NAACP Meets With Oakland Police After Allegations Of Excessive Force
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - The police shooting of an unarmed black man prompted a discussion about the use of force by officers in Oakland Thursday.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
In November Derrick Jones was killed by Oakland Police officers who believed he was reaching for a weapon in his waistband. It turned out that all he had on him was a scale. At the request of Police Chief Anthony Batts, the FBI is investigating the incident.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held summit of community leaders Thursday to discuss the Jones killing and other recent incidents of force by OPD. At one of the panels at the hearing, civil rights attorney John Burris said that it's not just police who are the problem, but the fact that there are so many guns on the streets.
"They still have to confront the community they're going to live in, and if people have guns, or if they're not happy and don't respect the police, you're going to have negative reactions to that," said Burris.
Officials at the NAACP may issue a report on what they found and make suggestions for improvement.
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