The Advocate

If you grew up during the 80s and 90s, you probably remember a lot of the dime-store paperbacks like The Boxcar Children, Hardy Boys, Babysitter’s Club, the Christy Miller series, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, The Counterfeit Collection, as well as many more. Well, the folks at Paperback Paradise have taken these treasured “classics” and turned them into the amazingly, searingly comedic titles you never knew you needed. Until now! I particularly enjoy their greatest hits , with selections such as: Either of You Boys Want a Coke? He’s Wearing the Same Shirt from His Profile Unrelatable White Rivalry Gonna Let This Mother Burn Sinners Who Met God’s Wrath She Posted Two Selfies in a Row Who Forgot to Pray for Clean Water? As well as a whole host of even funnier NSFW titles that’ll ruin your childhood! Take 5 minutes today for some wicked macabre humor with a heavy dose of nostalgia and cringe. Trust me, you’ll love it and thank me. Take note and take care.

If you weren’t able to hop on Zoom this past Saturday, no worries! Because our San Leandro hosting organizations have put up the recording for your convenience and reference. Click over to https://youtu.be/n3IMmOD9m4U to watch the entire forum from introductions through the entire Q&A, as well as access to the side-bar chat conversations! (You can spot yours truly debunking points raised by someone from the audience who supports access to assault weapons.) The recording allows you to skip back and forth with relative ease to parse through each question and every response. Before you cast your ballot for this special election primary by June 29, you should watch the forum. Listen to what the candidates did (and, in some cases, did not) say on a variety of problems posed by the hosting organizations, as well as general inquiries from those in the audience. Here were my top 10 questions to consider when reviewing the candidate’s statements: *** 1. If elected, what specific steps will

This webinar on police oversight was hosted by local community-based organization SLATE, San Leandro for Accountability, Transparency, and Equity. "Our mission is to advocate for responsible and effective community oversight of law enforcement, and to reimagine public safety beyond policing by supporting community-based programs that help San Leandro residents thrive." The video runs just under an hour, including both an informational segment as well as a Q&A. Everything here is San Leandro specific, on what could work in our city and what could address the deep-seated needs in our community. I highly recommend taking the time to watch this presentation in full. The benefits of police oversight not only save lives and money, it actually improves the performance of law enforcement, creating trust between them and the people they serve. After you finish watching, head on over to SLATE's website at https://slatecoalition.org/ to learn more, find out about other upcoming

Interested to hear what the candidates for Assembly District 18 have to say on social justice topics that matter to you? Join in via Zoom this Saturday, June 12, at 1:00 pm for a virtual candidate forum! You’ll get a chance to submit questions to the candidates and hear them talk about how their platforms will address pressing crises around racism, climate justice, police brutality, and more. The event is co-hosted by Our Revolution San Leandro, San Leandro 2050, San Leandro for Accountability Leadership and Transparency (SLATE), the San Leandro Democratic Club, Oversight San Leandro, and Unity in the Community. Register now at tinyurl.com/AD18SLForum! Take note and take care.

On June 3, San Leandro for Accountability, Transparency, and Equity (SLATE) is having an informational session as well as volunteer orientation meeting for community police oversight in San Leandro. As you may be aware, our city manager and elected officials are looking at implementing oversight models to incorporate best practices for policing in our city. They have been speaking with community organizers as well as local leaders to solicit our input and expertise. They have also been consulting with the OIR Group, SEED Collaborative, and the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE). While this initiative is not new, recent events locally, regionally, and nationally, have shown the need for meaningful police reform. Indeed, over 250 residents, activists, organizers, leaders, and representatives from community groups in San Leandro have signed an open petition supporting it. WHO: This informational session for anyone who is interested in community police

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

As many of you may know, juries are a major part of my current career. So, in honor of this year's Juror Appreciation Week mandated by the California Legislature to celebrate those who serve as jurors, I thought I would share some interesting information about juries here and abroad. The first jury trial in America was held in 1630 in Plymouth. The case was that of John Billington who was accused of murdering fellow Mayflower colonist John Newcomin. The jury found the defendant guilty of "willful murder by plain and notorious evidence," and he was executed by hanging. Governor John Bradford later wrote that the jury had taken "all possible pains in the trial." Eliza Stewart Boyd was the first woman in America ever selected to serve on a jury. In March 1870, her name was drawn from the voters’ roll to serve on the grand jury to be convened later that month. Soon after the grand jury was convened, five other Laramie women made history becoming the first women in t