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Oakland Public Safety Committee Cool to Gang Injunction Proposal, 2/9/10: photos and audio
Oakland City Councilperson Larry Reid had requested that OPD and the City Attorney's office craft a proposal to implement gang injunctions in Oakland. At this City Council Public Safety Committee meeting, the proposal was presented to committee members Patricia Kernighan, Jean Quan, Larry Reid, and Nancy Nadel. Numerous community members spoke against bringing gang injunctions to Oakland, one spoke in favor. When it became apparent that committee members were cool to the idea, committee chairman Reid threw a little tantrum. In the end, the proposal, while neither approved nor fully rejected, was kicked down the road with a request for more information to be presented at a future Oakland City Council Public Safety Committee meeting. [full audio below]
(Pictured above, community members line up to speak against the gang injunction proposal.)
First an Oakland Police Department captain presented the proposal. Then a staffer from the City Attorney's office likewise advocated for gang injunctions. Community members almost unanimously railed against the proposal -- most especially for the increased racial profiling that would occur in a city were police already frequently target people for their race, the inherent unconstitutionality of declaring people guilty until proven innocent, and the likelihood of failure for the proposal's state goals. After public comment, the four City Council members on the committee debated the merits and feasibility of the proposal.
Patricia Kernighan said she was interested but wanted to see what new police chief Anthony Batts thought of the plan and how it might fit into the context of his announced plan to target "drugs, guns, and gangs."
Jean Quan expressed interest in injunctions in general, claiming to have filed several to run off troublesome youth near a shopping center in her district, but was not convinced that a formal gang injunction program was necessary in a city with relatively few gangs.
Nancy Nadel said that she would like to see how a gang injunction program might work with complimentary programs that offer incentives, education, training, and so forth for potential gang members.
Overall, it was noted by council members that with Oakland's serious city budget problems (having an $80 million deficit at one point last year), like the proposal or not, the city simply does not have an extra $300,000 to fund a new police program that even OPD admitted would have limited effect on crime in the city.
Larry Reid threw a temper tantrum and attempted to paint the situation in overly simplistic terms such that people either support gang injunctions or we just give every citizen a gun and let them all shoot it out.
To conclude this item on the committee's agenda, it was agreed that more information would be provided to the committee at a future meeting before anything on gang injunctions could possibly move forward.
previous related posts:
Town Hall on Anniversary Vigil, Mehserle Trial, and Gang Injunctions in Oakland, 1/9/10: audio
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/01/31/18636713.php
Oakland City Council Approves Civilianization of Citizen OPD Complaints, 7/7/09: audio
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/08/18606178.php
A Big Step Forward for Civilian Oversight of Police in Oakland, 6/23/09: photos & audio
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/24/18603786.php
Oakland Citizens' Police Review Board
http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/citizens/homepage.html
People United for a Better Life in Oakland (PUEBLO)
http://peopleunited.org
First an Oakland Police Department captain presented the proposal. Then a staffer from the City Attorney's office likewise advocated for gang injunctions. Community members almost unanimously railed against the proposal -- most especially for the increased racial profiling that would occur in a city were police already frequently target people for their race, the inherent unconstitutionality of declaring people guilty until proven innocent, and the likelihood of failure for the proposal's state goals. After public comment, the four City Council members on the committee debated the merits and feasibility of the proposal.
Patricia Kernighan said she was interested but wanted to see what new police chief Anthony Batts thought of the plan and how it might fit into the context of his announced plan to target "drugs, guns, and gangs."
Jean Quan expressed interest in injunctions in general, claiming to have filed several to run off troublesome youth near a shopping center in her district, but was not convinced that a formal gang injunction program was necessary in a city with relatively few gangs.
Nancy Nadel said that she would like to see how a gang injunction program might work with complimentary programs that offer incentives, education, training, and so forth for potential gang members.
Overall, it was noted by council members that with Oakland's serious city budget problems (having an $80 million deficit at one point last year), like the proposal or not, the city simply does not have an extra $300,000 to fund a new police program that even OPD admitted would have limited effect on crime in the city.
Larry Reid threw a temper tantrum and attempted to paint the situation in overly simplistic terms such that people either support gang injunctions or we just give every citizen a gun and let them all shoot it out.
To conclude this item on the committee's agenda, it was agreed that more information would be provided to the committee at a future meeting before anything on gang injunctions could possibly move forward.
previous related posts:
Town Hall on Anniversary Vigil, Mehserle Trial, and Gang Injunctions in Oakland, 1/9/10: audio
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/01/31/18636713.php
Oakland City Council Approves Civilianization of Citizen OPD Complaints, 7/7/09: audio
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/08/18606178.php
A Big Step Forward for Civilian Oversight of Police in Oakland, 6/23/09: photos & audio
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/24/18603786.php
Oakland Citizens' Police Review Board
http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/citizens/homepage.html
People United for a Better Life in Oakland (PUEBLO)
http://peopleunited.org
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