It is time to shift power and dollars away from police and incarceration and reinvest in the relief and resilience of The Town’s Black and Brown communities. The Administration and City Council have committed to a 50% (~$150 million) decrease in Oakland Police Department (OPD)’s budget in the next year.

The Coalition released a survey to capture the community’s thoughts on priority areas of police operations that should be defunded, community programs and services that should be re-funded, and “Reimagining Public Safety” Task Force leadership. Thanks to everyone who participated in the community-led and informed Defund OPD survey, our coalition gathered almost 2,000 responses on what a funded Oakland can look like.

The resolution, written by the Black Organizing Project, proposes to eliminate the department and its sworn officers entirely. It would also direct the Superintendent to use these funds for alternative restorative justice solutions to meet the needs of students and a community-driven process to create a safety District plan.

California voters have the opportunity to bring in an extra $12 billion in annual revenue for schools, community programs, and city services to this upcoming November election.