Open Letter to Mayor Dellums of Oakland, CA.

An Open Letter to Mayor Dellums of Oakland CA.
Today at 7:17pm
July 18, 2010

The Honorable Ronald V. Dellums
Mayor of Oakland California
1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
3rd Floor
Oakland, CA. 94612

Dear Mayor Dellums,

As a native born son of Oakland California I have witnessed over the decades the growth of my home town. Oakland CA. has always been the “West Coast’s” birth place for urban activism, social criticism and political struggle by African Americans. I watched, as a child in the 60’s, race riots and civil unrest break out in Oakland communities subject to policing by disproportionately white police department officers.

And now in 2009 and 2010 it continues. The “manslaughter” of Oscar Grant and the officer related death of 48-year-old Fred Collins show that the problems with the Oakland Police Department and the community have not gotten any better.

As the Chair of the San Francisco Mental Health Board I would like to invite you, the Alameda County Mental Health Board, BART police and the Oakland Police Department to begin talks on how to train Oakland Police Officers to use understanding and skills gained through specific training to identify and provide the most effective and compassionate response possible to police situations involving people in a mental health crisis.

The Oakland Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Training website says "What should you do if you have a family member/friend in crisis due to a mental illness or substance abuse issue? When calling 911, ask for a CIT trained officer and one will be dispatched if available.” I would like to challenge that each and every officer imperatively must be trained to respond to such imminent crisis as it arises.

The San Francisco Mental Health Board has trained law enforcement personnel to deal more effectively with the mentally ill. Many Oakland officers have taken the course and were overjoyed at the training and being able to utilize their new found knowledge in the field. The course provides training in recognizing signs and symptoms of mental illness, information about available community resources, and specific crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.

From the shooting death of Idriss Stelley, a 23-year old Black student who was killed at the San Francisco Sony Metreon Complex in San Francisco during a "5150" psychiatric intervention to Theresa Sheehan, a mentally ill senior who survived multiple shots by an SFPD officer, San Francisco has seen its own travails regarding placing officers untrained in “crisis intervention” into situations with people with mental illness that inevitably concludes with predictable, tragic and fully preventable consequences.

It is in light of our shared concerns regarding the safety of all residents here in the Bay Area that I you welcome to contact our offices here in San Francisco to begin talks on bringing all involved parties to the table to collaborate on how to institute trainings for Oakland Police Officers. Let’s do the right thing before the next death occurs at the hands of the OPD.

Sincerely,

James Keys
Chair of the San Francisco Mental Health Board

cc: Oakland City Council, BART Director, Alameda County Mental Health Board, Oakland Disability Commission, Oakland Police Dept.