by members of Critical Resistance

We continue to see charges against many of the people criminalized for reacting to Oscar Grant, III’s execution. The ongoing support of people facing charges is just a small piece of the widespread community efforts to keep pressure and attention on a range of demands around law enforcement in Oakland.

Having these charges dropped against the majority of the demonstrators is a true victory.  It is incredibly important for the people who were facing a variety of charges.  We must not forget, though, that this victory is just one step forward.  Having the charges dropped does not shift the fundamental problem of how policing works in the first place.

Residents of Oakland, particularly young people of color, continue to be targeted and brutalized on a daily basis on the streets of Oakland - not just during protests.  The aggressive use of force by the OPD during the past months is just the tip of the iceberg.

We need long-lasting solutions to violence in our communities that we build from the ground up and that make us stronger collectively.  This system is an occupying force in our neighborhoods. Just as we would not heal a burn with fire, we cannot rely on this same system to provide us with real and meaningful remedies.

We know that taking one cop off the street, or even charging him with murder won’t change the role policing plays in our lives. We know that swapping one DA for another does not change who the court system serves or who it targets.  These acts may soothe us temporarily or appeal to our rage over the ways that we are continually dehumanized. It is completely understandable to want to see the forces of oppression – who so often act with impunity – held accountable. But, to bring ourselves any closer to self-determination, to long-lasting change, we need to address to roots of the problem instead of relying on a legal system that perpetuates, strengthens and thrives on the violence of poverty, white supremacy, homophobia and sexism.

• We need to continue to show up at court dates and hearings to support everyone swept up during the demonstrations.
  
  
• We need to witness and record acts of police violence not just to hold accountable the OPD and BART police, but to show that we are strong, we are watching out for each other, and we are not afraid.
  
  
• We need to resist the idea that policing our communities is common sense. We already have the power and the knowledge to address violence in our own communities without the police and many of us have been doing that for decades. It means building relationships with our neighbors and community.  It means supporting and looking out for each other.  It means making sure everyone has enough food to eat, stable shelter and ways of making a living for our families.  None of these things require policing but they do require real safety and sustainability.
  
  
• We need to challenge the idea that any arrest is a justified arrest, that prosecuting any harm is a solution to the problems of violence and repression in communities of color and poor communities caused by policing.  The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.  We must ask ourselves how do we build the world we want to live in right now and not just how can we protect ourselves? The solutions are up to the people to create.
  
  

A Plan for a Safer Oakland

Oakland needs a real plan for safety, not the criminalization of poverty.  We know prisons and police don't keep us safe.  Fight for all of Oakland's residents by standing up for true safety: housing jobs, access to education and health care, and real support for former prisoners returning home.

1. Re-entry Support & Services for People Returning from Prison -- If we truly want to reduce the cycles of re-imprisonment and keep people OUT of prison, we need to support successful transitions home by giving formerly imprisoned people access to education, job training, transportation, treatment programs, and employment.
   
   
2. Invest in People, Not Police and Prisons -- We want to put an end to expensive and ineffective programs like curfews, Three Strikes, and police collaboration with ICE (immigration officials) that criminalize people of color and our youth.
   
   
3. Stand up for Youth -- Instead of locking young people in cages, The City of Oakland should develop alternative community-based systems that help youth to flourish and learn without punishment and separation from their families and communities. Instead of spending money on police and prisons, let’s properly fund our schools and youth centers and sign on to the Children’s Bill of Rights.