Thread by @tasha_mente

Is everyone ready for a good ol' fashioned #oakmtg? Time for the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force. Let's see how this 19-person committee goes...

CM Bas kicks it off with a grand speech about redefining success, CM Taylor gives a slightly less grand speech, introduces Ed Reiskin, who hopes that between all 19 people, the task force can find common ground. I'm glad we can see everyone's faces.

Seems the City Administrator's office is providing resources to the task force. This is interesting since that office seems somewhat stretched thin and disorganized already? #oakmtg

David Muhammad of National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform is speaking, introduces Aman Sebahtu. NICJR will be co-facilitating/advising with PolicyLink. This #oakmtg is going to be very long if every individual gives their bio but I suppose that's what's got to happen.

Anand Subramanian of PolicyLink is next. Then David M takes the mic back and models how each task force member is supposed to introduce themselves.

Anne Marks, ED of Youth Alive, used to work for human services dept at the re-entry program. Involved because her mom worked at a prison and it impacted her career. Loves Oakland. Success looks like, "does this make people safer" and "does this offer a path to healing?"

Antoine Towers, Oakland Violence Prevention Coalition. Has 3 kids (Anne also has a young child).

Brenda Roberts, Budget Advisory Commission. Has lived in Oakland half her life and says it's time for this change. She's bringing budget skills.

Brooklyn Williams, has a background in counseling, youth leadership, violence prevention, etc. Calls herself more of a Harriet Tubman than a Frederick Douglas. #oakmtg

Carol Wyatt, from CPAB. She's from Brownsville in NY so I already like her. She's involved because she saw the misuse of police--implied white people calling the cops on every time Black people move.

David Kakishiba, District 2 rep, his speech was sort of meandering and knocked over my food, so I missed a lot of what he said, sorry :(

Next is Ginale Harris. She speaks about her 5 sons and 2 grandchildren. Success means that Black people are allowed to be their own experts and be valued in the community. She says she learned a lot from the PolComm.

Gus Newport, says he was approached by both Bas and Taylor. Former mayor of Berkeley. Reorganized the police in the 80s. Hired mental health workers to work the streets with the police force among a lot of other social improvements.

Ivan Garcia, Oakland Youth Advisory Commission. Hopes for equitable recommendations that center the voices most impacted. #oakmtg

James Burch, D7--Policy Director at APTP. Talks about #defundopd. Has a 14 month old. He's Kaplan's nominee. #oakmtg

Muhammad: "Next is John Jones III, can't believe he's on this." Bas & Taylor reached out to him. Speaks to his personal experiences in deep East Oakland & surviving the crack epidemic. #oakmtg

Keisha Henderson, appointed by Taylor. Grandfather was a pastor, dealt with a lot of incarcerated people. Mentored for Oakland Teen Empowerment, is a case manager for high-risk youth & adults with disabilities. Raising her sisters after mom's death. Lives in flatlands #oakmtg

Losaline Moa, 17 years old, internship at Highland Hospital, sees disproportionate impact on POC. Oldest kid, has been the caretaker of her siblings. #oakmtg

Mariano Contreras, member of Latino Task Force. Most activist work in Fruitvale. Antiracist & immigrant rights movements. Has 3 daughters who went to OUSD & graduated college. He runs a 1-man shop servicing print shops & talks about racism he faces. #oakmtg

Nikki Dinh, Public Safety & Service Commission, comes from measure Z. Attorney practicing domestic violence, elder abuse law. Says she's tired of her family uprooting & moving, wants a place her family wants to stay in. #oakmtg

Pat Kernighan, former D2 CM (2005-2014), she is the mayor's appointee. Was constantly frustrated by lack of resources to invest in the community bc police & fire depts ate up the money. More frustrated by the settlement costs. #oakmtg

Raygan Cunningham/Harmon, D7 rep, former complaint investigator for CPRB, now at CA partnership for safe communities. Has also been frustrated to not be able to make real change previously. OUSD graduate. #oakmtg

We are 9 minutes ahead! Wow. #oakmtg

NICJR and PolicyLink will facilitate 2 advisory boards each. Muhammad runs through the draft timeline "let me emphasize DRAFT." He says off the bat that it's "ambitious." They will meet every other Wed at 6 PM and special meeting to be introduced to other parties #oakmtg

Task force members have a lot of homework to learn about the settlement agreements, the current OPD org chart, and other background information. #oakmtg

There were 200 applicants to the advisory board. Muhammad says applicants listening in will "hear something from us soon" about finalizing the board. 🤷‍♀️ I know at least one person who never heard back from them, so I don't know exactly what is expected at this point. #oakmtg

Task force recommendations must be drafted by Dec. 30th. Muhammad repeats, "It is an AMBITIOUS timeline." #oakmtg

"If we had open-ended meetings, we could talk for 5 hours just on use of force... there is so much in the challenging task of reimagining public safety... so we want to offer this framework." Will ask about 5 areas of focus.

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Anand from PolicyLink introduces the ways the community can be involved. Says they will roll out a more robust plan later. #oakmtg

I'm wondering if Raheem will be administering this survey also? Says they want to create in-person banks where people can submit paper surveys. #oakmtg

Other ideas floated: putting up a Black Thought wall with the Black Thought Project. #oakmtg

They are still tinkering with the advisory boards. One of the boards is being renamed as OPD Organization & Culture. #oakmtg

Gus asks about start time for the meetings. They will all start at 6 PM. Ginale asks about missing meetings and who they should tell about scheduling issues. Apparently city admin office will figure that out. #oakmtg

Taylor says the intention is to have task force members be connected to a particular advisory board in order to be successful. I'm not exactly sure how that would work. In the next task force meeting, it seems like each task force member will be assigned to an advisory board.

Homework for task force members: think about what background information you need to be successful in addition to the other docs already being dug up by the city admin office. #oakmtg

Ginale says she has reports from 2013 that she has "dug up from the dungeon." 😂Muhammad clarifies that anything that members have already that the rest of the task force needs would be helpful. #oakmtg

Public comment.
Assata: what happens to the recommendations? This will go to City Council and the mayor who will reject it
-Multiple concerns about the timeline
-Want more clarity and additional questions added to the 5 topic areas

- Taskforce should lean on permanent orgs to make sure their work goes somewhere
- How can Oakland residents help out more?
- Someone wants input from OPD itself
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Taylor: The city administrator is heavily involved in pulling in OPD & other depts. Transition will be part of this process. RE: Timeline, we need to keep an eye on our timing and maintain momentum to deliver on the mission & values of this (that's not reassuring),

PolicyLink may run survey if city admin can't, and they will built off of "other efforts--maybe not a formal survey, but focus groups that already are happening"... There is definitely a formal survey that was just administered by Raheem on use of force. #oakmtg

Closing remarks, meeting is adjourned. #oakmtg

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