Tell the City Council: Stop police terrorism!

Join JAB at the City Council Budget Hearing, 5:30 pm, Thursday, May 23 to demand better priorities.

Oakland Police Dept. Budget Dominates the City Budget, Leaving Little for Social Programs to Stop Violence and Increase Safety –

• The proposed budget advocates for 4 police academies over the next 2 years, increasing the number of officers and increasing OPD’s funds (which already monopolize 42% of the city’s budget) overall.

• The starting Salary for Police is $69,000 and $98,000. Most cops make well over $120,000 in salary.

• According to KTVU, The City of Oakland has paid out $57 million from 2001 to 2011 to victims of Oakland Police Abuse: the LARGEST amount of any city in California. They use our hard earned dollars to soak up the blood from their beatings and murders.

OPD is Racist and Unaccountable  –

           Even Ex-Police Commissioner, Federal Monitor Thomas Frazier Admits This:

• Federal monitor Thomas Frazier’s review of OPD’s use of force incidents found a racist pattern. To quote a May 1st report,  “The total racial breakdown for the 61 use  of force events reviewed is as follows: Black, 70%; Hispanic, 22%; White, 3%; Asian, 2%; and Other, 3%.”

• Thomas Frazier’s report continues: “We were unable to find the pointing of a firearm necessary or justified in 29 instances of the 158 instances we assessed, due to the absence of any indication that the officer(s) or others faced imminent threat of harm. In addition, several events lacked justification for the initial detention that led to the pointing of the firearms.”

• Frazier found that the cops who aren’t abusive cover for those who are, even when their abuses are unjustified: “And yet In all cases, the supervisory review found the officers’ use of force appropriate, objectively reasonable for a legitimate law enforcement purpose, and in compliance with OPD policy.”

• The East Bay express reports that Federal Monitor Frazier wants to reopen several cases where cops covered up their brutality, especially around serial killers such as Patrick Gonzalez. But since the rot goes so deep, why stop at Gonzalez?

Justice for Alan Blueford!

• We are a coalition fighting for justice for one of the many murdered people, 18 year old Skyline High school senior Alan Blueford. He was shot pleading for his life on the night of May 6th, 2012.

• Our demand is that the city fire and charge Officer Miguel Masso with the murder of Alan Blueford.

• Alan was racially-profiled;  there was no reason for him to be stopped, much like the other incidents in the Frazier report.

• Alan ran for two blocks and posed no threat to Officer Miguel Masso.

• According to the Oakland police’s OWN report, multiple witnesses said Alan’s last words were “I didn’t do anything”.

• Officer Miguel Masso shot himself in the foot and then claimed there was a gun battle where he was “shot in the chest.”

• Police Chief Howard Jordan said that Alan Blueford was taken to the hospital, but after checking with the hospital we learned this was a lie as well.

• Just like the Oakland Riders scandal where the police planted evidence, and just like in the case of Oscar Grant, the police have lied through their teeth, covered for each other and dragged their feet every step of the way. As Thomas Frazier says, “OPD’s internal affairs division is broken, supervisors cover for abusive and racist police, we need an independent investigation.”

Quan wants more academies for more police. But we don’t want to waste money training highly paid assassins and their silent accomplices. We say not a dollar more till they stop killing our children.