilwoman Gibson responded by email that we should file a police report and contact the police. I responded restating our position and have not heard since from her or Councilmember Kaplan, who I emailed as well.
Support us without the police.
We demand immediate action to protect the lives of our members of our Black community by
--Banning the police use of tear gas, as called for by Councilmembers Bas, Kaplan & Thao
--Removing Sheriff Greg Ahern from the position of Director of Emergency Management
--Defunding OPD & reinvesting in community by:
------Immediately removing Measure Q&Z funding from OPD; funding should come from general fund only
------Committing to a comprehensive audit of OPD in a process shaped & informed by community
------Renegotiating the latest contract agreement with the Oakland Police Officers’ Association in a manner consistent with other labor renegotiations occurring at this time, the financial crisis facing Oakland, and our dire need for funding in all other areas
------Funding mental health services, crisis response & community ambassadors independent of law enforcement
------Restoring funding to the Department of Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development
--Passing the full Black New Deal