{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 1, "text": "MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL\nWEDNESDAY- - -JUNE 17, 2020- 5:30 P.M.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft convened the meeting at 5:33 p.m. and led the Pledge of\nAllegiance.\nROLL CALL -\nPresent:\nCouncilmember Daysog, Knox White, Oddie, Vella\nand Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft - 5. [The meeting was\nconducted via Zoom.]\nAbsent:\nNone.\nORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA\nNone.\nAGENDA ITEM\n(20-437) Recommendation that the City Council: (A) Authorize the Mayor to Sign-On to\nFormer President Obama's Pledge to Introduce Common-Sense Limits on Police Use of\nForce; (B) Authorize the City Manager, in Partnership with the Chief of Police, to\nEvaluate and Update Alameda Police Department Policies Related to the \"8 Can't Wait\"\nInitiative.\nThe Assistant City Manager gave a brief presentation.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated Council is not restrained to the two recommendations;\nCouncil has the option to direct staff to approach the topic differently; inquired whether\nCouncil should waive the nine minute speaking limit.\n***\n(20-438) Councilmember Oddie moved approval of suspending the nine minute Council\nspeaking time limit.\nVice Mayor Knox White seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call\nvote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nVice Mayor Knox White inquired the difference between areas which have a specific\npolicy and others which have procedures or training requirements.\nThe Assistant City Manager responded the policy is the over-arching sentiment and\nobjective for the action being carried out and the procedure is more specific to how the\naction is performed; stated staff can potentially be held to both the policy and\nprocedure.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n1\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 2, "text": "The Police Chief stated discipline is the likely outcome to policy violations via internal\ninvestigations; procedures indicate how the policy is followed and minor violations are\ntypically not disciplined outside of counselling sessions.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft requested clarification of a procedural violation.\nThe Police Chief stated a radio protocol or a traffic stop which does not follow the\nstandard procedure are procedural violations; noted traffic stop locations must be\nbroadcast for tracking purposes.\nIn response to Councilmember Oddie's inquiry regarding omitting community input, the\nAssistant City Manager stated the Mayor's Pledge includes all four steps and any steps\nor community involvement was not meant to be left out.\nCouncilmember Oddie expressed support for clarity on the Council's position on the\neight uses.\nThe Police Chief stated that he has not looked at the Campaign Zero website; noted\nCampaign Zero and \"8 Can't Wait\" are linked and have the eight policies in common;\nstated both sites have alignment on two of the eight policies; Alameda is in alignment\nwith as many as six of the policies; however, semantics or terminology could explain the\ndiscrepancies; there are a couple of policies not in alignment for Alameda.\nCouncilmember Oddie stated it should be noted the City has already banned\nchokeholds.\nThe Police Chief stated there is a submission page for \"8 Can't Wait\" for a review of\npolicies; noted a submission has been made by staff, but response is likely delayed.\nIn response to Councilmember Oddie's inquiry, the Police Chief stated the Department\nhas not had an Officer-involved shooting since 2005; verbal is not considered a use of\nforce nor is a control-hold such as putting on handcuffs; a punch, kick or use of a body\npart is considered a use of force as well as the use of pepper spray, tasers, firearms,\ncanines, the carotid restraint, and any result of pain or alleged use of force.\nCouncilmember Oddie inquired whether the ban on shooting at a moving vehicle is\nbinary or pass/fail.\nThe Police Chief responded there is no outright ban on shooting at a vehicle; there are\nlimited circumstances when it is permitted; stated the City of San Francisco has a\ncomplete ban on shooting at vehicles; Alameda could strengthen the exceptions should\nit be kept in the policy; if the exceptions are taken out, the Alameda Police Department\n(APD) would be in compliance with Campaign Zero and \"8 Can't Wait\" policies; part of\nthe discussion for Council is to determine which policy to keep.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n2\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 3, "text": "Councilmember Vella inquired who will be conducting review, to which the Assistant\nCity Manager responded who will complete the work has not been indicated; noted the\nanswer will be made by the end of the meeting.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired whether Council is being requested to provide instruction\nbased on how the review will be performed and by whom.\nThe Assistant City Manager responded in the affirmative; stated staff will take direction\nand ensure the direction fits will all other tasks to be completed.\nCouncilmember Vella stated the agenda for the meeting caused confusion; noted the\nscope of Council conversation was not made clear; inquired the topics being discussed;\nstated the Pledge involves many aspects and causes difficulty in understanding\ndiscussion parameters.\nThe Chief Assistant City Attorney stated the agenda title provides Council a great deal\nof discretion in what can be discussed; the issues are wide-ranging and can be\ndiscussed; the second portion of the City Manager working on policy with the Police\nChief allows for a broad topic discussion and discretion.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired whether the Department has made its own policy\nchanges and the difference in effects between Council banning something versus a\nchange in policy.\nThe Police Chief responded the Department subscribes to a policy manual called\nLexipol; stated Lexipol produces policies based on federal and State law and best\npractices; noted policy updates are due to changes in State or federal law or changes to\nbest practices; stated Lexipol provides notification of changes; any changes to best\npractices are able to be somewhat customized; the majority of updates are due to State\nand federal law updates; initial reviews to updates are performed by staff and a decision\nis made to update, leave as-is or modify for best practices; when an update is complete,\nthe update is put out to Officers via e-mail for review and acknowledgement.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired the difference between an inter-department policy versus\nCouncil declaring a policy.\nThe City Manager responded some policies have been at a Department level and are\nnow being looked at from a community and Council level; noted Lexipol provides State\nand federal level laws; stated staff is recommending Council discuss policies about what\nthe Police Department should look like and the services to be provided by the Police\nDepartment; there will be a lot of Council input into the policies.\nIn response to Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft's inquiry, the City Manager stated some of the\nissues as far as use of force and other policies and procedures being implemented are\nthe focus.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n3\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 4, "text": "The Chief Assistant City Attorney stated some items are being dictated by law and are\nnot recommended to be eliminated; staff is looking to Council and the community for\ndirection on best practices.\nDiscussed his experience as a business owner in Alameda; expressed concern about\nfalse reports and lack of response; stated transparency and accountability is needed;\nstated keeping body cameras on at all times allows public visibility which exists in other\nforms of government: Ben Calica, Alameda.\nDiscussed a previous Town Hall led by Vice Mayor Knox White; stated the \"8 Can't\nWait\" program promises a 72% reduction in deaths caused by Police which is not good\nenough; reducing Police roles and redirecting resources will bring community safety;\ninquired the Council vision to bring the program to 100% reduction: Amanda Cooper,\nAlameda.\nInquired the responsibility of the Alameda Police Chief in communicating Lexipol State\nand federal policy changes to the Council and the community; noted APD policies were\nchanged without public input, knowledge, or Council approval; expressed support for\ndiscussing the \"and\" process versus \"either or;\" urged Council to think about switching\nto \"and\": Shalom Bruhn, Alameda.\nInquired about policy changes related to Lexipol; expressed support for automatic State\nand federal updates; inquired the accountability of the Police Chief related to\ncommunicating changes and updates to Council and the community and where the\ncommunity can review policy changes: Amos White, Alameda.\nDiscussed review and oversight about the recent incident with Mr. Watkins; urged\nCouncil to not use the Attorney General (AG) for the process; stated the AG office\ndefends criminal judgements and is part of mass incarcerations; urged Council to look\nfor a civilian body or Police Oversight Commission to review current events and policies:\nJono Soglin, Alameda.\nStated \"8 Can't Wait\" is not enough; noted many cities which have implemented \"8 Can't\nWait\" still have experienced killings; Police are protected over people; the City is\nspending $37.5 million on a Police system that is not necessary; there is a stark\ncontrast between the East and West End of Alameda; urged Council to invest in caring\nfor the homeless and training trauma informed social workers to respond to non-criminal\nactivity and to stop the school-to-prison function; stated Police should be taken out of\npublic schools: Alexia Arocha, Alameda.\nStated that he has not heard a discussion about a citizen oversight committee which\ndoes not go through the Police Department; discussed experiences with the Police\nDepartment: Jeff Roper, Alameda.\nExpressed support for the process; stated there is a desire for a collaborative process\nand a plan that would consider the needs of the community in collaboration with the\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n4\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 5, "text": "Police Department: Katherine Schwartz, Alameda Family Services.\nExpressed support for Police Officers; expressed concern about a poor record of\ncommunicating what is being done by the Police Department; stated recommendations\nshould be provided by people other than within the Police Department to retain the\nabsence of bias: Jay Garfinkle, Alameda.\nStated defunding the Police means refocusing the City in a way that is beneficial to both\nthe community and the Police Department; outlined salaries in the Police Department;\nurged Council to re-focus how business is conducted; discussed experiences with APD:\nEvan Schwartz, Alameda.\nDiscussed the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative and racism on the Island; expressed support for\ndefunding the Police Department; stated the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative does not go far\nenough; passing measures will do nothing to prevent Police killings and violence;\noutlined the effects of banning the use of chokeholds and a duty to intervene; urged\nCouncil to move forward with the \"8 to Abolition\" initiative: Riley Brann, Alameda.\nUrged Council to consider dealing with racial bias, accountability and consequences for\npolicy violations; expressed support for funding being dispersed from Police to\ncommunity resources, social work and mental health; urged Council consider alternative\nsolutions for Police patrolling: Jyosna Jaslow, Encinal High School.\nExpressed support for the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative; stated the initiative is a nice gesture\nor symbolic statement; the policies may not help incidents from happening again; \"8\nCan't Wait\" focuses on use of force; urged Council to think more broadly about how to\nprevent incidents from happening again and reconsider sending Police out on mental\nwelfare checks; stated residents of Alameda should be discouraged from making such\ncalls: Theresa Rife, Alameda.\nStated the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative is an over-simplified solution that does not address\nsystemic causes, and excludes community demands and input from Black and Brown\nimpacted people; expressed support for \"8 to Abolition,\" release of the names of\nOfficers involved in the incident with Mr. Watkins, placing the Officers on Administrative\nLeave pending investigation, defunding the Police, investing in community-based\nalternatives to 9-1-1, and establishing a civilian-led Police oversight committee made up\nof majority impacted community members: Debra Mendoza, Alameda.\nDiscussed an incident from 2008; inquired whether the Officer has ever been\ndisciplined; expressed support for understating the role of the Police union in defending\nOfficers who have committed abuses: Deborah Lafferty, Alameda.\nExpressed concern about needed services being cut immediately without having\nanother system in place to support business districts; stated business districts are the\nheart of the City; business districts count on the Police Department and Council; this is\na difficult time for everyone; social services are needed; urged Council to put services\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n5\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 6, "text": "back in place until another system can be put in place: Sandy Russell, West Alameda\nBusiness Association.\nExpressed support for the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative; urged an increase in accountability\nfor the Police; discussed the actions caught on camera May 23rd; stated the actions are\nunacceptable; the Officers involved must be fired immediately; expressed concern\nabout the Officers still being employed; urged Council to divert funding away from the\nPolice into social services; expressed concern for ease of changes to Police policy: Jeff\nLewis, Alameda.\nRead a statement of resolution from the Alameda Justice Alliance (AJA); urged Council\nto seek to ensure all people are welcome and respected regardless of race in the City of\nAlameda and for Council and the City Manager to release the Police Chief from duties:\nJeanne Nader, AJA.\nDiscussed experiences as an Alameda resident and with APD; stated Alameda has a\nreputation of racial profiling and assault; urged Council to terminate the Police Chief;\nexpressed support for citizen oversight, reducing and reallocating the APD budget,\ndemilitarization of the Police, a data driven and independent review process and a Chief\nMedical Officer role; stated a focus on changing systems is needed: Seth Marbin,\nAlameda.\nDiscussed her experience as an educator; urged Council to develop plans to prevent\ncrimes and plans for de-escalation; noted no crime occurred related to the incident on\nMay 23rd; stated review after incidents occur is needed to ensure results improve;\nexpressed support for streets being physically and emotionally safe: Michele Pryor,\nAlameda.\nStated the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative does not go far enough but is a good first step; APD's\nuse of force is limited and is a small part of the problem; urged Council to look at bias\nand the role of Police in the community; stated there is a disproportionate number of\npeople of color experiencing arrests, traffic stops, and use of force: Michele Elson,\nAlameda.\nStated there is importance in the relationships the Police have with the community\nmembers; discussed crisis management; noted relationships are the important part of\nthose that are a danger to themselves or others; stated Police Officers are able to walk\naway after incidents such as May 23rd with no follow up; there is a lack of trust in\ntransparency, policies and procedures: Heather Little, Alameda.\nDiscussed experiences as a resident and parent; expressed concern about the use of\nLexipol; expressed support for creating a community oversight committee; stated the\ncommittee should review policies and be made up of community-impacted people:\nGrover Wehman-Brown, Alameda.\nStated the Police can cause a lot of problems and violence and the Police can prevent a\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n6\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 7, "text": "lot of problems and violence; expressed concern about the items being prevented being\ninvisible and not considered; urged Council to consider the possibility and move forward\nwith precision rather than large sweeping changes: Breann Sengstock, Alameda.\nDiscussed a school shooting and Police in schools; urged Council to fire and rehire\nOfficers with strict training; stated defunding Police does not mean abolishing; urged\nCouncil to sell the vehicles the Police have, lay off over half of the APD Officers, and\nprovide the remaining Officers bicycles: Geronimo Coffin, Lincoln Middle School.\nExpressed support for local advocates; urged Council to defund the Police Department\nand provide prevention interventions for traffic safety; stated enforcement has never\nbeen a priority for her organization and is not an effective way to improve safety in the\ncommunity; expressed support for systemic safety; stated policing is violent and unsafe\nand should be less present in the community: Susie Hufstader, Alameda.\nStated that she did not know Alameda had an armored vehicle; expressed support for\nremoving all military-style equipment; expressed concern about the possible use of tear\ngas; stated Alamedans are not enemy combatants; stated the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative\npolicies are not enough: E Patterson, Alameda.\nExpressed support for removing Police from Alameda schools, armored vehicles, semi-\nautomatic weapons, ride shields and tear gas; urged Council to follow San Francisco's\nlead of sending social service and non-Police to non-violent calls, to remove the ability\nfor weaponization; expressed support for disciplinary histories not being purged to allow\nfor transparent records: Steve Burt, Alameda.\nDiscussed the circumstances when use of force is permitted; stated use of force\nsituations involve the issue of compliance; there is room for discussion for improving the\nway the Police Department works; noted that he has never witnessed an APD Officer do\nanything immoral, illegal or based off a protected class status: Jason Horvath, APD\nOfficer.\nStated adopting a campaign does not help; discussed experience with APD and as a\nresident of Alameda; stated Officers have too much power being used and abused;\noutlined comments from neighbors about the incident on May 23rd; expressed support\nfor the removal of the Police Chief: Melody Montgomery, Alameda.\nStated Alameda has a long history of racism; outlined a death in Alameda leading to\nprofiling of Asian-American youths; discussed experiences with APD; stated \"8 Can't\nWait\" is not enough; expressed support for defunding the Police and investing in public\nand acceptable housing: Lean Deleon, Alameda.\nDiscussed a recent Town Hall meeting, experience working with Councilmember\nDaysog and experiences as a Richmond resident; stated the Police interacted with the\ncommunity: Cindy Acker, Alameda.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n7\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 8, "text": "Discussed an incident from 2008; stated an Officer from the incident is employed with\nAPD as a Captain: Sam Kevy, Alameda.\nStated \"8 Can't Wait\" does not go far enough and is a band aid for an issue that does\nnot hold people accountable; expressed support for a 60 to 80% cut to the Police\nbudget; expressed concern about the response from the Police Chief; expressed\nsupport for the removal of the Police Chief; inquired the reason for APD to have an\narmored vehicle: Janice Anderson, Alameda.\nUrged Council to consider the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative as the bare minimum to be done\nas a start to a goal in rethinking community policing and to call for the dismissal of the\nPolice Chief; stated APD needs a new direction, philosophy and new leadership: Ezra\nDenney, Alameda.\nDiscussed experiences working in dispatch; stated there is a difference between wants\nand needs; noted the armored vehicle assisted the City of Oakland with riots; stated\ncalls received are racially fueled; stated more education is needed: Keisha Brooks, APD\nDispatcher.\nExpressed support for Alamedans and people of color having a voice and for a citizen's\noversight commission; stated the commission would allow for citizen review of the APD\nbudget, training process, and policies to ensure a safer environment for everyone; a\nChief Public Health Official should be in charge of the commission; urged Council to\nfocus on demilitarization and reduction of the APD budget: Anisya Lustig-Ellison,\nAlameda.\nStated Alameda is one of the most segregated communities in the Bay Area; the\ncontracts with APD are at the expense of the community; noted Alameda Unified School\nDistrict (AUSD) employees have been paid the lowest in the County for decades; the\nmoney contracted with APD would be more useful directed towards counselling, after-\nschool programs, restorative justice programs, and technology for students; Officers in\nschools perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline: James Burgquist, Alameda.\nStated \"8 Can't Wait\" is not a good idea and not enough; expressed support for \"8 to\nAbolition\" as an alternative; urged Council to inquire what Police are for; stated public\nsafety should be defined; reforms are changes to a system that does not work and\nlegitimize a harmful and broken system; reforms waste money: Savannah Cheer,\nAlameda.\nStated \"8 Can't Wait\" does not have solid research with a well measured outcome;\noutlined the research included in \"8 Can't Wait;\" discussed Officer shootings in Chicago\nand Minneapolis; urged Council not to focus on incremental reform; expressed support\nfor fundamental change through defunding Police and reallocating funds into social\nservices; urged Council to follow San Francisco's model: Luis Booth, Alameda.\nThe following comments were read into the record:\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n8\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 9, "text": "Stated reforms are not strong enough incentive to end Police brutality; noted new rules\nwithout increased accountability are only guidelines; stated with no long-term\nconsequences, there is little trust that the behavior or culture will improve; urged Council\nnot to stop and consider taking on larger, more difficult approaches: Maggie Jacobs,\nAlameda.\nExpressed support for Alameda continuing down a path of change and reform;\nexpressed support for changes to Police training, \"8 Can't Wait,\" additional changes tied\nto use of City funds for alternate support services, and supportive services being led by\na Chief Preventive Medicine Officer: Karya Lustig, Alameda.\nUrged Council to release the names and identities of the Officers involved in the arrest\nof Mr. Watkins; inquired the reason de-escalation was needed for the interaction with\nMr. Watkins: Anonymous text message.\nUrged Council to visit stoabolition.com, to listen to the Black Lives Matter movement, to\ndefund the Police, demilitarize communities, to remove Police from schools, free people\nfrom jails and prisons, to repeal laws that criminalize survival, to invest in community\nself-governance, to provide safe housing for all and to invest in care not cops:\nAnonymous text message.\nStated the \"8 Can't Wait\" policy does not address Police brutality as a systemic\nproblem; urged Council to defund APD and reinvest in community-based alternatives;\nstated investment in public safety means a commitment to uprooting the Police; noted\nthe goal is to decrease contact between Police and community members: Anonymous\ntext message.\nUrged Council to adopt the \"8 to Abolition\" initiative, to defund the Police, to demilitarize\ncommunities, to remove Police from schools, to free people from prisons and jails, to\nrepeal laws that criminalize survival, to invest in community self-governance, to provide\nsafe housing and to invest in care not cops: Emma Freeman, Alameda.\nStated the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative is insufficient; urged Council to look at \"8 to Abolition;\"\nstated reforms have been tried and failed and do not reflect the needs of criminalized\ncommunities: Lily Kotansky, Alameda.\nExpressed support for common sense limits on use of force and \"8 Can't Wait;\" stated\nmore must be done; urged Council to listen to the needs and concerns of Black and\nBrown community members and reform Police; expressed support for a Citizen\nOversight Commission, reducing and reallocating the APD budget, a data driven review\nprocess, a Chief Medical Officer, and establishing a vetting process: Jillian Blanchard,\nAlameda.\nStated the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative only addresses use of force policies; expressed\nsupport for Campaign Zero; outlined Campaign Zero recommendations; urged Council\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n9\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 10, "text": "to establish resources to address broader issues: April Madison-Ramsey, Alameda.\nDiscussed experiences as an African-American living in Alameda; questioned when the\nhatred will end; expressed support for staff recommendations and offered additional\nsuggestions: Karen Bey, Alameda.\nExpressed support for the \"8 to Abolition\" initiative; stated the \"8 Can't Wait\" policies are\nperformative recognition of existing policies and have failed; urged Council support the\n\"8 to Abolition\" steps: Andrew Acosta, Alameda.\nUrged Council to reject the \"8 Can't Wait\" proposal in favor of defunding and abolishing\nAPD; expressed support for funds being reinvested into Alameda's Black residents and\ncommunity care programs; stated reforms only reinforce an obsession with policing and\nincremental reforms are not working: Janet Chen, Alameda.\nInquired the process to initiate discussion about creating a program similar to Crisis\nAssistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS): Rob Dekker, Alameda.\nInquired the realistic, legal and fair time-frame to reduce the number of Police Officers in\norder to redirect funds to other programs; stated proper notice is important: Amy Little,\nAlameda.\nUrged Council to make a commitment to the immediate formation of a Police Oversight\nCommittee comprised of diverse community members, to make a commitment to anti-\nbias training for all Police Officers, to remove Police Officers from public schools, and to\naddress the timeline for adopting Campaign Zero and \"8 Can't Wait\" policies: Celina\nKamler, Alameda.\nStated the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative is good, but not enough; the solution is to defund the\nPolice; discussed the two current emergencies: COVID-19 and systemic racism; urged\nCouncil to cut the Police budget and allocate the funds to social service and community\nbased programs: Jade Aganus, Alameda.\nStated organizations have highlighted the problems and inadequacies with the \"8 Can't\nWait\" initiative; inquired how Council will take steps to redirect funding from APD, how\nthe Officers involved in the arrest of Mr. Watkins are being disciplined, and how Police\nOfficers will be retrained in the use of force policy: Emily Klein, Alameda.\nStated that it is absurd the Police have not made a statement or apologized to Mr.\nWatkins; the community deserves and needs better; reform and cuts to the APD budget\nare needed: Rachel Wellman, Alameda.\nDiscussed an event near Alameda High School; stated that she wished there had been\na\nseparate unit of skilled social workers available to call and ensure no violent action\nwould be taken by the Police: Julie Pruitt, Alameda.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n10\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 11, "text": "Stated the issue is complicated and deserves both sides to weigh-in; inquired the\napplication and recruitment process for APD; urged APD Officers to realize that Black\ncitizens in the community want to ensure they go home safely: Laura Fries, Alameda.\nStated many citizens in Alameda overuse and abuse 9-1-1, nonemergency and Police\nservices; discussed experience as an APD Dispatcher and the arrest of Mr. Watkins;\nurged Council to hold constituents accountable: Whitney Moon, APD Dispatcher.\nDiscussed experience as a native Alamedan being known to APD; stated stronger\ncommunity support would make a difference; urged Council to utilize funding to engage,\nenhance, enlighten and educate versus criminalizing the community: Lytia Zazzeron,\nAlameda.\nStated there are too many options without facts; outlined mass shootings and the need\nfor an armored vehicle; noted AUSD does not fall under the City budget; encouraged an\nunderstanding of and education on how APD policies are implemented; stated APD is\nno longer in schools: Michaelia Parker, APD Crime Technician.\nStated community education is critical; community members demand service; citizens\nneed to be re-educated as a collaborative effort: Anonymous text message.\nExpressed support for financially disinvesting from Police and using the money to\nimplement policies which help residents; stated residents have been harassed by APD;\nurged Council put funding into education, public health, and financial assistance for\nhomeless and unemployed residents: Carlos Williams-Moreiras, Alameda.\nExpressed support for the Police Chief remaining employed; stated defunding or\nabolishing the Police will not make the community safer: Desiree' Abbott, Alameda.\nDiscussed experience with APD as part of a mental health call; noted the presence of\narmed Police Officers did not help; stated mental health calls and other non-violent calls\nwould be better suited for someone with extensive mental health or counselling training;\nurged Council consider language interpretation issues: Michelle Tran, Alameda.\nExpressed support for the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative as a short term step in the\ndevelopment of a process to thoroughly overhaul and reduce policing in Alameda, for an\naudit of the Police budget, for a community based alternative to 9-1-1 for non-criminal\nactivity, and for a Citizen Oversight Commission: Danielle Meiler, Alameda.\nDiscussed the racial bias in Alameda: Lilli Keinaenen, Alameda.\nStated Officers should educate themselves; provided anti-racist readings for Officers:\nNicola Kim, Alameda.\nInquired the method of documentation for all discussed ideas: Cleo Kirkland, Alameda.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n11\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 12, "text": "Discussed the Council meeting on June 16th; inquired whether Council will listen to\nAlameda residents; urged Council to change tack to follow the \"8 to Abolition\"\nguidelines, to refuse negotiations with Police unions and to do better: Erin Fraser,\nAlameda.\nStated the meeting should be fully accessible; expressed support for a City Instagram\npage being a priority; noted \"8 Can't Wait\" is ill-researched and has not proven to be\neffective; urged Council to take bigger steps and learn from San Francisco, Minneapolis\nand other cities that have committed to divestment: Amy Chu, Alameda.\nStated Police violence is a public health problem and should be addressed on a\nsystemic level; expressed support for defunding the Police, redirecting funds to mental\nhealth, health and child care, and preventative programs and a diverse Citizens\nOversight Commission: Jyothi Marbin, Alameda.\nCouncilmember Vella requested clarification of actions taken at the June 16th Council\nmeeting.\nCouncilmember Oddie expressed support for the City Manager providing clarification.\nThe City Manager stated a special Council meeting will be called before June 30th to\ncontinue discussions.\nThe City Clerk stated the special Council meeting has been scheduled for Monday,\nJune 29th at 5:30 p.m.\nThe City Manager stated Council will hold special meetings as needed and work\nthrough the August break to facilitate the process for transforming how the City provides\ncommunity services, responses, and law enforcement; staff will return to Council with a\nproposal for changing any response protocols for Alameda Police, including any\nchanges that have been announced this month or the previous months of 2020; all\npolicing policy changes will be brought to Council for approval before implementation;\ninstances of change to State and federal law or Courts ruling of required changes, can\nbe brought to the next Council meeting for ratification; the 2020-2021 budget has been\npassed with the following conditions: hold current vacancies in APD until the October\n2020 budget meeting, grant the City Manager authority to shift funds as needed through\nOctober 2020, with continued public reporting to cover any changes to service; begin a\nprocess to sell the ballistic armored tactical transport response vehicle and return to\nCouncil with policies which outline collaboration with regional partners for the rare\noccasion such a vehicle would be needed in an effort to demilitarize APD; funds\nallocated to APD may not be used to purchase, procure or maintain military grade\nequipment such as teargas or armored vehicles; noted Councilmembers supported\nremoval of City Police staff from the Student Resource Officer (SRO) program for\nAlameda schools per an agreement made with AUSD.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n12\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 13, "text": "***\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft called a recess to the meeting at 8:23 p.m. and reconvened the\nmeeting at 8:40 p.m.\n***\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated people need to talk to each other and listen; there have\nbeen recent moving demonstrations; outlined emotional comments related to racial\nprejudice and a conversation with the President of the Alameda Police Officer's\nAssociation; expressed support for convening a facilitated forum for Police Officers to\nhear experiences; stated that she has requested Robbie Williams help in finding youth\nleaders; noted Regina Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of the East Oakland Youth\nDevelopment Center and President of the Oakland Police Commission and Reverend\nJaqueline Thompson, Senior Pastor, Allen Temple Baptist Church, Oakland helped\nfacilitate the forum; stated the Police Chief and three Officers attended the forum; stated\nyouth members want to be involved and share views; outlined the forum proceedings\nand youth experiences with Police Officers; stated recurring themes of the forum were\nrelated to knowing the community; the concept of community policing is not just being\npresent while in uniform; expressed support for a Police Athletic League; stated youth\nleaders provided suggestions involving psychological evaluations for Police Officers,\nideas of power, attitude and disdain; Councilmembers remain fair in protecting all\nmembers of the community; there is a need for mental health screenings during the\ncourse of a career, not just initially; APD should offer courses on civil rights and race\nrelations; Officers should show up not just in bad times, but in good times as well;\npeople need to act with intentionality; it is important for Police to know the history of\nrace relations in the community where employed; Police need more training and mental\nhealth resources; a lot is asked of Officers and some tasks would be better suited by\nothers; expressed support for looking into the CAHOOTS program and for implicit bias\ntraining; stated people are afraid of being in the presence of Officers; everyone\nexperiences facts in different ways; Officers and Councilmembers will always be judged\nby the worst actions of their peers; outlined comments about the Police Chief from both\nMs. Jackson and Ms. Thompson; stated the onus is on Officers to change their behavior\nand change the perception of Police; none of the Officers encountering Mr. Watkins\nknew who he was; expressed support for a Youth Advisory Group; stated that she\nbelieves in the concept of restorative justice; stated the Officers involved in the arrest of\nMr. Watkins are willing to sit down in a facilitated setting with Mr. Watkins to understand\nthe experience; fundamental fairness to everyone is needed.\nCouncilmember Vella stated that she received positive feedback from the forum; noted\nclarifications are needed for the benefit of the public; stated Councilmembers are\nsincerely listening to the community; all Councilmembers interact differently; these are\ndifficult conversations; the City has set up a larger set of conversations.\nCouncilmember Vella moved approval of Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft signing onto the Mayor's\nPledge by former President Barak Obama with the caveat of the Pledge being less than\nCouncil has stated will be completed;\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n13\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 14, "text": "review of Police policies is being conducted; upcoming meetings will allow for engaging\nthe community by including diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in reviews;\na report of the findings of the review to the community in seeking feedback needs to be\ndone on a parallel track; reforming the Police use of force policies is also needed;\nreview of the policies will not be a totality of the change desired; five areas have been\nidentified as big picture areas for Council to review: 1) unbundling and reimagining\npolicing, 2) racism; racism extends well beyond the Police Department and should be\nlooked at as part of hiring and Dispatch practices; conversations of anti-racism must be\nheld, 3) policing policy review; the review includes demilitarization and use of force;\nnoted a process for community feedback is needed, 4) oversight and accountability;\nquestioned whether the oversight should be short-term, use an ad-hoc committee, and\nwho serves on the oversight and accountability capacity, 5) reviewing the laws which\ncriminalize survival; stated Council needs to properly prioritize enforcement; expressed\nsupport for the San Francisco model.\nCouncilmember Vella also moved approval of adopting the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative.\nCouncilmember Vella stated many calls have noted there is support for \"8 to Abolish\"\nversus \"8 Can't Wait\" which is not enough; concurred the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative is not\nenough; stated the initiative is part of a larger framework in the use of force discussion;\npolicies must be adopted; any policy changes must come before Council for discussion;\nnoted there is concern for shooting at moving vehicles; stated APD has not encountered\nthe scenario; expressed support for looking at alternatives to responses; questioned\nwhether other options or tools are available to help stop a car; expressed support for a\nreview of the City's 5150 policy; stated better solutions are needed to help seniors with\nmemory issues and persons with developmental disabilities; expressed support for\ncontracting with other service providers for the short-term allowing for outpatient\nservices or elder care programs; noted the use and over-use of 9-1-1 fall into the racism\ncategory; stated calls cannot be controlled, however, what is done with the calls can;\noutlined the flow of responses to the call from May 23rd; stated Police will no longer\nrespond to non-criminal and non-violent calls; a process for addressing those calls\nshould be implemented; stated Council has worked on many goals and pathways for\ndefunding and removal of Police from schools; stated Council has been working on\nproviding safe housing for everyone including repurposing buildings; many items will be\nincluded as part of the unbundling discussion; noted Alameda has been working on and\nexpanding community-based food banks; noted the jail in Alameda has been\npermanently closed; some of the items listed under the \"8 to Abolish\" initiative are\noutside of the City's jurisdiction; stated Council actions have been deliberate and goal-\noriented.\nCouncilmember Oddie seconded the motions.\nUnder discussion, Councilmember Oddie noted the amount of public comments; stated\nthere is desire for change in the community; the Council policy provided by the City\nManager is to be implemented; a wide-breadth of community members spoke; Council\nis accountable to the community and staff is accountable to Council; prior community\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n14\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 15, "text": "members and Councils have provided the current Police force and budget structure; an\nalternative is being requested and recognized; all must take part in the responsibility;\nexpressed support for the directions being implemented; expressed concern about\ncomments directed at his colleagues; stated Council agrees on the need for change;\nread a passage from a 4th Circuit Judge; stated more recognition of the Black Lives\nMatter movement is needed as well as the physical and mental decision-making skills\nneeded by Officers each day; training can help create good decisions; noted Alameda is\nin the top ranking of Police score cards, but yielded a \"C\" grade, which should be\nimproved; stated half of the people being arrested represent one fifth of the population;\nthe approach to policing was graded at an \"A-\" and indicates positive work;\nimprovements can be made; the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative is not enough; it has important\ndetails, but is missing citizen oversight; citizen oversight will help increase\naccountability; there are binary nuances to the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative; expressed\nconcern for the different levels of use of force being reported; stated different levels\nrequire different reports; the response to Mr. Watkins would have been more timely had\nthe response level been indicated; outlined public comments related to experiences of\nracism; urged community members to be anti-racist; stated expectations must be\nprovided over the course of changes made; Council must be focused on outcomes and\ntransformative change; the City has taken first steps to develop a vision of desired\npolicing; knowing the community is related to training; the option is more expensive;\nexpressed support for APD Officers being trained by the Police Chief; noted Community\nParamedics could have helped the May 23rd incident; stated many young people of\ncolor's first interaction with Police Officers are bad; Alamedans need to take a long look\nat repealing laws which criminalize survival; noted the many correspondences received\nrelate to Police being tasked with clearing homeless encampments; Council should\naspire to solve issues which may not be solved in a lifetime.\nVice Mayor Knox White requested clarification of the motion.\nCouncilmember Vella stated the two motions are: 1) authorize Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft to\nsign former President Obama's Mayor's Pledge which lays out four steps: 1) reviewing\npolice use of force policy, 2) engaging communities, 3) reporting findings of review to\ncommunity for feedback, and 4) reforming community police use of force policies; stated\nthere are five different areas Council could have subcommittees for with agendized\nmeetings for full Council participation: 1) unbundling or reimagining policing, 2) racism,\n3) policing policy review, 4) oversight and accountability, and 5) a review of laws that\ncriminalize survival.\nVice Mayor Knox White stated direction has been given to staff to schedule a special\nmeeting prior to June 30th; inquired whether the items included in the motion will be\nconsidered at the upcoming special meeting.\nCouncilmember Vella responded in the affirmative; stated Council will also then decide\nhow to move forward; expressed support for an option with five subcommittees having\nagendized meetings to allow Council participation.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n15\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 16, "text": "Councilmember Vella noted her second motion is approval of the \"8 Can't Wait\"\ninitiative, with the caveat of including a review of the City's 5150 policy and a look into\nthe over-use of 9-1-1 calls.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft expressed support for the level of detail in the motions.\nCouncilmember Vella noted Assemblymember Bonta has just carried a bill related to\nracially motivated 9-1-1 calls being re-categorized as a hate crime statute with a civil\nremedy for victims; expressed support for Council looking at the legislation.\nVice Mayor Knox White expressed concern about too much policy review prior to the\ndiscussion of desired core work to be completed; stated policy changes have not yet\ntaken effect and will return to Council for discussion and approval; noted the topic of\nreviewing 5150 calls can be reviewed and backfill options can be discussed; expressed\nsupport for staff being able to return to Council at a comfortable pace; stated that he has\nreservations about the 5150 portion of the motion; expressed support for providing\ndirection and approving the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative verbatim; stated the initiative is\nimportant and will have meaning but a lot of other work is equally important; that he\nwould like staff to bring back policies as soon as possible; expressed his opposition to\nshooting at cars; stated rules must be clearly provided except in narrowly defined\ninstances; discussed San Francisco's \"Do Not Pursue\" and California Highway Patrol\npursue policies; stated many different views were discussed during public comment;\nexpressed support for knowing the effects and responses of changes; stated Council\ndoes not want to put Officers in harm's way; Officers are trained to look for things which\ncan become harmful or deadly; a solution is not to put Officers in positions where they\nare responding to places where a life and death instinct is present; the instinct causes\ntension and difficulty in making wise split-second decisions; there is an over-estimation\nof how quickly Police can be moved out of situations due to safety concerns; expressed\nsupport for moving forward with appropriate speed and ensuring conversations are had;\nstated that he is not surprised at the calls received by APD Dispatch; ; noted there are\nmany calls the Police do not need to respond to; stated Council must do more, do things\nfaster, and do them well; outlined an experience on Webster Street; questioned how\nunenforceable instances will be addressed and changed; expressed support for both\nmotions.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated APD was important while he was growing up; noted\nOfficers could be turned to when needed; outlined his experiences with APD; stated the\ncurrent message about youths APD experiences needs to be addressed; the incident\nwith Mr. Watkins underscores the need for Alameda to do much more and be part of\nlarger nation-wide changes to policing; expressed support for APD working with Council\nand the community to change the process of policing; expressed support for CAHOOTS\nand outlined the program; stated CAHOOTS allows for a tangible remedy to help alter\nthe presence of Police; the annual CAHOOTS budget is $2 million for a city of 170,000\npeople; questioned whether defunding the Police will help fund CAHOOTS; stated\nresidents would like to see changes and may help fund the program through an\nassessments; expressed support for strengthening and clarifying crowd control Policy\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n16\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 17, "text": "400.3 related to the use of teargas and the involvement of the APD in other jurisdictions;\nstated APD should keep the safety and respect people's right to speak in a non-violent\nway; expressed support for strengthening Policy 402 regarding racial profiling; stated\n402 requires Officers to take training once every five years and the bar should be set\nhigher; expressed support for APD and members in the Alameda Fire Department;\nstated public service delivery can be improved; Council must work with City staff and\nthe community; expressed support for putting items into action.\nCouncilmember Daysog requested a friendly amendment to the motions to add\nstrengthening Sections 400 and 402 of the APD policies.\nCouncilmember Vella stated the sections fall under item 3) policing policy review.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the June 29th meeting will discuss how to\ncompose the different advisory committees, to which Councilmember Vella responded\nin the affirmative.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft expressed support for the committees having diversity.\nVice Mayor Knox White expressed concern about the use of force requirement;\nquestioned whether the process is nuanced enough to allow for life-threatening\nsituations to be handled appropriately.\nCouncilmember Vella stated Council will review the policies for approval, but will provide\ndirection to staff to move forward with the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative and then vote on\npolicies as-drafted.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft noted there is room for further refinement if needed.\nOn the call for the question on the motion related to former President Obama's Mayor's\nPledge, the motion carried by the following roll call vote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye;\nKnox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nOn the call for the question on the motion related to the \"8 Can't Wait\" initiative, the\nmotion carried by the following roll call vote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox\nWhite: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated this is an emotional time; outlined a conference call related\nto community events; noted Allen Temple Baptist Church is a COVID-19 testing site.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n17\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-06-17", "page": 18, "text": "ADJOURNMENT\nThere being no further business, Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft adjourned the meeting at 10:15\np.m.\nRespectfully submitted,\nLara Weisiger\nCity Clerk\nThe agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Sunshine Ordinance.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n18\nJune 17, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-06-17.pdf"}