Oakland lays groundwork to liberate city from excessive police spending
By Nikki Fortunato Bas, Cat Brooks, and Jackie Byers
Originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, July 31, 2020
From our homes to our jobs to our classrooms to the streets, the people are demanding liberation.
Liberation from fear that our Black, indigenous and loved ones of color won’t make it home safely or see another day. Liberation from violence inflicted by law enforcement, from our institutions, from our neighbors living in the unconsciousness of anti-Blackness and the white nationalism fueled by President Trump. Liberation so that our communities exist in a world where Black lives more than matter. Where Black people are seen, loved and listened to without erasure.
This collective liberation is a long, hard-fought, ongoing dream that we’re now starting to realize, thanks to the sea of voices and righteous anger of thousands of people, from Oakland and beyond, that is washing over our entrenched institutions and saying “enough is enough, defund, reallocate, reimagine and dream.”
How do we know we’re making progress? This week the Oakland City Council unanimously approved the creation of a task force with the goal of redirecting 50% of Oakland Police Department’s resources to fund city services and programs that address the root causes of violence and crime.
In other words, our elected officials committed to working toward moving $150 million of OPD’s $330 million allocation to mental health services; youth programs; safe, affordable and stable housing; homeless solutions; and high quality job opportunities in the next city budget cycle. The task force structure centers families who’ve experienced police violence, youth, formerly incarcerated individuals, immigrants and other marginalized individuals.
This monumental achievement was hard-earned through the people’s passion and participation. Hundreds of public comments during every City Council and Police Commission meeting since the murder of George Floyd have overwhelmingly and forcefully demanded that the City of Oakland reevaluate its public safety priorities and reallocate its precious resources toward the root causes of violence, and toward a more just and equitable city.
Long before the recent swell in consciousness for Black Lives, community organizers in Oakland — Black women in particular — laid the groundwork for the change we’re now seeing.
Ten years ago, the Black Organizing Project began working to achieve Oakland Unified School District’s recent decision to eliminate school police and has been a national influence on the movement toward police-free schools. Five years ago, the Anti Police-Terror Project began its campaign to divest from Oakland police and reinvest in our community.
With thousands of people tapping in — marching and caravaning beside us, writing letters, making calls, bringing artistic, spiritual and relational gifts, and above all, staying consistent — together we’re proving that Oakland can live up to its legacy of inspiring movements for mass liberation.
In Oakland, we can achieve true community safety and healing; cultivate relationships of care, trust, prevention and wellness, rather than enforcement and punishment. Oakland is rich in community leaders who’ve built and led movements throughout our history. The people of Oakland are showing how to secure and expand space at the table and in decisions, even when it seems we were never meant to be invited.
The people are demanding systemic change and evolving the status quo. We are in the midst of it in Oakland. And as we move forward together — even with many challenges ahead — we are reassured by another Oakland leader, Assata Shakur: “We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Nikki Fortunato Bas represents District 2 (Eastlake, Grand Lake, San Antonio, Chinatown) on the Oakland City Council; Cat Brooks is co-founder of Anti Police Terror Project; Jackie Byers is executive director of Black Organizing Project.