Anti-police brutality forum in Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Oakland city leaders and community activists met face-to-face Saturday to seek common ground.
The activists want the city to strengthen policy condemning police brutality against minorities and to allow them to protest without facing arrest.
The planning for the meeting has been in the works since December, at the height of when the Black Lives Matter protests were going on.
The forum was requested by City Council President Lynette McElhaney. It included remarks from Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
One of the sessions examined studies of police interactions with people of color in Oakland.
One of the more spirited, and controversial moments came when council members called up protesters who chained themselves together during a black lives matter protest on a BART platform. Their action shut down service that morning for quite a while.
Oakland City Council Member Desley Brooks asked BART board members to sign a pledge to have charges against the protesters dropped.
"That the $70,000 in restitution, not be asked for and that no community service or restorative justice be suffered," said Brooks.
BART board member Robert Rayburn said he could not make that commitment at this time. He says he was sympathetic to the protesters, but the charges are in the hands of the district attorney. The forum did come up with suggestions that will be shared with the rest of the city council during its regular meeting on Feb. 3.
