Protesters file excessive force claim against Oakland Unified
Dispute stems from Oct. 23 meeting when police intervened as parents protesting school closures disrupted the school board's meeting
According to the claim, district police “used aggressive take-down maneuvers and baton strikes to cause injuries” and other members of the police and security force “failed to intervene in the use of excessive force and false arrests.”
The claim stems from an Oct. 23 school board meeting where police and security guards stood behind temporary metal barricades that were about 3-feet high to keep the public away from the stage where the board sits after two previous meetings had been disrupted. When one protester jumped over the barricade and others pushed some barricades down, police thrust the public back using batons.
Oakland Unified spokesman John Sasaki said Tuesday that the district does not comment on “pending litigation.” However, in an Oct. 24 press conference about the incident, district police chief Jeff Godown said his staff was “using enough force to keep those protesters off that stage.” The district also said it intended to hire an outside investigator to review the police response and would release the police body cam videos after the investigator reviewed them. The district has not released the CONTINUE READING: Protesters file excessive force claim against Oakland Unified | EdSource
Oakland Unified moves forward with school closures despite protests | EdSource - https://edsource.org/?p=619166 on @edsource