East Bay Gray Panthers

General Meeting

January 26, 2022

Start time: 13:30

Attending:

Betsy Morris

Judy Jackson

Raines Cohen

Angeles Gottheil

Pamela Price (guest speaker)

Carol Crooks

Robert Magarian

Daveed Mandel

Cheral

Nancy Stevens

Nancy Scott

Marcia Kimmell

Rivka Polatnick

Adrianne Aron

Sylvia Chapman

Michael Ruchlis

Norma JF Harrison

Chappellhome

Maria Sol

Helen Walsh

Tiombe Kambon

Tony Chapelle

Ms. Richie Smith

Michai Freeman

Arlene Hip

Carole Marasovic

Pamela Price (guest speaker)

What does D.A. do?

• D.A. is elected and does not report to A.G., county supervisors, or any other body
  40%+ of employee's in Alameda county court system worked at DA office - big link between offices
  From beginning to end the D.A. is at the center of the decisions that get made in our criminal justice system
• What types of crimes are going to be prioritized?
• Are we going to have alternative courts and restorative justice opportunities?
• D.A. also advocates at the state level, supporting or opposing legislation

Grand jury of Alameda County

• Anyone can file a claim
• Main role is to monitor the behavior of county officials, misuse of funds, etc.
• Staffed by D.A. office or county council

211 system - Helen Walsh

• Is the D.A. going to address accessibility of information in this age of the digital divide?
• Pamela - create interdisciplinary commissions to bring together people from the community to talk about the specific issues that we can work on in Alameda County

What can D.A. do to create access to land and housing?

• Pamela - Tell police to not destroy people's property or evict people from the places where they find sanctuary
• We have all this vacant land in Oakland - we are not going to incarcerate people because they are unhoused
• Overcome and cut through bureaucratic obstacles
• Safe vehicle parking (Betsy)

Nancy Stevens - calling in from a nursing facility where she gets the constant medical care that she needs 

• What power does D.A. have to address staffing shortages at nursing facilities?
• Pamela - D.A. has the mandate to regulate these facilities in compliance with the law
• There is an opportunity for D.A. to put the resources that are available into the enforcement of the law
• CANHR.ORG
• essentialcaregiverscoalition.org

Probate court - NAACP, Berkeley chapter member

• Nancy O'Malley started to bring forward grand jury but stalled
  Need to hold grand jury to determine if there is mistreatment of Black/POC community in probate court
  It's peoples bread and butter and no one currently wants to "cut off their bread"
  Pamela - thinks he covered it very well
• Mr. Powell had to pay 750K to save his home
  South Berkeley member
• Lives near the Here/There camp site
• Member of Friends of Adeline
• Carol Morosovic (bad connection, couldn't take notes)
• Michai Freeman (bad connection, couldn't take notes)

Bernadette

• Regarding safety for people living in their vehicles- they're being stalked by police and residents and ticketed regularly
  D.A. does have power to influence how people living in their vehicles are treated