A coalition of Oakland organizations is denouncing local California Highway Patrol pursuit practices following the death of a pedestrian hit by a fleeing driver in a suspected stolen car last month.
The coalition is fighting recent pushes by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell to loosen rules regulating how and when OPD can chase suspects.
Current OPD policy permits officers to chase people suspected of committing a violent crime, having used a firearm to commit a crime, or are in possession of a firearm. Unless a supervisor authorizes a high-speed chase, police officers are not allowed to exceed 50 mph on city streets.
In 2024, Newsom directed the CHP to expand their presence in Oakland in a reported effort to combat high crime levels. The state agency does not have the same chase restrictions as their OPD counterparts.
Making demands
Cat Brooks, co-founder and executive director of the police watchdog group Anti Police-Terror Project spoke at a Thursday afternoon rally outside the CHP’s Oakland office and read a list of demands to OPD and the CHP on behalf of the coalition.
“Your job as law enforcement is to protect and act safely. CHP must adhere to Oakland’s local police chase policies. OPD must not change their policies. We want Gavin Newsom to remove the 120 CHP officers he sent to Oakland. And we want restitutions for those impacted,” Brooks said.
“This isn’t a new fight for us. We have been wrangling with the city and the state. High-speed chases don’t solve crimes,” she said.
Marvin Boomer Jr. was near the intersection of East 21st Street and 12th Avenue with his partner on May 28 when 18-year-old Eric Scott Hernandez-Garcia allegedly lost control of a suspected stolen car while fleeing from CHP officers, hitting them both and killing Boomer.
The death of Boomer was felt throughout the community, including Castlemont High School where he taught and was an academic coach.
Thursday’s rally was made up of a coalition of several local groups. The Anti Police-Terror Project, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, Bike East Bay, and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. The leaders in these organizations called for greater accountability of CHP practices.
APTP director of organizing Refilwe Gqajela said, “When another law enforcement agency that does not have similar oversight is brought in, that’s a clear weaponizing of these so-called mutual aid policies between law enforcement agencies to undermine oversight and the safety that our community has long fought for.”
‘The antithesis of safer streets’
Bike East Bay co-executive director of mobility justice Justin Hu-Nguyen talked about how the design of Oakland streets can contribute to dangerous crashes.
“It’s harder to go 100 mph on Telegraph than it is to down International Boulevard. The streets that enable these high-speed chases are often big and wide. This then scares people from not taking cars,” he said.
Hu-Nguyen said the city should take steps to design streets to be “slow and safe.” He said, “Having high speed chases is the antithesis of safer streets.” Frankie Ramos, director of campaigns and organizing of CURYJ, said she wanted to see more investment in crime prevention and alternatives to policing for Oakland.
“Why would CHP not follow Oakland procedures? There is no reason to value property over life or act reckless and violent when you are in a different jurisdiction,” she said.
She went on to say, “Invest in life coaches and youth programs and community peacekeeping teams and violence interrupters, and all these things have a positive impact and do prevent situations of violence from escalating into further violence.”
Oakland police and the CHP declined to comment on the rally held Thursday.
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