Dear Bay Area Community,
We are your neighbors, representing over 100 community, faith, and labor organizations and small businesses who care deeply about Oakland, and we are inviting you to say their names in remembrance with us:
George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade.
Rayshard Brooks. Sahleem Tindle. Sean Monterrosa.
Kayla Moore. Steven Taylor. Erik Salgado. Oscar Grant.
On the streets, in our homes, in the media, the names of murdered Black and Brown people echo, with “Defund Police” and “Defend Black Lives” ringing out in return.
But school’s out, jobs are scarce, and how are we going to pay our rent next week? For so many of us in this pandemic and recession, the choice is clear: take action to defend Black life and participate in the most transformative social uprising in a generation.
Children in our city deserve lush parks, healthy food, and the education that prepares them to build their dreams. Our teachers, nurses, and bus drivers deserve wages that help their families thrive. Everyone deserves a roof over their heads. Instead, Oakland City Hall prioritizes policing that terrorizes and harms our Black and Brown children and neighborhoods. In fact, right now, the Oakland Police are facing yet another use of force lawsuit for firing tear gas and rubber bullets at youth during the Oakland Tech High School march.
For decades, funding for the Oakland Police has grown to dominate nearly half of our city’s budget, displacing resources from essential programs and vital services for everyday people. And while City Hall will have us believe that there is no alternative, it is clear we have been led astray.
We, The People of Oakland, proposed a new deal to City Hall that is specific, concrete, and provides immediate relief and community safety, without cages and guns. Remove $150 million from funding for the Oakland Police. Invest that money into life-affirming programs. This is the Black New Deal, and we need it now.
In an appalling move this week, five city council members rammed through an anti-democratic budget proposal from the self-proclaimed “equity caucus,” without prior notice to their council colleagues nor us, their constituents. Their dishonorable budget pours hundreds of millions of dollars into Oakland Police, while cutting funds from Parks, Recreation, and Youth Development, and dismantling Human Services for the unhoused. This so-called “equity budget” will divert less than 1% of funding from policing and does little to further public safety in Oakland.
Councilmembers Gallo, Reid, Taylor, McElhaney and Kaplan made a choice to stand on the wrong side of history and betray The People of Oakland.
Full of false promises, each made a mockery of the last four weeks of protests, thousands of direct advocacy calls and emails, police commission recommendations, hundreds of unanimous public comments, and many years of organizations advocating for a city budget that truly invests in Black and Brown futures.
But we will not be silenced, and we will not allow democracy to be trumped by a morally vacant City Council incapable of leading the change we need. Our demands will grow louder.
Join us in declaring to Oakland City Hall, “Your Time is Up!” and let’s fight for a brighter and more just future, together.
OUR FUTURE IS NOW
In solidarity,
The People of Oakland
Mark your calendars!
The City Council will meet July 21st at 1:30 PM. Look back here for more details.
Organizations
Anti Police-Terror Project
Community Ready Corps
Black Organizing Project
ACCE Oakland
Ella Baker Center
Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy
Oakland Rising
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice
Arab Resource Organizing Center
Asian Pacific Environmental Network
Mujeres Unidas Y Activas
Causa Justa :: Just Cause
Center for Story-based Strategy
Bay Rising
Black Youth 4 People's Liberation
1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations
13th Floor Dance Theater
AAPIs for Civic Empowerment
ACLU of Northern California
Addie l. Kogan Psychotherapy
AFSCME 3299
Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)
Asians4BlackLives
Bay Area Asylum Support Coalition (BAASC)
Bay Resistance
Bend The Arc: Jewish Action Bay Area
Berkeley Copwatch
Berkeley Free Clinic
Blissful Beasts Pet Services
Blue Heart
Calibrate Kombucha
California Donor Table
California Nurses Association
CALMA-Collective Action for Laborers, Migrants & Asylum Seekers
Catalyst Project
Center for Cultural Power
Center for Political Education
Center for Tactical Performance
Ceres Trust
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists-Northern Ca
Codepink Women for Peace
Communist Workers League
Communities for a Better Environment
Community Democracy Project
Critical Resistance
CWA Local 9415
Design Action Collective
Diablo Rising Tide
Dissecting Whiteness
Do No Harm Coalition
E14 Gallery
East Bay Alliance For A Sustainable Economy
East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative
East Point Peace Academy
Eastlake United for Justice
Everyday Elemental
Fat Rose
Favianna.com Studios
First Congregational Church of Oakland
Frailty Myths
Friends of the Earth
GABRIELA Oakland
Gig Workers Rising
Global Movement Network
Grassroots House
Greetings, from Queer Mountain
Greg Hodge (still confirming)
Health Justice Commons
ILWU, Juneteenth Committee
Jewish Voice for Peace - Bay Area
Justice Funders
Lead to Life
Love and Justice in the Streets
Making Change Media
Never Again Action - Bay Area
Nikkei Resisters
Noticed Media LLC
Oakland Climate Action Coalition
Oakland Comedy Festival
Oakland Yard Wine Shop
Oakland Youth Advisory Commissioners
Offsides Productions
OneLife Institute
Parent Voices - Oakland
Parents United for Public Schools
Pastor Bay Area Christian Connection
Peoples Alliance
PLACE
Planting Justice
Public Health Justice Collective
Reem's California
Resource Generation
Restore Oakalnd
SEIU USWW
Senior and Disability Action
Sierra Club
Sunrise Movement Bay Area
Survival Media Agency
The Black Bay Area
The Wildfire Project
TheaterFIRST
Together We Stand
Trial By Fire Solutions
United for Respect
University of California, Santa Cruz COLA Strikers
White Noise Collective
Women's Foundation California
Workers World Party - Bay Area
Youth Speaks
Youth vs Apocalypse
Priority Africa Network
Individuals
Pastor Darnell Hammock, New Life Community Church
Dr. George Cummings, Imani Community Church
Pastor Demetrius Edwards, 23rd Avenue Church of God
Pastor Michael McBride, Way Church in Berkeley
Pastor Zach Carey, True Vine Ministries
Pastor Ben McBride
Clarence Thomas
Alicia Garza
Ryan Nicole
Jennifer Johns
Keith Brown
Walter Riley
Dorsey Nunn
Greg Hodge
AaJahlee-Soleil Long
Addie Kogan
Adrianna Delgadillo
Aiden Zucker
Aitan Mizrahi
Alexandra Kirby
Allie Bach
Allison Kane
Allistair Mallillin
Allyssa Victory
Amber Akemi Piatt, MPH
Andrea Hernández
Andrea Lee
Angie Sijun Lou
Ann Swinburn
Annie Wang
Anya D
April Newman
April Newman
Atha Davis
B. Yuki Burton
Benjamin Lee
Bernice Shaw
Besan Zidan
Bethsaida Ruiz
Bob Allen
Brian K. Woodson, Sr.
C. Njoube Dugas
Camille Draculan
Cat Benson
Cecelia Garofoli
Chelsea Mitchell
Cherri Murphy
Christa Harader
Clarence Thomas
Clarissa Doutherd
Clarissa Rojas
Danielle Sachs
Danny Kaplan
Darien R Acero
Diana Oppenheim
Domenique Lozano
Dr. Varun Kejriwal Goel
EJ Walls
Elizabeth McGovern
Ellen Smrekar
Emily Art
Emma Craig
Ernesto Jose Arevalo
Eva Silverman
Eve Marilyn Wheatley
Eve Rodlet
Favianna Rodriguez
Finn Black
Gabriela Ornelas
Gavin Raders
Genaro Rendon
Georgia Hirsty
Georgia Valentine
Gurinder Wadhwa
Hannah Haugenes
Helen Bergstrom
I Wayan Budiana
Inbal Sansani
Isa Garcia
Jack Konevich
Jack Ryan Mitchell
Janice Von Itter
Jason Montgomery
Jay Green
Jennifer Harrison
Jennifer Vator
Jennifer Woodruff
Jeremiah Headen
Jessica Karadi
Jessica Knapp
Jessica Mitchell
Jessica Wynn-Grant
Jordan Cisneros
Josh Healey
Joshua Kahn Russell
Judy Greenspan
Julia Rhodes Davis
Julie Lagarde
Kaly Scheller-Barrett
Kameryn L Sanchez
Kasey Sumeriski
Kate O'Hara
Kathleen H. Matz
Kathryn Gilje
Kathryn Kojimoto
Katrina Ortiz
Katya Schoenberg
Kazu Haga
Keith D. Brown
Kelly Ding
Kenneth Lim
Kevin McDonald
Kiernan Rok
Kim Davis
Kimi Lee
Kimia Pakdaman
Krismin Inocentes
Kristina crawford
Kristina Miller
Kusum Crimmel
Kyle Kubas
Lacey Johnson
laura wesely
Leah Carlon
Leanne Grossman
Leigh Douglas
Liz Kelley
Lo Marie
Louise Chegwidden
Lourdes G Martinez
Ludovic Blain
Mailee Wang
Maren Christensen
Maria Yates
Marie Arthur Eggebroten
Marie Stoner
Marisa Mead
Marit Sonstelie
Martha Smith
Mavis Tolbert
Max Airborne
Maya Thornell-Sandifor
Melina Clark
Michael Brune
Michael Eisenscher
Michael Kinomoto
Micheal Foulk
Michelle Pena
Mika Lee
Miya Yoshitani
Mo Corleone
Morgann Nieto
Nancy Feinstein
Navina Khanna
Nina Pessin-Whedbee
Noreen Jesani
Oona Wong-Danders
Paola Diaz
Penny Rosenwasser
Phoenix Love Armenta
qiyamah hameed
Rachel Gonzales Vernon
Rafael Vincent Botello
Rebecca Novick
Reem Assil
Regan Brashear
Rev. Dr. Liza J. Rankow
Rhea Elina
Rob Thomas
Robert McBride
Rupa Marya, MD
Ryder Diaz
Sabrina
Sam Tunick
Sara Brink
Sarah Lamm
Sarah Roland
Sarah Taylor
SarahPearl Aronow-Werner
Sean Lewandowski
Sejal Babaria
Seth Newton Patel
Sevgi Fernandez
Shadia Fayne Wood
Shaunna Vella
Shayna Asher-Schapiro
Shikira Porter
Shilpa Bhongir
Shoshanna Howard
Sierra Warrick
Sonya Mehta
Sophia Bosselmann
Surina Khan
Swati Rayasam
Talya Husbands-Hankin
Tash Nguyen
Tia Katrina Taruc-Myers
Tova Fry
Tracey King
Tracy Tingle
Viviana Rodriguez-Smith
Vivien Lu
Walter Riley
Wendy Bloom
Zack Deutsch-Gross
Tricia McGillis
Jacqui Ferraiolo
Yousef J Al-Shomaimri
Donna Petraitis
Kendall Allison
Gerald Lenoir
Windsor Taro
Tess Clabby
Sara Brown
Molly Lorenz
Mayra Vega
Penelope Scott
Hope Kamer
Abigail Klinkenberg