Protesters urge cuts to Oakland police budget

OAKLAND, Calif. - Protesters in Oakland gathered for three, separate demonstrations this morning to call for city leaders to cut the Oakland Police Department budget.

One of the demonstrations took place in front of the Studio Art Center in West Oakland, another was a car caravan demonstration that lined up near Merritt College, and the earliest demonstration, at 7:30  a.m., happened in the Fruitvale district.

Members of various neighborhood and community organizations took their demonstration to the home of Oakland City Councilmember, Noel Gallo.

Protesters called on Gallo to commit to supporting the idea of cutting the Oakland Police Department budget by 50 percent or about $150 million.

"We don't need more armored vehicles, we don't need more tear gas, we don't need more rubber bullets," said Oakland Rising political drector, Liz Suk. "We need funding for services that are critical."

Protesters want Oakland city leaders to re-direct money from the police department budget to social programs.

"We know police don't keep us safe," said George Galvis, executive director of Communities United for Restorative Justice.  "Stable housing, educational opportunities, that's what will keep us safe. We spend millions of dollars in police abuse settlements every year. Why does that come out of our taxpayer pockets?"

Gallo listened to the protesters and said he was worried about keeping people safe in Oakland schools and neighborhoods if city leaders cut police budgets.

"If I do make those reductions, where do I send the money to support the kids and children?" he said.

Gallo stopped short of committing to support a major cut to the police department budget, adding: "I can cut it all but the mayor gets to choose where to send it."

Member organizations at the protest said they could use the funds to provide additional services. "We can build a community of safety, rather than have the police terrorize us, and terrorize black and brown lives," Suk said.