Oakland Activists Hold Early Morning Marches to City Councilmembers’ Houses to #DefundOPD
Councilmember Fortunato Bas Will Introduce Amendment To Defund Department by $25 Million, while CM Gallo Verbally Commits to $150 Million Cut
Oakland: Today in the early morning, a broad coalition of organizations held a series of coordinated actions to “wake-up” City Councilmembers at their homes and demand they #DefundOPD and #DefendBlackLife.
The actions — featuring marches, caravans, mural painting, and live music — called on Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Dan Kalb, and Loren Taylor to defund the violent and corrupt Oakland Police Department by at least 50% and reinvest in Black and Brown communities during the Council’s mid-cycle budget review happening this month.
“The voice of the People is clear and too loud to ignore: The Mayor and our elected officials must stop perpetuating the nightmare of ongoing police terror and chronic disinvestment in schools and neighborhoods,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project. “We demand they defund OPD by at minimum 50% and reinvest our money, the People’s Money, in the #BlackNewDeal package for the relief and resilience of Oakland’s Black and Brown communities.”
In the past two weeks, thousands of Oaklanders have marched in the streets, emailed or called City Council demanding they defund OPD, which currently takes almost half of Oakland’s general fund every year, and invest in living wage jobs, housing for all, youth programs, healthcare and other essential neighborhood services outlined in the Black New Deal — a bold action plan presented to City Council by dozens of Black community leaders in April.
Starting at 7 am in the Fruitvale, protesters woke-up CM Gallo at his house with Aztec dancers, a mariachi band, and a youth-led delegation. In response, Gallo committed to cutting OPD by $150 million and reinvesting that in the community.
“This morning, local groups that work in D5 came with Mexican breakfast, a mariachi band, and Aztec Dancers to wake up Noel Gallo and talk about how the People’s Money should not be wasted on a corrupt OPD with millions in police settlements,” said George Galvis, Executive Director of CURYJ. “Public dollars that fund OPD should be reinvested in jobs, housing, violence prevention, and intervention. Programs that serve children, youth, and families are proven strategies to build authentic public safety. Trying to police our way into public safety is an oxymoron akin to bombing your way into peace.”
“Today’s action was a wake-up call to Councilmembers that the time is NOW to move money away from OPD and reinvest in uplifting our Black and Brown communities,” said Zachary Norris, Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. “This is an unequivocal demand on how to invest the People’s Money on what WE know will keep us safe.”
In North Oakland, a lively crowd of youth, doctors, and a band marched to Dan Kalb’s house, calling on him to invest in the priorities of the people of his district, not in the police. Speakers from the climate, jewish youth, affordable housing, and health care communities outlined what Kalb could achieve by taking 150 million dollars out of the police department. While Kalb did not answer, the protesters left him a mural reading, “Defund The Police.”
In East Oakland, children and parents led a caravan to Loren Taylor’s house, singing and chanting outside and chalking #DefundOPD on the sidewalk. While Taylor didn’t emerge to talk to the delegation, he emailed the organizers and agreed to meet with the coalition to talk about the process of defunding the police.
“We told Councilmember Taylor today that children need parks, mental health support, nurses, and after-school programs,” said Kimi Lee, Director of Bay Rising, parent, and District 6 resident. “We shouldn't be spending 44% of the People's Money on police. As parents, we want our kids to speak up for what kind of world we want. We can take care of each other. Police have been given too much power and have misused it against Black and Brown communities.”
A day before the actions, Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas announced she will introduce an amendment to the Mayor’s budget which redirects $25 million from OPD to the community. The coalition applauded her amendment as a good first start — but they expect the Council to determine how to defund OPD by at least 50% over the coming year.
“Councilmember Fortunato Bas has once again shown the courage to stand with the people, and we are excited by her concrete proposal to defund OPD by at least $25 million in this current budget cycle,” said Jessamyn Sabbag, Executive Director of Oakland Rising. “We hope Gallo will not betray his pledge of “wanting $150 million" for all of the people of Oakland, which is what we hold all of our Councilmembers to with our public dollars."
Led by the Anti Police-Terror Project, the Black Organizing Project, Oakland Rising, and over a dozen Oakland-based community organizations, the coalition sent a letter detailing a platform of demands to local elected officials last week (view the letter, coalition members, and additional organization signatories here).
Actions from the coalition at the Oakland School Board, at Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle’s house, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s house, and the F**k Your Curfew sit-in that defeated the Oakland curfew have been gaining momentum towards defunding police.
The coalition’s demands to the Oakland City Council to #DefundOPD and reinvest in community include:
Defunding the Oakland Police Department by at lesat 50%
Investing the money from defunding OPD into passing the full Black New Deal
Stopping the use of violence of any kind against protestors
Removing California Highway Patrol from Oakland streets
Find detailed information on the demands to Oakland City Council here >
#DefundOPD #DefendBlackLives #DefundThePolice #FundBlackFutures
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