It’s interesting to read all these posts on platforms like Next Door about how upset people are to see individuals accused of crimes being set free and how traumatizing it is. People are expressing that the scars from these crimes will have a long-lasting impact, and we have been urged by one poster ‘to let that sink in’.
There is no doubt that this city (Oakland)is filled with people who have experienced trauma. Many have been traumatized by decades of police violence and by fellow citizens who have gaslit these victims, claiming that police abuse is rare and that we should support the beleaguered officers who are simply doing their jobs.
Large segments of the population have been frustrated and traumatized by witnessing abusive cops who not only roam the streets and patrol neighborhoods where they have caused harm but are also frequently promoted and hailed as heroes. For instance, the cop who recently shot 11-year-old Aderrien Murray, who called the police because his mom was being beaten by her ex-boyfriend, was deemed Cop of the Year, despite accumulating numerous civilian complaints.
One of the many cops implicated in the recent scandal in Antioch, involving the exchange of racist and homophobic text messages, had previously been sued for falsely arresting and abusing citizens, including a respected journalist. He not only rose through the ranks but also headed the police union. He is one of the officers deeply involved in the racist text messaging scandal.
Even though some of these cases may have occurred in other cities, they are still traumatizing, much like mass shootings or plane crashes can be. Locally, people have had to witness for decades as former DAs Tom Arloff and Nancy Omally refused to prosecute abusive and killer cops, as did hundreds of DAs across the country.
What has been traumatizing is watching video after video of cops killing Black and Brown individuals without facing any punishment. Exhibits have been held right here in Oakland, displaying the names and pictures of hundreds of people victimized by the police.
Next week, there will be a significant event for a woman whose unarmed husband was killed by the police, which subsequently led to her young son committing suicide.
We must remember that the killing of individuals like 12-year-old Tamir Rice, 13-year-old Andy Lopez, or, here in Oakland, Gary King or Demarious Hogg, without any prosecution, is the ultimate trauma. However, thousands of citizens have suffered at the hands of abusive cops who harbored and displayed hateful racist and homophobic attitudes, as revealed in the text messages exchanged by Antioch police or the bending of badges by Vallejo police to symbolize a kill or beating.
Others have had to endure and be traumatized by the disrespect directed toward women, as demonstrated by dozens of cops involved in the Céleste Guap case that plagued OPD.
Time and time again, we have witnessed unchecked abuses of cops due to unwilling DAs, restrictive laws, vague policies supported by court rulings, and exacerbated unaccountability as many of these cops get promoted.
We should not forget that none of the cops involved in the Oakland Rider scandal went to jail. Some even found jobs as cops in other cities. How traumatic is that?
Many are lamenting the ascension of Pamela Price to DA while overlooking the journey she took to get there. They are also overlooking the trauma shared by their fellow citizens who not only suffer the most from crime but are also routinely brutalized, disrespected, and dehumanized by the police.
Pam is one of 40 DAs elected around the country who ran on a platform of justice system reform and holding rogue cops accountable.
Many who voted did not forget that her opponent refused to work with the families abused by police and prosecute the other cops responsible for the horrific death of Oscar Grant.
Over the years, people who were being abused by police were told to go out and organize and get off their butts and go vote if they don’t like things.. People did just that.
Another motivating factor was the continued over-the-top racism displayed on platforms like this..It has been a reminder that many of our neighbors have little or no love for us and definitely no empathy for the trauma many have been dealing with…Let that sink in
ANTIOCH POLICES TALKED ABOUT MY SON, MALAD BALDWIN ON PAGE 11 OF 21 PAGE TEXT. HE DIED AT THEIR HANDS 2021. MANY YEARS OF ABUSE THEY DID TO HIM. I WITNESSED SOME INCIDENCES. A BROKEN MOTHER I AM SO HURT. GOD HELP ME