Public uproar at Oakland Council meeting OAKLAND

Dan Siegel was a speaker at a rally on the steps of Oakland City Hall. The Oakland City Council's Public Safety Committee meeting Tuesday heard from hundreds of it's citizens that wanted to voice their opinions about consultant William Bratton, "stop and frisk " policy Tuesday Jan 15, 2013, in Oakland California. less Dan Siegel was a speaker at a rally on the steps of Oakland City Hall. The Oakland City Council's Public Safety Committee meeting Tuesday heard from hundreds of it's citizens that wanted to voice their opinions ... more Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Public uproar at Oakland Council meeting 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Oakland Councilman Noel Gallo came into office last week touting youth curfews and aggressive policing measures like "stop and frisk." But as he chaired his first council committee meeting Tuesday, he got a taste of what those views get a politician in Oakland.

Hundreds of protesters rallied in front of City Hall and then packed the council chambers, and Gallo was shouted down within minutes of the meeting's start. After a five-hour meeting, the committee approved an agreement at the heart of the controversy - extending a consulting contract to advise the Police Department on a citywide crime-reduction program - and moving it to the full City Council next week, where the scene will probably be repeated.

"He hasn't really tarried with Oakland residents yet," said Rachel Herzing, co-director of Critical Resistance, which questions the actions and operations of the criminal justice system from police to prisons. "He hasn't seen how vociferous Oaklanders are when it comes to gang injunctions, anti-loitering ordinances and curfews."

On Tuesday, the issue that brought out all those protesters to the Public Safety Committee meeting was the proposed hiring of consultant William Bratton, a former New York and Los Angeles police chief known for innovative - and aggressive - tactics.

In particular, Bratton has come to be known for "stop and frisk," in which officers seek to reduce crime by stopping and questioning people they deem suspicious. But others see it as pure racial profiling.

Lashing out at Bratton

"William Bratton is the mastermind of stop and frisk, which has led to the harassment of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers - overwhelmingly Latino and black," said Todd Chretien, a longtime organizer and activist with the International Socialist Organization, who helped organize the rally.

Bratton, who will be paid a portion of a $250,000 contract for his work, will help the city develop a short-term crime-fighting strategy. Oakland, the state's most violent city, experienced a 23 percent spike in serious crimes last year.

Some worry this year could be worse. On Friday, four people were shot to death in a six-hour span. This year, there have been six homicides - compared with two at the same time last year.

How - or if - "stop and frisk" will be implemented in Oakland is unclear. It was not on Tuesday's agenda but nonetheless consumed discussion Tuesday.

Protesters held signs with messages that included "OPD stops are terrorism" and "No more stop-and-strip-and-beat-and-shoot-and-kill."

Anticipating the high level of agitation, Police Chief Howard Jordan issued a press release minutes before the meeting stating that the department "firmly and unequivocally stand(s) with our community against racial profiling. The practice is wholly unacceptable and clearly prohibited by our training, policies and by law."

As to "stop and frisk," Jordan said, "the true and obvious expectation of any law enforcement agency is to interact with citizens when and where required and take appropriate action to prevent or resolve criminal activity."

With more than 80 people signed up for public comment, Gallo struggled to hold back the crowd, who hissed, meowed, shouted and heckled city officials and supporters of Bratton.

Crowd is warned

"I'm going to direct the officers to arrest you and move you from the chambers if you don't give our parents and citizens and common courtesy to speak," Gallo said, a refrain he repeated at least three times.

Bob Wasserman, a consultant to the city who will oversee the Bratton hire, said that a key aspect of the crime-reduction plan will be engaging the community through town hall meetings and other forums.

"We have seen here tonight, a tremendous amount of energy - energy which if it could be harnessed, could make a difference on the issue of crime," Wasserman said.

Several residents spoke in support of the Bratton contract. But for many residents, the main issue is increasing the size of the police force. The department has 615 officers, down from 837 just four years ago. Proposals to add a police academy, hire technicians and temporarily bring in Alameda County sheriff's deputies will be brought to the full council Tuesday.

Jim Dexter, a longtime community policing advocate, spoke out in favor of Bratton's hire. But he also said that increasing the police force, which will continue to decline for at least two months because of attrition, is the city's top priority.

"It's a shame for this city to have a police force of 600 or less," said Dexter.

To that, someone in the crowd said, "Let it drop to zero."