Calendar
ONGOING STOP the COUP PROTEST from 5 – 6 pm
Focus: Rally every Friday Stop the Coup Protest, organized by Indivisible Elmwood
To ensure you are fully prepared to take action safely, confidently, and powerfully, ACLU is hosting a crucial pre-action training:
This training will cover key information and strategies, including:
- Knowing your rights during protests and encounters with law enforcement
- Practical tools and techniques for safety and de-escalation in tense moments
- Building the knowledge and strength to support others in the streets and beyond
When we know our rights, we can defend them. Let’s get ready to protect our community and freedoms together.
Spanish translation and American Sign Language interpretation will be available for this program. Traducción al español estará disponible.
Catch you there!
the Oakland Police Commission will vote on Agenda Item #6 — a dangerous proposal to hand OPD $2 million for assault rifles, armored BearCats, drones, and other military-grade weapons.
This is a defining moment for Oakland.
Let’s be real:
- Crime is down. Violent crime has dropped, homicides are down 30%, and overall crime has fallen significantly.
- The city is broke. We’re in a budget crisis — jobs, libraries, and community programs are being cut.
- This plan does not make us safer. It’s about expanding OPD’s power, not protecting Oaklanders.
Read more about OPD’s plan here: Oakland cops want $2 million for assault rifles, drones, and armored vehicles
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And the officers pushing for this expansion? They’re the same ones who’ve already taken lives in our community:
- Lt. Omar Daza-Quiroz — shot and killed Derrick Jones, an unarmed Black barber, in 2010.
- Lt. Eriberto Perez-Angeles — also involved in the killing of Derrick Jones.
- Sgt. Patrick Gonzales — killed Gary King Jr. (2007), shot and paralyzed Ameir Rollins (2006), and led the team that killed Joshua Pawlik (2018).
These are the people demanding more firepower. And we already know how they use it.
SHOW UP AND SPEAK OUT
Oakland Police Commission Meeting
Thursday, October 9 – 6:30 PM
Oakland City Hall – 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Agenda Item #6 – Vote NO on OPD’s $2 Million Weapons Expansion
TALKING POINTS
1. Crime Is Down — There’s No Justification for Expansion
OPD’s own data shows crime has dropped significantly. Pouring $2 million into weapons when the city is cutting basic services is reckless and unjustifiable. Militarization isn’t safety — it’s waste.
2. Militarization Is About Power, Not Safety
OPD isn’t replacing old gear; it’s expanding its arsenal — 75 new assault rifles, two armored BearCats, and 19 new drones. There’s no plan to retire old weapons. Militarized policing escalates harm and fear — it doesn’t prevent violence.
3. The Officers Behind This Have a Violent Track Record
The officers pushing this plan have already taken Black lives in Oakland. Giving them more deadly tools is a direct threat to community safety.
4. Real Safety Comes from Investment in People
Safety doesn’t come from drones and rifles — it comes from housing, healthcare, youth programs, and violence prevention. Every dollar spent on militarization is a dollar stolen from real safety solutions.
LEGAL & MORAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Assembly Bill 481 makes it clear:
Cities can only approve military equipment purchases if they are necessary and cost-effective — and if there are no reasonable alternatives for public safety.
OPD’s request fails every test. They already have over 150 rifles, armored vehicles, and access to other regional military gear. And yet 33 officers sit on paid administrative leave, with 12 collecting salaries for over two years, costing taxpayers $3.6 million annually — while OPD demands even more weapons.
Oakland deserves better.
PEOPLE POWER WORKS – AND WE’VE PROVEN IT
Last week, we celebrated a major win when the Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission voted 4–2 to reject OPD’s attempt to integrate city cameras with Flock Safety’s mass surveillance network.
Read more: Oakland Privacy Commission rejects Flock Safety surveillance expansion
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As Cat Brooks, APTP Co-Founder, said:
“Oaklanders showed up and made it clear: we refuse to hand over our city’s data to a for-profit company that profits from surveillance, collaborates with ICE, and violates our most fundamental rights. Mass surveillance is not safety — investment in housing, healthcare, and community care is.”
We won that fight because the community showed up. And we can win again tonight.
It’s our city. Our safety. Our future.
Let’s stop OPD’s militarization plan — the same way we stopped their surveillance grab.
www.antipoliceterrorproject.
e Oakland Public Safety Committee will vote on whether to approve a $2.25 million FLOCK surveillance expansion that threatens the safety and privacy of our entire community, especially our undocumented neighbors, Black and Brown residents, and anyone who dares to dissent.
Before that meeting, we’re gathering to make our voices heard:
5PM — Rally | 6PM — Public Safety Committee Meeting (Item #5)
What’s at Stake
The Oakland Police Department wants to join forces with FLOCK Safety, a private Georgia-based surveillance company, to integrate public and private camera feeds—including Ring doorbells, business cameras, and traffic cameras—into one massive searchable database called FlockOS.
That system is already accessible to over 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide, including ICE.
This comes just days after ICE operations in the Bay Area, putting our undocumented community members in even greater danger. Oakland cannot call itself a Sanctuary City while building surveillance systems that funnel our data directly into federal hands.
Who’s Behind It
Councilmembers Charlene Wang and Ken Houston have become loud champions for this dangerous expansion.
- CM Wang has lied to business groups, falsely claiming that Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission “blocked” community members from buying FLOCK cameras. In truth, only City-owned surveillance technology requires PAC review. Her misinformation campaign is part of a broader push to discredit civilian oversight.
- CM Houston has been a relentless mouthpiece for OPD, rubber-stamping anything police request while ignoring the harm done to our people.
Meanwhile, the Privacy Advisory Commission voted 4–2 last month to reject OPD’s proposed FLOCK policy and contract, warning it would create grave risks to privacy and civil rights.
Yet the City Council is trying to fast-track the expansion anyway. If it passes the Public Safety Committee tomorrow, it will head to the full Council for a final vote on November 4.
How You Can Take Action
- Join the Rally and Speak Out:
5PM — Rally | 6PM — Public Safety Committee Meeting (Item #5)
Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza - Submit your e-comment TODAY (by 6PM) to oppose Item #5:
tinyurl.com/OPDFLOCK - Use our toolkit and talking points to speak truth to power:
bit.ly/noflock-oakland
APTP Statement
“CM Charlene Wang and CM Ken Houston are carrying water for OPD and corporate surveillance interests at the expense of Oakland’s most vulnerable residents,” said Cat Brooks, Co-Founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project. “This contract would turn our neighborhoods into surveillance zones and put our immigrant communities in harm’s way. Oaklanders will not stand by while our city builds a $2.25 million pipeline to ICE.”
Oakland is a Sanctuary City—but not if we allow ICE and OPD to turn our neighborhoods into surveillance zones. Join us tomorrow to defend our communities, our privacy, and our right to live free from state violence.
Get the toolkit: bit.ly/noflock-oakland
No FLOCK. No ICE. No Surveillance in Oakland.
In Solidarity,
Cat Brooks and the APTP Crew
www.antipoliceterrorproject.
Oakland already said NO to Flock. After hours of powerful community testimony, residents made it clear: we will not accept mass surveillance in our city.
But now, Councilmembers Charlene Wang, Kevin Jenkins, and Ken Houston are attempting to override the will of the people—pushing the Flock surveillance contract forward despite its defeat. This is an outrageous overreach and a direct threat to Oakland’s sanctuary and privacy protections.
We need every single person who cares about civil rights, privacy, and democracy to show up and take a stand.
SHOW UP TOMORROW — THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
10:30 AM | Rules & Legislation Committee
Room 3 | Oakland City Hall
Let’s make it impossible to ignore the people’s voice. Pack the room. Demand that City Council Get the Flock Out of Oakland.
If you cannot attend in person, you can still take action:
- Email the Rules Committee and City Clerk to register your opposition.
- Use our toolkit for sample emails, talking points, and details: bit.ly/NoFlock-Oakland
or scan the QR code on the flyer.
Oakland said no once. Now we have to say it louder.
In solidarity,
Cat Brooks and the APTP Crew
www.antipoliceterrorproject.
Stand with Grandma Addie Kitchen, the grandmother of Steven Taylor, who was killed by San Leandro police officer Jason Fletcher during a mental health crisis.
This week, newly appointed District Attorney Ursula Jones-Dickson informed the family that she would be filing a motion to dismiss all charges against Fletcher — while the presiding judge who has overseen this case for four years is on vacation.
That judge just denied the defense’s motion to dismiss on November 14, stating on the record that this case must go to trial and be decided by a jury. Instead of respecting that ruling, DA Jones-Dickson went judge-shopping, selecting a different judge to push through a dismissal.
This is a betrayal of the Taylor family, of justice, and of the people of Alameda County. We will not be silent while another DA shields law enforcement from accountability.
Join us in court to demand transparency, accountability, and justice for Steven Taylor.
After being rejected twice — by the Privacy Advisory Commission and the Public Safety Committee — OPD’s $2.25 million FLOCK mass surveillance contract is back on the agenda through a backdoor, undemocratic process.
On Wednesday, with less than 24 hours’ notice, Council President Kevin Jenkins, Councilmembers Rowena Brown, and Janani Ramachandran voted in the Rules Committee to send the FLOCK contract to the full City Council for a vote on December 16. Councilmember Ken Houston even thanked Jenkins for “bringing it back,” making it clear this was a coordinated effort to bypass the democratic process and ignore the people’s will.
This comes after more than 4,000 Oaklanders sent emails and over 40 organizations — including ACLU NorCal, SEIU-USWW, and Trabajadores Unidos Workers United — called on the Council to reject FLOCK’s expansion.
This is a betrayal of public trust and a direct attack on Oakland’s most vulnerable communities. A city that calls itself a sanctuary cannot partner with a surveillance company that shares data with ICE and the Trump administration.
Join us Tuesday, December 16 at 1:00 PM to stand against this outrageous move and demand real community safety, not mass surveillance.
The people of Alameda County deserve leaders who will stand for justice — not secrecy, not police power, and not corruption.
Until justice is won, we’re not done.
In solidarity and resistance,
Cat Brooks & the Anti Police-Terror Project Crew
www.antipoliceterrorproject.
Across the country, ICE agents are escalating violence against immigrant workers in Home Depot stores and parking lots. These enforcement operations are chaotic, traumatic, and sometimes deadly.
Just last week in Oregon, agents forcibly abducted a man inside a Home Depot as onlookers called them cowards. In August, in Monrovia, CA, Carlos Roberto Montoya – a Guatemalan day laborer – was killed while fleeing an ICE operation at a Home Depot store.
These attacks are happening on Home Depot property, under Home Depot’s watch, and with Home Depot’s silence. The company has taken no public steps to condemn these raids or to demand that the government stop carrying out enforcement actions at its stores. Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus amassed billions from an industry built on immigrant labor – only to funnel millions into Trump’s xenophobbic campaigns.
In Oakland, day laborers face the threat of ICE while Home Depot refuses to provide them with a safe place to seek work, banning them from parking lots and denying them basic dignity and respect.
Home Depot has ignored the harm for far too long. We will not. As ICE escalates its attacks, we are escalating our response.
From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, people nationwide said, “We Ain’t Buying it,” withheld their dollars, and took aim at Home Depot and other key corporate targets for collaborating with ICE and the MAGA agenda.
This Super Saturday – the final major shopping day before the holidays – we’re keeping the pressure on and gathering near Oakland Home Depot on 12/20 from 10:00am � 12:30pm to say, EEnough is enough. RSVP for more info on location details.
Join us to demand that Home Depot immediately:
- Publicly condemn ICE raids.
- Stop cooperating with ICE – close stores and parking lots to ICCE agents.
- Negotiate with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network to protect workers and customers from attacks.
- Help detained victims and support their families.
- Release security video and other footage of enforcement actions at Home Depot stores
Through its silence and inaction, Home Depot has become ICE’s passive partner. Every raid on its properties deepens fear in our communities.
Stand with us to reject ICE terror and demand real protections – not corporate silence.