Come and tell Berkeley City Council that you don't want cops with Tasers

Berkeley City Council will be considering a request that the "City Manager research and report back to the City Council regarding the history, potential benefits, impacts and possible unintended consequences of allowing Berkeley police to carry and use tasers."

We need to show up to this meeting and tell City Council that we DON'T want Berkeley PD to have tasers!

We're going to gather at 6:30pm outside Council Chambers 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and speak out during session at 7pm.

The top 10 reasons to say NO to Tasers:
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/04/21/18754610.php

1. Tasers are a “sometimes lethal” weapon. There have been at least 547 deaths related to the use of tasers by law enforcement since 2001, according to the human rights agency Amnesty International.

2. Police already have an alternative. They can use their pepper spray.

3. Cops can’t tell if there are underlying medical conditions.

4. Not a substitute for critical analysis of police strategies and training.

5. The city increases its liability exposure. TASER International knows that this is a lethal weapon.

6. Mentally ill people are 2-4 times more likely to be tasered. A study by the New York Civil Liberties Union found that 30% of the people tasered in New York were identified as being mentally ill.

7. People of color are more likely to be tasered. African Americans are only 13.6% of the total population, yet represent 45% of the 2009-2014 taser-related deaths in America.

8. We have a crisis of accountability for police.

9. The Berkeley Police Association has conducted a misleading, high profile campaign.

10. If someone dies from taser exposure, the DA won’t necessarily investigate because they only investigate firearms deaths.

These councilors will be making this decision:

District 1 Linda Maio (510) 981-7110
lmaio [at] cityofberkeley.info

District 2 Darryl Moore (510) 981-7120
dmoore [at] cityofberkeley.info

District 3 Max Anderson (510) 981-7130
manderson [at] cityofberkeley.info

District 4 Jesse Arreguin (510) 981-7140
jarreguin [at] cityofberkeley.info

District 5 Laurie Capitelli (510) 981-7150
lcapitelli [at] cityofberkeley.info

District 6 Susan Wengraf (510) 981-7160
swengraf [at] cityofberkeley.info

District 7 Kriss Worthington (510) 981-7170
kworthington [at] cityofberkeley.info

District 8 Gordon Wozniak (510) 981-7180
gwozniak@cityofberkeley