Safety
The monthly vigils were started seven years ago by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity as a way to show support for undocumented immigrant detainees held inside the West County Detention Center.
Last year in June, East Bay-resident Dieudonné Brou graduated from UCLA in African American studies. During his commencement speech, he revealed himself as formerly incarcerated. Even though higher education offers chance to break the cycle of recidivsm, barriers like financial difficulties and social stigma are high for former incarcerated people.
Crescent Park residents and a group of local religious leaders held an event on Saturday in honor of Mark Henderson II, who was shot and killed on April 9. The 29 year old was a well-known member of the community and father to a four-year-old daughter.
Proposition 64, which voters passed in November 2016, not only legalized the adult use of cannabis, but also established protocols for reducing, dismissing and sealing old marijuana-related convictions. That means Californians convicted of cannabis crimes can wipe them away—if they file a petition.
The Richmond Police Department recently went live with a new online portal dedicated to providing statistics and data on law enforcement activities in the city, completing its commitment to the Police Data Initiative started by the Obama administration in 2015. Joining the ranks of Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose, the city’s website, Richmond Open Data, provides general information on categories such as calls for service, traffic stops and use of force incidents in a spreadsheet format, which can be…
“Clark is an actor, musician, and self-described “griot,” a name for an ancient West African storyteller and poet. For the past year, he’s also put his griot skills to use serving as an expert witness in criminal trials, where district attorneys seek to add gang enhancements that can add years to a sentence.”
Richmond Police Sgt. Florencio Rivera lifts a thick leather belt from the trunk of his police cruiser. He points to several objects dangling from it — pepper spray, handcuffs, riot baton, pistol, Taser — and explains: These are just stand-ins. The baton is made of foam, the Taser is unloaded, and the pistol fires Airsoft pellets. Together, they represent a pretend version of the “duty kit” carried by Richmond officers. Rivera is supervising a mock scenario as part of the…