POLICE REFORM

Reduce OPD Funding and Invest in Community-Based Solutions

Currently, the police take up over half of our general fund budget. That money often goes to materials not necessary to maintain public safety. Even the OUSD Police Department (since disbanded) was found to be in possession of a tank. Despite this massive funding, most Oakland residents have little to no faith in the police. The common perception is that the police will show up hours after a call, especially if the incident is violent. For example, recently my home was hit by several stray bullets coming from a nearby altercation. Police came, searched for 5 minutes, didn't find the bullets themselves and left.

The City of Oakland, as all other cities, should cut the oversized police budget and use the savings to invest in community resources that will build safer neighborhoods. Specifically, I would:

  • Eliminate unlimited police overtime, and shift the source of OPD settlement payouts to a different source, such as police pensions.

  • Transition their traffic, events, and documentation work (e.g., insurance purposes) to other agencies.

  • Issue a moratorium on weapon-and-hardware purchases

  • Move toward reducing and removing positions on the force.

My campaign is looking into how much money these actions could save the city. My stepfather, David Muhammad, runs the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR), and I am working with him to build my own knowledge and generate a plan to reduce the police budget. 

We know that funding stronger and healthier communities is a way to proactively reduce violence of all kinds, as we’ve seen in the Freedom to Thrive report. Police funding should be allocated to a job corps, to city repairs, and to overall public health measures.We can also create a culture of accountability that isn’t rooted in violence. Several local organizations have already discussed with me the possibility of creating localized Restorative Justice Councils, in a similar vein--but with an entirely different feel--as local public safety/neighborhood watch councils, that bring together youth, elders, and people affected by violence to reduce harm.

Defunding the police and investing in communities is the progressive solution Oakland needs. As City Councilperson for District 5, I will prioritize this issue and push for widespread policing reforms.