Jan 122015
 
Community Meeting on Police Militarization and Terror in San Leandro

If you live in San Leandro or a nearby, Students and Families For Education (SAFE) invites you to a: Community Meeting on Police Militarization and Terror in San Leandro Thursday, January 15th 7 PM Zocalo Coffeehouse 645 Bancroft Avenue Please come to share your story, discuss and organize around: San Leandro Police Department (SLPD) profiling/harassment of people of color SLPD shooting and killing people of color fleeing from police: 3 shootings in 3 months SLPD slandering & devaluing the life of Latino SLHS/SLAM graduate homicide victim SLPD militarization, including BearCat & military-grade weapons Increasing use of surveillance on residents and [Continue Reading]

Jan 102015
 
My Message to the SLPD: The Bearcat is Not a Good Idea

This was my speech at the “community meeting” on the SLPD‘s planned acquisition of a Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck (Bearcat).  I addressed my comments to the SLPD, as the City Council has made it clear that their role is simply to rubber stamp any proposal brought by the Police. In other words, we officially have a police state in San Leandro. You can find Tim Holmes remarks here. While it may seem hard to believe, I appreciate our police officers.    Every single SLPD officer I have met, has treated me with politeness, courtesy and professionalism.  I think [Continue Reading]

Jan 072015
 
Want a Clean Democratic Party? Vote for Independent Party Members

Once again, it’s time for the election for delegates to represent AD 18 (San Leandro, Alameda and most of Oakland) to the California Democratic Party’s State Central Committee.   State delegates get to vote on the party’s endorsement of Democratic candidates for state and national office, on the state party’s platform and on regional and state party officers.  If we want to have a state party that is  open to regular Democrats and that puts civil rights and social justice before the interests of the party machine, we need to elect delegates that represent those values. Voting for state delegates is [Continue Reading]

Jan 062015
 
Jan 8, 5 PM: Thanks but No Tanks! Rally in San Leandro

The San Leandro Police Department  wants to acquire a “Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck” like the one above – pretending that it’s some sort of glorified ambulance. The City Council is set to let them do it. In reality, BearCat vehicles are used for regular law-enforcement purposes, such as serving warrants for minor crimes and collecting fines, and as intimidation tools against peaceful protesters. They are part of a broader project to militarize the police and use it as a potent repression tool against all sorts of political dissent. This particular model is outfitted with medical equipment inside, [Continue Reading]

Jan 052015
 
ACLU to Look at SLPD's Use of Social Media to  Spy on San Leandro Students

A lawyer from the ACLU has contacted a member of SAFE and explained that they are starting a review process on the tracking of kids’ online activities and the keeping of records on kids through graduation.   At their last City Council meeting, the Council approved a grant that will provide the San Leandro Police Department with resources to spy on students using social media and to maintain a database of any student behavior that could label a child as being “at risk,” this starting in elementary school. The ACLU is working to determine if the SLPD’s proposed tracking and [Continue Reading]