APTP in the News
Cat Brooks speaks to a crowd on Monday, August 16, 2021 (Jungho Kim/Special to The Chronicle)
Oakland activists slam Mayor Schaaf over decision to put CHP officers on the streets
Sarah Ravani | San Francisco Chronicle, August 16, 2021
“‘As Black and brown and indigenous people, we know that these law enforcement agencies do not mean safety for our communities and in fact, they mean increased levels of violence and increased dangers for our bodies,’ [APTP co-founder Cat] Brooks said.”
James Burch, seen from behind, speaks with an Alameda County Sheriffs Deputy who looks at their phone to play a Taylor Swift song
Watch a police officer admit to playing Taylor Swift to keep a video off YouTube
Zoe Schiffer and Adi Robertson | The Verge, July 1, 2021
“‘The fact that these members of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department would go to such lengths to deny us the ability to publicize their actions speaks volumes to how they perceive their relationship with the People of Oakland,’ [APTP policy director James] Burch said in a statement.”
James Burch, wearing a black APTP hoodie, seen from behind speaking with an Alameda County Sheriffs Deputy
Watch a Police Officer Admit He's Playing a Taylor Swift Song to Keep Activist's Video Off YouTube
Whitney Kimball | Gizmodo, July 1, 2021
“In a video taken on the steps, policy director for the Anti Police-Terror Project James Burch can be seen asking a sheriff’s deputy why the group can’t use their banner. Midway through the conversation, the sheriff’s deputy pulled out his phone, turned up Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space”’on speaker, and slid it into his shirt. ‘You can record all you want,’ he told the person filming, ‘I just know it just can’t be posted on YouTube.’ Sheriff’s deputy David Shelby then turned to show the camera the name on his uniform.”
Police officers, some wearing caps and face masks, stand in formation at a crosswalk
‘We need to do something different’: Oakland councilmembers look to cut millions from mayor’s police budget
Annie Sciacca | East Bay Times, June 18, 2021
“We are encouraged that these council members appear to have maintained their dedication to the reimagining public safety process & have committed to a comprehensive audit of OPD[...] a much larger divestment from law enforcement is necessary.” – James Burch, APTP Policy Director
James Burch, wearing a black hoodie and a black face mask with a red APTP logo, speaks in front of the George Floyd mural in downtown Oakland (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
'Walk the Walk': Oakland Community Members Say Not Enough Has Been Done a Year After George Floyd’s Death
Ezra David Romero and Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli | KQED, May 25, 2021
"‘At the height of the George Floyd uprising, there was an intense political pressure put on the City Council and the mayor,’ said James Burch, APTP policy director. ‘They committed to a pathway to reimagine public safety, and [to] reinvest 50% of the dollars spent on policing ... That's where we were last summer. And between then and now, some members of city government have retreated and retrenched themselves into the status quo.’”
Cat Brooks, wearing a black shirt with a red APTP logo, speaks in front of the George Floyd mural in downtown Oakland
S.F., Oakland remember George Floyd with paint and political pressure
Shwanika Narayan and Jessica Flores | San Francisco Chronicle, May 25, 2021
“‘In what felt like a slap in the face to Black people, (Mayor} Libby Schaaf released a tone-deaf budget that did not move resources away from police and into community but actually gave them more money,’ Cat Brooks, executive director of the Anti Police-Terror Project, told the crowd.”
Cat Brooks, wearing a black hoodie and a black face mask with a red APTP, speaks into a microphone (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
One year later: what's changed in the Bay Area since the death of George Floyd?
Lisa Fernandez | KTVU, May 25, 2021
"'On George Floyd’s anniversary, we demand that the politicians who say Black Lives Matter will finally agree to spend less on policing and more on improving conditions for Black life such as critical services like housing and mental health support,’ [Cat] Brooks said.”
Cat Brooks, wearing a red top, speaks during a news conference outside of the Alameda Police Department on April 27, 2021 (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
‘Build Something Powerful’: Oakland Aims to Remove Police From Some Nonviolent 911 Calls
Eric Westervelt | KQED, May 19, 2021
“[Cat] Brooks, a key advocate for MACRO, believes the best people to help are those with street knowledge of the systems that have failed them, what she calls ‘the medical-industrial complex.’
"‘And that complex — doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers — stereotypes Black, brown and indigenous bodies. Criminalizes Black, brown and indigenous bodies just as much as law enforcement,’ she says. ‘And so these models have to be more about the ideology and practice with which we respond.’"
Mabel Kimble with Cat Brooks and Carina Lieu. The three helped call in intervention in a potentially violent standoff (Nina Riggio/Special to The Chronicle)
Oakland officers found a man unconscious in a car with a gun. Then police reform advocates stepped in
Sarah Ravani | San Francisco Chronicle, May 18, 2021
“That’s the Oakland we are fighting for. That’s what we are trying to build,” said [APTP co-founder Cat] Brooks. “We know that this will preserve life.”
Cat Brooks, wearing sunglasses and a black face mask with a red APTP logo, speaks via Facebook live
Anti Police-Terror Project helps de-escalate potentially deadly situation in East Oakland
Haaziq Madyun | KRON4, May 14, 2021
“A community member alerted Cat Brooks and the Anti Police-Terror Project about the situation. Brooks arrived on the scene and offered this option to the officers.
‘Let’s get somebody he knows who can help navigate the situation,’ Brooks said. ‘The community got the mom there. as soon as the mom and sister showed up, I was able to talk to mom. She was like they’re going to kill him. I was like, not today they’re not.’”
Cat Brooks, wearing sunglasses and a black face mask with a red APTP logo, speaks while livestreaming to Facebook
Community Policing Helps Resolve Potentially Dangerous Situation in East Oakland
Melissa Colorado | NBC Bay Area, May 14, 2021
“Neighbors in East Oakland are getting praise for helping defuse a situation involving police and an armed man passed out in a car. […]
“When officers arrived, they discovered a weapon on the man’s lap, all of which could have been a recipe for a deadly confrontation. But a neighbor called someone else for help – the Anti Police Terror Project. […]
“Co-Founder Cat Brooks says the group reached out to the suspect’s mother, who rushed to the scene. ‘He’s surrounded by cops, he knows there’s a gun in his lap, he knows how this plays out,’ said Brooks.”
Cat Brooks, wearing a headband and a black sweatshirt, speaks with ABC7 News via video chat
SF mayor proposes street team to respond to wellness checks instead of police
Luz Pena | ABC7, May 10, 2021
"‘When somebody is in crisis the thing that matters the most is having someone that they believe authentically A. is listening and B. Understands them,’ said Cat Brooks, [APTP co-founder]
Brooks believes a phone number different from 911 along with community member responding to those calls should be the framework other cities use.
’We've been overwhelmed by the community's response [to MH First]. The phones ring when we are open and when we are closed. We are responding as quickly as we can.’”
Altar at vigil for Mario Gonzalez (Brooke Anderson)
Man’s Family Demands Answers From Alameda Police After He Dies In Custody
KPIX 5 CBS, April 21, 2021
“T’o get this news on the heels of the (Chauvin) trial and the murder of 15-year-old Mikiah Bryant, shows us once again that the institution of policing in this country cannot be reformed,’ said Cat Brooks of the Anti Police-Terror Project. ‘It’s time to end policing as we know it and it’s beyond time to hold people accountable who callously harm our communities.’”
George Floyd mural in Minneapolis
Was justice reached in Derek Chauvin verdict? Here's why some say 'not yet'
Julian Glover | ABC7, April 21, 2021
"‘There is a war that is waged on Black life every single day in this country and somewhere today in the United States of America the cops killed somebody else, we just don't know their name,‘ said Cat Brooks, executive director of the Justice Teams Network [and APTP co-founder].
She made the comment to ABC7 News Race and Culture Reporter Julian Glover in an interview just moments after the verdict was read in Minneapolis.
Brooks was right: the name this time is Ma'Kiah Bryant.”
A person holds a sign reading “Defund the Police” in a crowd of people (Yesica Prado/San Francisco Public Press)
Bloated Police Budgets Crowd Out Public Safety Alternatives, Activist Says
Laura Wenus | San Francisco Public Press, April 20, 2021
“Law enforcement budgets are like the weeds that choke out all other spending […] The garden of good ideas and great programming that exists in the city of Oakland is not allowed to grow and flourish under the cover of the weeds that is OPD spending.” – James Burch, APTP Policy Director
Cat Brooks, wearing red glasses and a white blouse, speaks to reporter via video chat
Community activists offer alternate solutions to restrictions at Lake Merritt
Candese Charles | KTVU Fox 2, April 11, 2021
"[APTP co-founder Cat] Brooks says there's a number of things that could've been done instead of putting restriction on the lake in effect.
She says the city could have invested in The Black Solidarity Market, doubled down on the community ambassadors program already in place in Chinatown, or even hire people to pick up the trash.
‘The city needs to make it clear that there is a zero tolerance for harassment,’ Brooks said.”
Activists who helped elect Birmingham mayor balk at police expansion plans
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg | The Appeal, March 30, 2021
“‘A social worker is not going to be able to intervene if a law enforcement officer decides he wants to escalate things,’ [Cat] Brooks, who is also a co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project, told The Appeal. ‘There are large swaths of Black and brown people who do not want the police involved ever.’”
A Black person wearing a grey sweater and jeans sits with their head in their hands (Pheelings Media via iStock)
A new hotline will dispatch volunteers instead of police for mental health crises
Carolyn Copeland | Prism, March 25, 2021
“MH First Oakland may be the first of its kind in the city, but the program had already been operating in Sacramento since January 2020. APTP believes in only calling police as an absolute last resort. So far in both Oakland and Sacramento, there has not been a single incident where volunteers felt police needed to intervene.
“‘We have to remember that people with mental health issues are more likely to be victims of violent crime than they are to commit it,” [Cat Brooks, APTP co-founder] said. “When people are in an elevated state of emotion, a badge and a gun escalates that. A cop is going to escalate the situation, [but] people who look like them and talk like them and are maybe from their own neighborhood [won’t].’”
Cat Brooks speaks to ABC7 News
Oakland launches civilian crisis response team to handle nonviolent mental health calls
Julian Glover | ABC7 News, March 18, 2021
“[APTP co-founder Cat] Brooks sees the creation of MACRO is a step towards fewer, dangerous interactions with police over mental health episodes.
’This is wrapping our arms around the folks in our community who are in the most need. That is going to have a ripple effect to what our neighborhoods look, what our communities, and what our families look like,’ said Brooks.”
Young people marching with fists raised (Brooke Anderson)
Creation Of Non-Police Mental Health Crisis Response Takes Step Forward
Keith Burbank | Bay City News via SF Gate, March 17, 2021
"‘On days like this we must remember Miles Hall, Angelo Quinto, Joshua Pawlik, and so many more who were murdered in the middle of a mental health crisis,’ said Cat Brooks, co-founder of the Anti Police Terror-Project, a Black-led, multi-racial, intergenerational coalition to eliminate police terror in communities of color.
‘This is not an Oakland problem, it's a national problem,’ Brooks added.
President of Oakland’s Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and a police officer speak to someone behind the counter in a shop. All three are wearing masks. (Stephen Lam/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images)
Asian American communities grapple with whether police are the right answer to recent attacks
Li Zhou | Vox, March 15, 2021
“‘You have the immediacy of the community ambassadors, of volunteer programs, you have the immediacy of people willing to volunteer and stand in front of stores and walk people across the street,’ says Cat Brooks, a co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project in Oakland. ‘I understand the fear, I really do. But what we are doing [with policing] ultimately isn’t working.’”
Oakland cops spend little time on violent crime
Tim Redmond | 48hills, March 10, 2021
“This new data clearly tells us that the vast majority of police time is spent on things we don’t need to pay cops to do,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder of the Anti Police Terror Project and the executive director of the Justice Teams Network. “To actually keep us safe, we must invest in community resources and supports like education, housing, mental health and trauma support and living wage jobs for BIPOC Oaklanders.”
People march and raise their fists at 2018’s Reclaim MLK event (Brooke Anderson)
Report: Only 4% of OPD Calls are for Violent Crime
Veronica Irwin | SF Weekly, March 10, 2021
“[A]ccording to a new report commissioned by the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) and performed by AH Datalytics, only 4.2 percent of calls to Oakland Police have to do with violent crime.”
The George Floyd mural outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis, MN (Laurie Shaull FLICKR)
How do Oakland Police spend their time? A new report analyzes 911 calls
KPFA, March 9, 2021
On this episode of UpFront, APTP’s Policy Director, James Burch, discusses the new report breaking down how the Oakland Police Department spends their time.
MH First billboard displaying the hotline number: 510-999-9MH1
Oakland Groups Work To Replace Police Responses To Mental Health Crises
Jenee Darden | KALW, March 8, 2021
"This iteration of the movement for there to be non law enforcement to mental health crisis started in 2016. The demand was redirect 50% of OPD budget & invest in 24/7 mental health crisis response."
Tall buildings overlook Lake Merritt in Oakland
Oakland moves to put fire department in charge of mental health response calls, not police
Annie Sciacca | Mercury News, March 3, 2021
“The intersection of mental health crisis, Blackness & law enforcement is too often a deadly cocktail for Black and Brown people going through a mental health crisis in Oakland” – Cat Brooks, APTP co-founder
One of the MH First billboards in Oakland. The billboard reads: “Non-police crisis response line: mental health, domestic violence, substance abuse / 510-999-9MH1” (@melissacolorado via Twitter)
Oakland Group Offers Non-Police Hotline for Mental Health or Substance Abuse Emergencies
Melissa Colorado | NBC Bay Area, February 17, 2021
“‘We have to stop having law enforcement being the answer to every social ill,” said Cat Brooks, cofounder of Anti Police-Terror Project. “Professional EMTS, professional RNS, doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists,’ […]
Brooks says this gives communities of color another option to get help, one that doesn’t involve an officer with a gun.
‘Often the combination of mental health crisis, being black or brown and law enforcement is a deadly cocktail for people in our community,’ said Brooks.”
Graphic which features art reading “#!P5 Drop the charges #SupportIndigenousResistance” and “We Stand on Unceded Land”
Local Activists Defend ‘Indigenous Peoples Day 5’
Veronica Irwin | SF Weekly, February 17, 2021
“James Burch of the National Lawyers Guild and Anti Police-Terror Project says this group of organizations has no intention of staying quiet. ‘We will continue this campaign until the charges are dropped,’ he said in a press release.”
People wearing face masks cross the street in San Francisco’s Chinatown (Justin Sullivan/Getty)
Oakland Mayor Blames Crime Wave Against Asians on Defunded Police; Black and Asian Activists Disagree
Katherine Fung | Newsweek, February 11, 2021
“The Anti Police-Terror Project, a Black-led coalition, also defended the two groups from the mayor's remarks, tweeting: "We won't let Mayor Libby Schaaf drive wedges between Oakland's Black and Asian communities to stop us from refunding our communities and investing in services that actually keep our neighborhoods safe.”