Oakland Councilmember Calls For Defunding OPD By At Least $25 Million
OAKLAND (CBS SF) – An Oakland City Councilwoman said Sunday night on social media that she will propose reallocating at least $25 million from the city's police department to mental health, parks and recreation, homelessness prevention, school safety, youth programs and other social services.
In a tweet Sunday night, Nikki Fortunato Bas said, "I hear your call 4 police accountability, community investment + transformation. Council must ask: how much of a police budget + how many officers do we need to keep our communities safe? I propose reallocating at least $25M to community."
In another tweet, Fortunato Bas said that, "In the past week, Alameda, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia and other cities have proposed or pledged to reduce police resources and invest more in community. It's time, Oakland."
On her website, Fortunato Bas elaborates further on the defunding concept and what she hopes it would accomplish. The longer discussion can be seen at http://www.nikki4oakland.com/safety.
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