We talked with Refilwe Gqajela, Community Organizer at Anti Police- Terror Project, about defunding the Oakland Police Department (OPD) and investing in our community! Learn more about reducing OPD’s bloated budget, reimagining the safety of our communities, and more!

“We know a reality of this budget cycle is that the city is facing a deficit and they’re telling us that there will be cuts. Now the conversation is where will those cuts come from, because we know that there’s one department that is funded more than any other in the city [Oakland Police Department]. And when we think about what keeps us safe and those resources that we need, then I have some ideas about where those budget cuts can come from. And so do our community members that we’re in coalition with, we don’t do this work alone.” -Refilwe Gqajela

“This entire policing system has failed us, but we keep thinking, oh well we could try to keep giving more money to try to make it work. But it hasn’t worked. So why are we continuing to throw resources at a system that isn’t working for us. It’s not even working for the police.” -liz suk