The Future of Public Safety in Berkeley

A New Vision for Safety in our Community

Black Lives Matter mural being painted on Allston Way between Berkeley High School and City Hall, June 9, 2020.

Over the past month, people across Berkeley and our nation have made their message abundantly clear that we need to transform our approach to public safety. We cannot think that the old ways of doing things will work; not just from a budgetary standpoint, but also from a social justice standpoint. I am committed to not just reimagining policing, but our investment in and approach to community health and safety more broadly. We will do this thoughtfully, but the public comments and feedback from the community we have received demonstrate once again what a remarkable city this is. Our community is engaged, they are intelligent, and they are willing to put in the work to make a difference. With all of your energy we can identify what safety looks like for everyone.

To quote the language of a resolution passed by the Minneapolis City Council: "decades of police reform efforts have not created equitable public safety in our community, and our efforts to achieve transformative public safety will not be deterred by the inertia of existing institutions, contracts, and legislation". I think this summarizes some of the challenges that we face and the need for us to be bold and visionary, and also to be inclusive and transformative in how we approach this conversation. 

With this in mind, I am working with my Council colleagues on introducing an item on July 14 to initiate a robust process of community engagement in looking at ways to reduce the scope and investment in policing, improve the response and accountability of public and community agencies, and re-invest in racial equity. 

As we decide the future of our budget and policing, I look forward to working with the community in discussing how we can invest in mental health and social services programs to make sure our budget is a reflection of our values. Going forward as part of the bigger conversation, we need to bring our entire community together, but listen most intently to those that have been historically marginalized and under-served by our current system of public safety: our African American community, communities of color, LGTBQ, and other victims of harm.

As someone who is Latino, I have experienced racism throughout my life. While the impacts of systemic racism are felt across communities of color, we need to recognize the impacts on the African American community go back for generations. We need to right these wrongs to make sure Berkeley is at the forefront of progressive policing and progressive policy. Together, we can create a new vision for safety in our community.