Oakland Privacy

Alameda Health Systems Removes Hidden License Plate Reader From Highland Hospital Emergency Entrance

by Tracy Rosenberg • November 30, 2017 • 0 Comments

From the East Bay Express: 11/30/2017 by Darwin Bond Graham

**

A controversial automated license plate reader camera that was installed at the driveway entrance of Oakland’s Highland Hospital in 2014 has been removed by the hospital.

Director of Government and Community Relations for the Alameda Health System Terry Lightfoot said today that the process by which the surveillance tool was installed “warranted more vetting.”

As the Express reported last week, the camera was quietly set up three years ago as part of a larger construction project. Privacy advocate and researcher (and Oakland Privacy member) Mike Katz-Lacabe discovered the camera’s existence through a California Public Records Act request.

Oakland Turns Out For Long-Delayed ICE Raid Hearing

by Tracy Rosenberg • November 29, 2017 • 1 Comment

On November 28, after waiting for hours as the last item on the agenda, Oaklanders spoke up loudly about sanctuary city and ending all collusion, assistance or cooperation with Trump’s ICE.

A sampling of videos from the public comment session can be watched here.

The public hearing followed a letter of inquiry from Oakland Privacy about the raid, Indybay’s comprehensive reporting, an independent investigation by Privacy Advisory Commission chair Brian Hofer determining that OPD’s assistance in the August 16 raid constituted a violation of the City’s sanctuary city legislation, an internal affairs complaint directed at OPD Chief Anne Kirkpatrick’s false public statements about the ICE raid, and an abrupt cancellation of the previously scheduled public hearing on November 14.

The city’s residents spoke powerfully about wanting city actions to comport with the values of the city’s residents and not federal xenophobia, racism and demonization of people of color and about OPD’s long and troubled relationship with Oakland residents. On the conclusion of the public comment session, the City Council indicated that a resolution by Desley Brooks and Rebecca Kaplan to end all cooperation, assistance, traffic control or interaction of any kind on future ICE raids would meet with council and mayoral approval. That resolution will be heard on December 5 at the Public Safety Committee.

Initial Press Coverage:

East Bay Times

San Francisco Chronicle

KTVU/Fox

Oakland North

Police Militarization, UASI

2018 UASI Requests From Bay Area Law Enforcement

by Tracy Rosenberg • November 28, 2017 • 0 Comments

Every year, Bay Area law enforcement agencies apply for a cornucopia of federal grants to buy stuff to fight the war on terror. This year’s application cycle just ended and the approved grants (not all will be approved) will be announced in the first quarter of 2018. Here are a few of the 2018 requests from our region.

Make Sanctuary Real Videos

by Tracy Rosenberg • November 25, 2017 • 0 Comments

At the November 14 meeting of the Oakland Public Safety Committee, the community rallied after the abrupt removal of the public hearing from the scheduled agenda. A week after this meeting, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf agreed to support ending all cooperation between the Oakland Police Department and ICE.

Mayoral Maneuvering On ICE Raid

by Tracy Rosenberg • November 20, 2017 • 0 Comments

Update: On November 21, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf announced that she would support the Kaplan/Brooks proposal to end all OPD cooperation with HSI and ICE.

KTVU Coverage

After the strong showing in Oakland on November 14, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf and OPD chief Anne Kirkpatrick scheduled a special council agenda item on November 28 to discuss the ICE Raid and consider an OPD request for total impunity to work with HSI/ICE going forward simply by defining a raid as “criminal” – before the public hearing on December 5th – and before CM Kaplan and Brook’s resolution for OPD non-cooperation with ICE can be heard.

City Council members Desley Brooks and Rebecca Kaplan had set this item for a committee hearing with the OPD Chief in attendance on 12-5 only to have the Mayor and City Council President do an endaround and try to rush authorize ongoing OPD cooperation with HSI/ICE.

Oaklanders and other Bay Area residents who want sanctuary legislation taken seriously around the Bay should attend. We need to put a stop to this.

Event announcement is here.

Transparency Ordinance

Oakland and Berkeley Get More Oversight Of Policing

by Tracy Rosenberg • November 15, 2017 • 0 Comments

In a busy night for the Bay Area, both Oakland and Berkeley, cities which will be considering surveillance equipment transparency ordinances in the next month, made important strides towards increasing community oversight of policing and law enforcement.

In Oakland, an overflowing crowd that filled up the full council chamber pushed back against the removal of the Oakland ICE raid public hearing and prevailed: reinstating the hearing for December 5, and starting the process for a revised city policy eliminating future police cooperation with HSI/ICE raids in the city. The group also called for an independent investigation of false statements by the police chief about the raid and the now-terminated memorandum of understanding with ICE.

In Berkeley, acquisitions of military surplus equipment through the DHS 10333 program will now require council approval, an item to address racial profiling in stops data passed unanimously, and the city’s Police Review Commission was given permission to draft up measures to increase their powers, including a possible ballot amendment revising the city charter.