Safety
Moments after an officer pleaded not guilty to having sex with their client, attorneys for the woman identified as “Celeste Guap” in press reports announced they are seeking damages from four cities and two counties in which they allege police officers sexually exploited the former teenage sex worker.
Student safety and the role of the Oakland School Police Department were at the forefront of Wednesday’s Oakland Unified School Board meeting, as board members, parents and OSPD Chief Jeff Godown spoke emotionally of recent events which they say have damaged the security and wellbeing of Oakland’s young people.
Members of the Stop Urban Shield coalition met to discuss ways to carry momentum forward after a day of activism earlier this month.
Just a few weeks after the new school year began, two families in Oakland had terrifying moments when they received threatening calls about their kids, asking for a kidnapping ransom or medical treatment fees. But both calls turned out to be scams. According to John Sasaki, communications director for the Oakland United School District (OUSD), both calls were to families with students at Claremont Middle School. During the week of August 22, two parents got a call from a scammer…
City of Oakland plans to reduce plants that can fuel fire and create a more accessible pathway for emergency vehicles, but there’s opposition.
At Safe Passages for Women in Oakland, participants used found objects to build models of a safer city.
Last Thursday residents gathered to celebrate the Ella Baker Center’s 20th Anniversary, present awards and discuss future plans to continue rebuilding communities of color in Oakland.
The 10th annual Urban Shield training and equipment expo sparks a major debate about the militarization of first responders in Oakland.
Leticia Soto—single mother, undocumented worker and rape survivor—stood in the auditorium at the Oakland State Building and addressed the crowd. In one hand, Soto clasped a placard reading: “When you’re alone at night, no one can hear you.” In the other, she gripped the microphone. “Just because I’m an immigrant or just because I’m a janitor does not mean I need to live in fear of being raped,” she said. Soto, along with sexual assault support groups and a union…