Fall 2022 Updates from Safe Organized Spaces
By Daniel Barth, Executive Director of Safe Organized Spaces Richmond
Ramon Quintana from Collaborising and O’Neill Fernandez from SOS. Integral partnerships are created when funds are shared among organizations large and small, such as Collaborising and LifeLong Medical Care. Photo Credit: Maurice Tierney
Safe Organized Spaces Richmond (SOS) continues to fulfill its commitments to the city in our first year of funding, delivering on promises of jobs, encampment services, and working toward safe living spaces.
Our most recent accomplishment was helping clear the Rydin Road encampment. After residents were provided alternative temporary housing, the city had the task of making sure the street was properly cleared of debris and cleaned.
Read moreHonoring Pedie’s Memory and Legacy in Richmond
By Reimagine Richmond
On Sept 10, 2022 from 6-9 pm, loved ones will gather to honor Pedie Perez, and acknowledge eight years since losing him to police violence. The vigil will be held outside of Uncle Sam’s Liquors, 3322 Cutting Blvd, Richmond.
Read moreONS - Alternatives to Policing Pays Off
By Reimagine Richmond
The city of Richmond’s Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) will receive $6 million from the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Program. This money is to be used by ONS to continue its violence prevention efforts in the community. The 2021 budgetary allocation recommended by Reimagine Public Safety Community Task Force and approved by a majority of City Council members enabled ONS to apply for the $6 million in state funds.
Read moreThe Next Step in Police Accountability: A Look at RPD’s Expiring Contract
By Reimagine Richmond
Any time one sector of municipal government workers get a raise, police officers get a raise. If city workers get a raise, police get a raise. If city management gets a raise, police get a raise. If police management gets a raise, police officers get a raise. If firefighters get a raise, police get a raise.
Read moreRoad Safety is Public Safety
By Jamin Pursell
Over the last century, the automobile has become a potent symbol of traditional Americana. The Ford assembly line brought the car to the American masses in 1913. At only $260 by 1925, the Model T was affordable, costing the average worker only a few months' wages. During that time, Prohibition created an industry for the American Bootlegger. Bootleggers drove vehicles called “stock cars” to distribute their illicit goods, making them small, fast vehicles to better evade the police. Drivers also modified vehicles for speed, handling, and increased cargo capacity. The early NASCAR drivers used those same cars in Daytona Beach.
Read moreHow Much are Richmond Police Being Paid?
By Mike Parker and Shiva Mishek*
Richmond police officers are better-compensated than officers in surrounding communities. Oakland comes close, with officers being compensated an average of $279,869.87 annually to Richmond’s $283,866.50.
The claim that police officers are leaving Richmond because they are not being paid enough does not fit the data. According to TransparentCalifornia.com data for the latest year available (2020), the average total pay plus benefits for RPD staff is higher than in comparable surrounding communities. While the base pay for police officers in all of these communities starts out roughly the same, overtime plus extras quickly boost the average.
Read moreExtend the Public Safety Task Force
At the upcoming City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 14, the council will consider whether to extend the Reimagining Public Safety Community Task Force, whose mandate is set to expire on September 30. It is crucial that our community voice its support for the Task Force’s continuation.
Read moreExploding Fireworks
Richmond has a fireworks problem. For some of our residents, it feels like July 4th has become an entire season.
Read moreTom Butt Doesn’t Understand Public Safety
Mayor Butt’s obsession with Reimagine Public Safety Community Task Force member Tamisha Torres-Walker continues. Torres-Walker, who serves as a City Councilwoman in Antioch, recently made a call for the hiring of four more police officers in the district she represents.
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