Month: June 2020

Picking Chico’s police chief slowed by Covid-19

Reformist citizens group says it represents broad spectrum
by Dave Waddell | Posted June 25, 2020

photo by Karen Laslo
Emily Alma, coordinator of a police reform group that was wrongly accused of political disruption and now has support from a host of mainstream groups.

Two years ago, the Chico Enterprise-Record’s conservative editorial writers – without a shred of cited evidence – suggested in an editorial that members of the police reform group Concerned Citizens for Justice (CC4J) were involved in political disruption and vandalism.

Leaders of CC4J fired back in letters that questioned the responsibility of the E-R’s brand of journalism.

The E-R’s portrayal of CC4J as an extremist group was as short-lived as it was baseless. In fact, today CC4J’s push for Chico to pick a reformer as police chief to succeed Mike O’Brien is attracting support from numerous organizations lodged securely in Chico’s mainstream.

CC4J circulated a letter to some in the community that has been signed by what Emily Alma, the group’s coordinator, described as 40 prominent community groups and individuals. Included are the NAACP, National Association on Mental Illness, Work Training Center, Arc of Butte County, Disability Action Center of Chico, and the Trinity United Methodist Church. read more

What do Chico councilors seek in new top cop?

Q&A on priorities, Floyd killing fallout, community policing
by Dave Waddell | Posted June 13, 2020

photo by Leslie Layton

Mayor Ann Schwab

In Chico’s way of government, the city manager selects the chief of police. Since the city manager, Mark Orme, takes his marching orders from the City Council, ChicoSol thought community members would like to hear from council members about their priorities for the selection of Mike O’Brien’s successor.

O’Brien retired last week after five years as chief. His deputy, Matt Madden, is serving as interim chief.

All seven council members were asked to answer three questions via email and given a week to do so. ChicoSol received responses from five councilors – Sean Morgan, Scott Huber, Alex Brown, Ann Schwab and Randall Stone. Karl Ory and Kasey Reynolds did not respond.

1. What is No. 1 on your priority list in the (city manager’s) selection of the next chief of police? read more

Chico responds: Who are police protecting?

Vice mayor proposes police reform
by Leslie Layton | Posted June 9, 2020

photo by Leslie Layton
Darrisha Daniel

Darrisha Daniel attended the police brutality protest at City Plaza Friday for a simple reason: She believes policing in this country needs a “whole overhaul.”

Daniel, an African American psychology major who recently transferred to Chico State, says too many blacks get caught up in “routine” traffic stops and end up “arrested or even dead for no cause.”

“These days it becomes a question as to, who are they protecting and who are they serving?” Daniel said of police. Law enforcement, she noted, swallows up huge chunks of local budgets and government should ensure that “people in those uniforms are there to protect the community.”

Frustration over racial profiling, senseless killings, and the expense of maintaining police departments that are tasked with managing social problems emerged at City Plaza Friday. read more

Police use of deadly force? Here’s one solution.

Writer to cops: 'Break the blue wall of silence'
by George Gold | Posted June 1, 2020

photo by Mark Comfort courtesy of Wikipedia
In May 1967, Black Panther members protesting police brutality and a new law marched on the State Capitol.

From The Sacramento Bee’s front page in 1967: “Two dozen armed Negroes entered the state Capitol at noon today and made their way to the back of the Assembly Chamber before they were disarmed and marched away by the state police.”

This happened in the midst of the ‘power to the people’ campaign organized to shine a light on police brutality in the Black community. After more than 50 years, has anything changed?

In Los Angeles, 1991, Rodney King was brutally beaten by cops as the whole country watched; somehow he survived.

Unfortunately, there have been thousands more killed unnecessarily at the hands of our police just over the last decade. Police departments across the country are all too often participating in behavior that shocks the conscience… and we all watch. read more