The Informant

By Jayme Catsouphes Last night, members of Occupy Oakland gathered at the Grand Lake Theater to discuss the Oakland Police Department’s crowd control policies and their use of force in response to Occupy demonstrations. The meeting was held in place of a similar event that was to be hosted by the Citizen’s Police Review Board, … Continue reading →

U.S. appeals court rules Prop. 8 unconstitutional Will the case go to the US Supreme Court? (San Francisco Chronicle) Report Data shows no upsurge in Muslim-American terrorism.  (NPR) Supreme Court confirms ruling of judge Who said Ohio can’t be trusted on executions; death penalty on hold. (blog.cleveland.com) Oakland Police Chief pleads for community to join fight against crime 5 shooting deaths and … Continue reading →

Increasing use of facial recognition software Spurs privacy concerns.  (californiawatch.org) Occupying the ‘Wall Street Journal’ Legal questions around Occupy newspapers. (The Atlantic) Occupy Oakland plans anti-police “day of action” Today: rally at noon in downtown Oakland. (Sacramento Bee) Analysis suggests San Jose could cut police, fire jobs In rare finding that departments are “over-staffed. (abclocal.go.com) Assembly rejects 3-tier plan for sex offenders Assemblyman … Continue reading →

By Nicole Jones Howard Jordan was named permanent police chief of Oakland Wednesday. He’d been serving as interim since October after former police Chief Anthony Batts suddenly resigned, citing reasons such as mounting pressure and “limited control, but full accountability” in his job. From working on patrol to the SWAT team, Jordan has a two-decade … Continue reading →

Oakland police release video of Occupy protesters breaking into City Hall In continuing war  over public opinion. (Inside Bay Area) Schoolboy Q On how rappers influence kids to gangbang. (blogs.laweekly.com) Ja Rule thinks prison is “amazing” Ask a stupid question, like “how’s prison?”… (The Washington Post) Realignment presents challenges In housing, mental health treatment.  (Southern CA Press-Enterprise) Howard Jordan named Oakland police chief Why … Continue reading →

California’s youth prisons nearing an end Here’s what counties need to know about returning juveniles.  (San Francisco Chronicle) Occupy Oakland’s Black Panther roots And its distance from other facets of the movement. (motherjones.com) San Quentin housing designation scheme delayed County must decide what they would hypothetically do with the land if the state prison shut down.  (Marin Independent Journal) Matt Gonzalez … Continue reading →

Oakland tries new tactics against Occupy While worrying that there’s not much they can do.  (Inside Bay Area) Prosecutor: Mirkarimi kept his wife isolated In lead-up to domestic violence trial.  (blog.sfgate.com) Ranger uses stun gun On man walking dogs off leash in Montara.  (Inside Bay Area) California Assembly considers softening Three Strikes law Or rather, putting the possibility to voters. (The San Jose … Continue reading →

Almost 400 arrested in Oakland Occupy protests City Hall vandalized; protesters injured. (Inside Bay Area) Did OPD violate crowd control policies? Several journalists arrested with protesters Saturday. (Mother Jones) Wrongfully imprisoned man Awarded $25 million in damages. (Yahoo News: Business) Federal monitors to issue findings on OPD, Occupy Oakland Say they’re “frustrated” with slow progress at department.  (m.oaklandlocal.com) Opinion: Obama needs … Continue reading →