The Advocate

It's the unofficial slogan of San Leandro. Successive generations of local leaders have repeated it over and over in coffee shops, libraries, and city hall. We print it on banners and campaign mailers. It adorns our meeting rooms and street lights. It's seen as self-evident, a truth we hold without ever asking why, "a city where kindness matters." But does it? Whether we're looking at those sundown town times of the suburban wall, where crosses were burnt on Black family lawns and the police arrested gay men through entrapment, or the murder of Steven Taylor and citywide upheaval that followed during the pandemic years, San Leandro has continued to show that kindness is often the last thing on our minds. There are over 400 homeless people who live here. They're our neighbors, friends, and even family members. Yet, our Chamber of Commerce would have us send them to Oakland and Hayward or, better yet, book them a permanent stay at John George up the hill, if it ...

It has been 18 months since Steven Taylor was murdered by former San Leandro Police Officer Jason Fletcher in less than 40 seconds from when he arrived on scene. It has been 18 months since still active SLPD Officer Stefan Overton was an accessory to the crime, tasing Steven even after he had already been shot. It has been 18 months since the ongoing racism and inequity within San Leandro was laid bare in a way that was impossible to ignore or deny. A judge in the proceedings recently denied Fletcher's motion to dismiss the case.  However, Fletcher didn't bother to appear in court, letting his attorney, Michael Rains of the Oakland Riders police corruption scandal , to bloviate on his behalf. Among the notable remarks were these:  "Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Reardon asked why Fletcher did not wait for his backup since Taylor allegedly posed no immediate threat to anyone when Fletcher arrived at the Walmart at 15555 Hesperian Blvd. on April 18, 2020." ...

The San Leandro City Council is having their next regular meeting this Monday, July 19, beginning at 6:30 PM PDT. What’s on the agenda? Climate action, racial justice, police brutality, mental health crisis response, menthol cigarettes, community health, reimagining public safety, affordable housing, and more besides! The Zoom link is here . Alternatively, you can call in at 1-888-788-0099 or 1-877-853-5247. If you are unable to join in real-time, you can still submit your comments to clerk@sanleandro.org. If you do, make sure to CC citycouncil@sanleandro.org to make sure every elected official gets to read what your voice wants them to hear. That said, let’s start in order of appearance! Agenda Item 1.A, Pledge of Allegiance It’s past time we acknowledge that American was founded on stolen land and slave labor. Without accepting the truth of our history, we are doomed to repeat it. Or, at the very least, commit the same sins in rhyme. Including a land acknowledgment helps ground our c...

Recent reporting from The Mercury News shows SLPD as a participant in a disturbing trend of contracting with a glorified propaganda firm known as Critical Incident Videos, LLC. Run by former TV news reporters, this company is contracted with over 100 local law enforcement agencies to help them sway public opinion in order to justify excessive use of force, especially lethal instances of police brutality. The hallmark of their work is “a 3-D map of the scene, 911 dispatch tapes and text set up a narrative before viewers see selected bodycam footage … a police chief or sheriff opens the video explaining why the shooting was justified. Often, the chief is reading from a script written by an outside consultant. The edited camera footage may not even show the actual use of force – an effect far different from a raw cellphone or body cam video of a confrontation that leaves watchers wondering, “Why did they have to shoot?” But here’s the truly shocking and shameful part: “Less than three ho...

I waited to post until now. I wanted to sit with my feelings about the first official Steven Taylor Day this past April 18, 2021. The day commemorated not his murder by SLPD, but rather his life as a father, a son, a grandson, an artist, an SLHS alumnus, and so much more. He was a human being. His life mattered. It was self-evident, inherent. His worth was more than 40 seconds or $40 dollars of generic retail items. However, because he was a Black man, mentally ill, and homeless, he was discarded, disregarded, callously calculated as less than and less deserving than. Sadly, his story is not unique or even rare. It's why Steven Taylor Day was also made into a memorial for every life, every victim, every survivor, every family touched by police violence. It’s a reminder that racism is not a bygone era or fringe feeling. It was built into the foundations of our nation, intertwined within our institutions, our values, our way of life. So, yes, I wanted to sit with it, because so much ...