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Agenda Item
9 23-0674 Subject: Resolution Prioritizing Public Safety
From: President Pro Tempore Kalb
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Prioritizing Public Safety And Directing The City Administrator To Take Specified Actions To Improve The City Of Oakland's Response To Crime, Including Evaluating Options For Increasing Staffing And Retention For 911 Dispatchers And Police Officers, Increasing Support From Local, State, And Federal Agencies, Expanding The City's Violence Prevention/Intervention Efforts, And Creating A Grant Program For The City To Fund The Purchase Of Security Cameras For Local Businesses
My name is Spenser and I’m a self determination coordinator for the Young Women’s Freedom Center. Non profits like ours in the community are doing the REAL WORK. The police in our community aren’t trustworthy, don’t show up when needed and there is no correlation that more funding will help fix the issue. Addressing the root cause of the issue is what will fix the issue. Non profit programs like ours and the work we do is crucial we are one of the only reasons young folks are able to have to access to extra resource and opportunities. We need more jobs and resources in our community. Invest in our young folks and stop criminalizing them.
Public safety should be the number one priority for Oakland and therefore not pushed to the last item on the agenda after 9pm where people who want to give comments on Zoom have to drop off. Every other topic on the agenda is seems more important than the issue most important to the public
This item is bypassing the process by not going to the Public Safety Committee first. It includes a request to fund a lateral police academy which was not supported in the budget conversations. It includes recruitment and retention of 911 dispatchers but does not mention training around dispensing MACRO teams which has been a consistent request of the community.
Thank you for putting this item on the agenda but it does not do enough. I am a 35 year resident of Oakland and raised my family here in Oaklalnd and love Oakland. Crime rates in this city are deplorable. I want to thank the NAACP for their leadership in stepping up with a very specific plan for enhancing public safety and reducing crime in Oakland and fully support their position. In the past 5 days alone, 2 mothers have been shot while sleeping in their own homes and yesterday another woman was dragged into the street on her back while walking home from the grocery store in broad daylight. All of us deserve to feel safe and all of our businesses deserve to thrive in Oakland. PLEASE declare a State of Emergency to address the horrific crime levels in Oakland, and seek any and all resources we can get from the federal government, state and county to help fight crime. I also ask that you FREEZE all vacant positions in Oakland that are not required by law to be filled, by grant obligations, by court order or are fully fee supported, or are already funded in the DVP, for the next 2 years, and divert all of those resources to OPD to hire more sworn police officers and dispatchers immediately. All residents and business owners deserve to feel safe in ALL neighborhoods of Oakland, and we are now at a crisis point when many of use are choosing to leave Oakland, buy our groceries and drug store items in neighboring cities, all of which will further reduce our much needed tax base.
CHP and security cameras facilitate the ticketing and theft of funds from residents while criminalizing the poor. Instead, we could improve our traffic infrastructure by adding bike lanes, fixing stop lights, and adding speed bumps. This improves property values and attracts business and is proven to be highly effective in preventing traffic accidents. Additionally, we need to aggressively fund safe shelters and affordable housing. This is the ethical and humane way of getting rid of homeless encampments and improves public safety, since the unhoused are often the victims of violent crime.
We need to declare a state of emergency to get BASIC city services functioning - a 911 system that adheres to the State's requirements (it is unconscionable that someone can be ON HOLD with 911 for up to 30+ min in a medical emergency), a police force that is sized adequately for the size of the city and the safety crisis we are currently facing, and bringing in additional support from county, state, and even federal agencies. This city is in crisis with people getting shot IN THEIR HOMES and out on walks, businesses closing down, people leaving the city to shop, dine out, etc, and cars getting stolen at a rate of 2/hr all day every day. This is not normal, is NOT happening in other cities, and is completely out of control.
My name is Mohamed, and I'm a director at Critical Resistance, a community based nonprofit org that's been based in Oakland for 25 years. Four days ago on Sept 15th, KQED published an interview with Mayor Thao, Interim Chief Allison, & Interim Chief Killens. When asked about the root causes of what's being called a spike in crime in Oakland, all 3 of them clearly articulated, in their own words, that the root cause of crime is the "desperation" people are facing - the desperation to maintain housing, to feed their children and families, to survive. Yet, rather than invest in common sense resources to get people out of desperation, this item will waste more money to expand policing, and continue a failed and senseless cycle of more criminalization, all while not doing a single thing to address root causes, nor will it reduce the harm communities are facing. If you ask any resident whether they would rather live in an Oakland that has faster police response times, or on the other hand, live in an Oakland that doesn't need faster response times in the first place because communities are safe, healthy, and not facing desperation, they will choose the latter. I urge you to move with common sense. We know that more policing and criminalization will mean more desperation and harm for Black, Brown, & working class communities. Reject this failed & harmful knee-jerk reaction, and instead invest in getting people out of desperation by increasing access and funding to basic human needs.
My name is Loana Piper and Im a Self Determination Advocate at the Young Women's Freedom Center. POLICE DO NOT KEEP US SAFE! They DO NOT show up when needed. WE KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE. WE NEED MORE JOBS AVAILABLE , MORE PROGRAMS , MORE FUNDING INTO DVP. NOT THE POLICE
DVP needs this funding for the simple fact they fund these non profits going out and doing the REAL work. Young folks need safe space alternatives, like YWFC offers. They need mentors, they need JOBS , HOUSING, FOOD , BASIC NEEDS. These young folks cant even get an interview, no call backs, NOTHING. How else are they going to survive and get what they need? How many housing programs do Oakland have?? not that many. How many empty and abandon buildings do we have in Oakland? a whole lot. Oakland is putting their funds in places it does need to go. It doesn't serve anyone any purpose but the PIGS. Invest in young people. Stop criminalizing them.
It is unnacceptable that City Council moved such an important meeting to a time inaccessible to working people. This lets privileged Oaklanders, who are not the ones criminalized and suffering with overpolicing, to have way more influence on this issue. US cities have steadily increased police funding year-over-year regardless of whether crime rates are going up or down. There is no evidence of a connection between police funding and crime rates. There IS a proven connection between violence and defunding social services. Underfunding and defunding these supports has a destabilizing effect on communities that increases the likelihood of homicide, violence, and other crime. While violence has increased across the nation in both red and blue states, violence is concentrated in communities affected by disinvestment and racial segregation while more affluent areas have had near-record-low levels of murder. We know what works to build safe and healthy communities. We just need to look at nearby affluent, majority white communities, like Piedmont, where people have stable, well-paying jobs and access to well-funded public services, experience little violence, and have a fairly small police force that responds only when it is wanted.
Narratives that call for increased policing blame rising crime rates on left-wing movements to defund the police and progressive DAs. 8 of the 10 states with the highest murder rates are red states. Oakland has NOT defunded the police!
My name is Elizabeth Atkins-Pattenson, I am a resident of D3 and oppose Item 9 as written. I urge the council to direct the City Administrator to explore increased investment in Violence Prevention Options. Why are Council members Kalb and Jenkins directing the administration to limit its exploration of public safety investments to policing only? We are in this mess because Oakland’s City Council has historically failed to look to data-backed investments like the Black New Deal and instead has continually invested in the status quo.
If we are looking to prevent violence in the City of Oakland, we need the administration to look at data-driven and cost-efficient investments that our city council can and should make to stop violence before it occurs. Looking solely at policing is fear-driven and short-sighted – the police already get $360 million per year, including a $20 million dollar increase in June, and it is clear that they lack the ability to prevent violence. Continuing to invest in failed solutions does not and will not keep us safe.
“My name is Desiree and I am a member of The Black Organizing Project. We stand in solidarity with APTP, Urban Peace Movement, and other community allies who are calling on Oakland city council to invest in community resources such as the Department of Violence Prevention and Mental Health resources like MACRO instead of continuing to invest in racist, oppressive systems like policing which have proven to be ineffective in creating safety for decades. Increasing policing isn’t proven to create safer cities but it is proven to disproportionately harm communities of color. We must break that cycle here in Oakland and put the intention and investment where it is truly needed”.
I SUPPORT prioritizing 911 response; I SUPPORT expanding violence prevention and intervention efforts; I OPPOSE any lateral police academies which have proven to be ineffective; I SUPPORT diverting more calls to MACRO; and I OPPOSE more CHP due to their reckless driving through Oakland streets.
The proposal to declare a state of emergency in Oakland with the intention of increasing the police budget has garnered attention and debate. I believe that there is a more compassionate and effective approach to addressing the city's challenges. Rather than pouring more resources into law enforcement, Oakland should declare a "State of Care" and invest in violence prevention and basic needs. There are several reasons why this approach is not only morally sound but also more likely to yield positive, lasting outcomes for Oakland's residents such as addressing the root cause of crime, mental health services, and employment support.
Declaring a State of Care in Oakland, prioritizing investments in violence prevention and basic needs over an increase in the police budget, is a more compassionate, effective, and sustainable approach to improving the city's safety and well-being. By addressing the root causes of crime/harm, building community trust, and supporting the most vulnerable among us, we can create a safer and more equitable Oakland for all its residents.
I oppose any additional funds to an already bloated police budget.
I support this item and would add the declaration of a local emergency due to the issues we are facing with crime in all neighborhoods across the City. Please have the City Attorney define how a local emergency will help expedite contracts and other actions that can assist at moving actions forward fasted and more effectively. Will declaration of a public safety emergency change any powers related to the hiring of a Police Chief and other key unfilled positions?
My name is Alice Freda and I am a district 6 resident. I believe limiting public safety investments to policing only is incredibly short sighted. We don't have data that more policing limits crime. Every year we increase the police budget but the police are there to punish people after the fact rather than preventing crime in the first place. Throwing people in prison or jail does not deter people from committing crime, it only hurts our community by continuing a cycle of violence and poverty. If we are looking to prevent violence in the City of Oakland, we need the administration to look at data-driven and cost-efficient investments that our city council can and should make to stop violence before it occurs (namely violence prevention programs let by the community). Continuing to invest in failed solutions does not and will not keep our community safe.
Oakland is in the middle of a crime emergency and it is important that the city government acknowledge it and take action. Day after day we are faced with senseless tragedies and news of our neighbors being put in harms way and even killed. August was one of the deadliest months in recent memory. This violence touches every part of our lives from our sense that it's safe to enjoy our public spaces to our local businesses deciding to close rather than deal with the constant barrage of crime. I notice that at this meeting there is a call for an emergency declaration for homelessness, AIDS, and access to medical cannabis. If those are emergencies, violence and crime in Oakland most definitely constitutes an emergency as well. Please adopt this resolution. Additionally, holding meetings midday makes it very difficult for Oaklanders to participate in this process.
Yes to improving 911 response times! The data showed 60% of calls to 911 are non-emergency. People being people means we will never get that down to 0% but educating Oaklanders could reduce that number significantly. The cost to educate people on how they are part of the solution to faster response times would be a lot less than staffing up to be able to answer all those calls at the speed true emergency calls need to be answered.
I am all for improving our 911 respond time and expanding our violence prevention and disruption efforts, but I also do not like the acquiescence to the narrative that Oakland is some kind of hellhole or even that crime here is at some sort of all time high — it is not. Any violence is too much violence but I am extremely concerned about falling victim to a right-wing narrative that is not based out of care for Oakland residents but is just a smokescreen to introduce authoritarian, hateful policies.
My name is Spenser and I’m a self determination coordinator for the Young Women’s Freedom Center. Non profits like ours in the community are doing the REAL WORK. The police in our community aren’t trustworthy, don’t show up when needed and there is no correlation that more funding will help fix the issue. Addressing the root cause of the issue is what will fix the issue. Non profit programs like ours and the work we do is crucial we are one of the only reasons young folks are able to have to access to extra resource and opportunities. We need more jobs and resources in our community. Invest in our young folks and stop criminalizing them.
Public safety should be the number one priority for Oakland and therefore not pushed to the last item on the agenda after 9pm where people who want to give comments on Zoom have to drop off. Every other topic on the agenda is seems more important than the issue most important to the public
This item is bypassing the process by not going to the Public Safety Committee first. It includes a request to fund a lateral police academy which was not supported in the budget conversations. It includes recruitment and retention of 911 dispatchers but does not mention training around dispensing MACRO teams which has been a consistent request of the community.
Thank you for putting this item on the agenda but it does not do enough. I am a 35 year resident of Oakland and raised my family here in Oaklalnd and love Oakland. Crime rates in this city are deplorable. I want to thank the NAACP for their leadership in stepping up with a very specific plan for enhancing public safety and reducing crime in Oakland and fully support their position. In the past 5 days alone, 2 mothers have been shot while sleeping in their own homes and yesterday another woman was dragged into the street on her back while walking home from the grocery store in broad daylight. All of us deserve to feel safe and all of our businesses deserve to thrive in Oakland. PLEASE declare a State of Emergency to address the horrific crime levels in Oakland, and seek any and all resources we can get from the federal government, state and county to help fight crime. I also ask that you FREEZE all vacant positions in Oakland that are not required by law to be filled, by grant obligations, by court order or are fully fee supported, or are already funded in the DVP, for the next 2 years, and divert all of those resources to OPD to hire more sworn police officers and dispatchers immediately. All residents and business owners deserve to feel safe in ALL neighborhoods of Oakland, and we are now at a crisis point when many of use are choosing to leave Oakland, buy our groceries and drug store items in neighboring cities, all of which will further reduce our much needed tax base.
CHP and security cameras facilitate the ticketing and theft of funds from residents while criminalizing the poor. Instead, we could improve our traffic infrastructure by adding bike lanes, fixing stop lights, and adding speed bumps. This improves property values and attracts business and is proven to be highly effective in preventing traffic accidents. Additionally, we need to aggressively fund safe shelters and affordable housing. This is the ethical and humane way of getting rid of homeless encampments and improves public safety, since the unhoused are often the victims of violent crime.
We need to declare a state of emergency to get BASIC city services functioning - a 911 system that adheres to the State's requirements (it is unconscionable that someone can be ON HOLD with 911 for up to 30+ min in a medical emergency), a police force that is sized adequately for the size of the city and the safety crisis we are currently facing, and bringing in additional support from county, state, and even federal agencies. This city is in crisis with people getting shot IN THEIR HOMES and out on walks, businesses closing down, people leaving the city to shop, dine out, etc, and cars getting stolen at a rate of 2/hr all day every day. This is not normal, is NOT happening in other cities, and is completely out of control.
My name is Mohamed, and I'm a director at Critical Resistance, a community based nonprofit org that's been based in Oakland for 25 years. Four days ago on Sept 15th, KQED published an interview with Mayor Thao, Interim Chief Allison, & Interim Chief Killens. When asked about the root causes of what's being called a spike in crime in Oakland, all 3 of them clearly articulated, in their own words, that the root cause of crime is the "desperation" people are facing - the desperation to maintain housing, to feed their children and families, to survive. Yet, rather than invest in common sense resources to get people out of desperation, this item will waste more money to expand policing, and continue a failed and senseless cycle of more criminalization, all while not doing a single thing to address root causes, nor will it reduce the harm communities are facing. If you ask any resident whether they would rather live in an Oakland that has faster police response times, or on the other hand, live in an Oakland that doesn't need faster response times in the first place because communities are safe, healthy, and not facing desperation, they will choose the latter. I urge you to move with common sense. We know that more policing and criminalization will mean more desperation and harm for Black, Brown, & working class communities. Reject this failed & harmful knee-jerk reaction, and instead invest in getting people out of desperation by increasing access and funding to basic human needs.
My name is Loana Piper and Im a Self Determination Advocate at the Young Women's Freedom Center. POLICE DO NOT KEEP US SAFE! They DO NOT show up when needed. WE KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE. WE NEED MORE JOBS AVAILABLE , MORE PROGRAMS , MORE FUNDING INTO DVP. NOT THE POLICE
DVP needs this funding for the simple fact they fund these non profits going out and doing the REAL work. Young folks need safe space alternatives, like YWFC offers. They need mentors, they need JOBS , HOUSING, FOOD , BASIC NEEDS. These young folks cant even get an interview, no call backs, NOTHING. How else are they going to survive and get what they need? How many housing programs do Oakland have?? not that many. How many empty and abandon buildings do we have in Oakland? a whole lot. Oakland is putting their funds in places it does need to go. It doesn't serve anyone any purpose but the PIGS. Invest in young people. Stop criminalizing them.
It is unnacceptable that City Council moved such an important meeting to a time inaccessible to working people. This lets privileged Oaklanders, who are not the ones criminalized and suffering with overpolicing, to have way more influence on this issue. US cities have steadily increased police funding year-over-year regardless of whether crime rates are going up or down. There is no evidence of a connection between police funding and crime rates. There IS a proven connection between violence and defunding social services. Underfunding and defunding these supports has a destabilizing effect on communities that increases the likelihood of homicide, violence, and other crime. While violence has increased across the nation in both red and blue states, violence is concentrated in communities affected by disinvestment and racial segregation while more affluent areas have had near-record-low levels of murder. We know what works to build safe and healthy communities. We just need to look at nearby affluent, majority white communities, like Piedmont, where people have stable, well-paying jobs and access to well-funded public services, experience little violence, and have a fairly small police force that responds only when it is wanted.
Narratives that call for increased policing blame rising crime rates on left-wing movements to defund the police and progressive DAs. 8 of the 10 states with the highest murder rates are red states. Oakland has NOT defunded the police!
My name is Elizabeth Atkins-Pattenson, I am a resident of D3 and oppose Item 9 as written. I urge the council to direct the City Administrator to explore increased investment in Violence Prevention Options. Why are Council members Kalb and Jenkins directing the administration to limit its exploration of public safety investments to policing only? We are in this mess because Oakland’s City Council has historically failed to look to data-backed investments like the Black New Deal and instead has continually invested in the status quo.
If we are looking to prevent violence in the City of Oakland, we need the administration to look at data-driven and cost-efficient investments that our city council can and should make to stop violence before it occurs. Looking solely at policing is fear-driven and short-sighted – the police already get $360 million per year, including a $20 million dollar increase in June, and it is clear that they lack the ability to prevent violence. Continuing to invest in failed solutions does not and will not keep us safe.
“My name is Desiree and I am a member of The Black Organizing Project. We stand in solidarity with APTP, Urban Peace Movement, and other community allies who are calling on Oakland city council to invest in community resources such as the Department of Violence Prevention and Mental Health resources like MACRO instead of continuing to invest in racist, oppressive systems like policing which have proven to be ineffective in creating safety for decades. Increasing policing isn’t proven to create safer cities but it is proven to disproportionately harm communities of color. We must break that cycle here in Oakland and put the intention and investment where it is truly needed”.
I SUPPORT prioritizing 911 response; I SUPPORT expanding violence prevention and intervention efforts; I OPPOSE any lateral police academies which have proven to be ineffective; I SUPPORT diverting more calls to MACRO; and I OPPOSE more CHP due to their reckless driving through Oakland streets.
The proposal to declare a state of emergency in Oakland with the intention of increasing the police budget has garnered attention and debate. I believe that there is a more compassionate and effective approach to addressing the city's challenges. Rather than pouring more resources into law enforcement, Oakland should declare a "State of Care" and invest in violence prevention and basic needs. There are several reasons why this approach is not only morally sound but also more likely to yield positive, lasting outcomes for Oakland's residents such as addressing the root cause of crime, mental health services, and employment support.
Declaring a State of Care in Oakland, prioritizing investments in violence prevention and basic needs over an increase in the police budget, is a more compassionate, effective, and sustainable approach to improving the city's safety and well-being. By addressing the root causes of crime/harm, building community trust, and supporting the most vulnerable among us, we can create a safer and more equitable Oakland for all its residents.
I oppose any additional funds to an already bloated police budget.
I support this item moving forward. I appreciate Kalb bringing this forward.
I support this item and would add the declaration of a local emergency due to the issues we are facing with crime in all neighborhoods across the City. Please have the City Attorney define how a local emergency will help expedite contracts and other actions that can assist at moving actions forward fasted and more effectively. Will declaration of a public safety emergency change any powers related to the hiring of a Police Chief and other key unfilled positions?
Increase investments in community - in ambassadors, in small businesses, in people, not the Oakland Police Department.
My name is Alice Freda and I am a district 6 resident. I believe limiting public safety investments to policing only is incredibly short sighted. We don't have data that more policing limits crime. Every year we increase the police budget but the police are there to punish people after the fact rather than preventing crime in the first place. Throwing people in prison or jail does not deter people from committing crime, it only hurts our community by continuing a cycle of violence and poverty. If we are looking to prevent violence in the City of Oakland, we need the administration to look at data-driven and cost-efficient investments that our city council can and should make to stop violence before it occurs (namely violence prevention programs let by the community). Continuing to invest in failed solutions does not and will not keep our community safe.
Oakland is in the middle of a crime emergency and it is important that the city government acknowledge it and take action. Day after day we are faced with senseless tragedies and news of our neighbors being put in harms way and even killed. August was one of the deadliest months in recent memory. This violence touches every part of our lives from our sense that it's safe to enjoy our public spaces to our local businesses deciding to close rather than deal with the constant barrage of crime. I notice that at this meeting there is a call for an emergency declaration for homelessness, AIDS, and access to medical cannabis. If those are emergencies, violence and crime in Oakland most definitely constitutes an emergency as well. Please adopt this resolution. Additionally, holding meetings midday makes it very difficult for Oaklanders to participate in this process.
Yes to improving 911 response times! The data showed 60% of calls to 911 are non-emergency. People being people means we will never get that down to 0% but educating Oaklanders could reduce that number significantly. The cost to educate people on how they are part of the solution to faster response times would be a lot less than staffing up to be able to answer all those calls at the speed true emergency calls need to be answered.
I am all for improving our 911 respond time and expanding our violence prevention and disruption efforts, but I also do not like the acquiescence to the narrative that Oakland is some kind of hellhole or even that crime here is at some sort of all time high — it is not. Any violence is too much violence but I am extremely concerned about falling victim to a right-wing narrative that is not based out of care for Oakland residents but is just a smokescreen to introduce authoritarian, hateful policies.