Oakland Abolishes School Police Department

The Oakland Unified School District abolished its own police force at a school board meeting on Wednesday night, bowing to the wishes of radical left-wing activists and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The decision came a day after the Los Angeles Unified School District board could not agree on a similar proposal. It follows nationwide demands from activists, including many Democrats, to defund or abolish the police.

The San Jose Mercury News reported:

In an unanimous vote, the board passed the “George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate Oakland Schools Police Department.” The annual $2.5 million spent on the 10 sworn officers and police administrators is instead expected to be redirected toward other student support services and restorative justice efforts.

Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell has from August until Dec. 31 to build a new alternative safety plan, which will include input from a committee of community members and other stakeholders.

Of the nearly 30 speakers who addressed the board Wednesday, all were in favor of the elimination of the police force. Some spoke about how black and brown students can feel dehumanized, disrespected and generally not safe with having police on campus. Others urged the board to set an example for the nation in their act of removing police.

The organization Black Organizing Project helped craft and bring the resolution to the board. Jessica Black, its organizing director, addressed the board about the importance of the resolution and her organization’s fight for the last 10 year[s] to remove the police from schools.

Meanwhile, across the bay in San Francisco, the board voted to sever ties with the local police department.

Police provide protection for schools against gang violence in the hallways and mass shooting events.

Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly disagree with the idea of defunding or abolishing the police, though some surveys show a majority of Democrats favor the idea.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, is available for pre-order. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.