Davka Days

We finally have some much needed moral clarity from someone in a position of city leadership, albeit on a volunteer basis. This past Wednesday at its regular monthly meeting, Bob Bailey, Chair of the Community Police Review Board, issued the following statement on a recent police scandal involving Shaquille Coleman , an unhoused individual who was assaulted and kidnapped by SLPD before being dumped miles away in Oakland. His comments also debunked a simultaneous "scandal" alleged about SLPD Chief Averiett .  *** " Public statement from Bob Bailey @ April 15, 2026 CPRB Meeting As has been noted, the CPRB was unable to place on our agenda for discussion concerns about the ABC TV News stories about SLPD that were aired the week of 3/30 because it is a confidential personnel matter. I am choosing to speak on the matter as an individual member of the CPRB representing the community. My remarks do not speak for the CPRB as a whole. But I believe they are consistent with the ...

Credit to the Bay Area News Group and The San Francisco Chronicle . "San Leandro to pay $3.9 million settlement amid claims officers beat, tased mentally disabled man in 2019. The settlement marks at least the sixth time either officer has been sued over their actions as police officers in the East Bay San Leandro is expected to pay $3.9 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit claiming the city’s police officers brutally beat a mentally disabled man in 2019, causing his brain to bleed so badly that he suffered repeated strokes. The city’s payout comes nearly five years after Sorrell Shiflett, 37, was tased and bludgeoned by two San Leandro police officers while walking with his cousin through a neighborhood in search of a friend’s house, according to the federal lawsuit. The case marks at least the sixth time that either officer — Ismael Navarro or Anthony Pantoja — has been named in a lawsuit claiming they acted violently while working for multiple police departments ac...

It happened in San Leandro back in 2011 with Dewayne Stancill . A highly regarded Black police officer forced out because of racism, politics, and corruption. Now, here we are in 2024 having deja vu. Former SLPD Chief Abdul Pridgen has been fired by the city under, to put it mildly, suspicious circumstances without any actual evidence of wrongdoing having been provided with the specter of expensive litigation looming ahead. I guess I'll weigh in on this with what I know, especially now that Pridgen is officially out. What I have learned is based on information from my own sources, some of whom took great risks to reach out to me, so I can't even share all of what they told me, let alone independently verify all of it. At the same time, because the city is point-blank refusing to release responsive records under the California Public Records Act, despite repeated attempts to get them to do so, even what has been shared publicly is difficult to confirm or deny. So, please, like ...

( View member roster here ) I signed up for the San Leandro Police Chief's Advisory Board to serve my community. I have been working as an advocate, organizer, and activist  here for years, often at the forefront of reimagining public safety and implementing police reform . For my efforts, I've received death threats, racist and antisemitic slurs against my family, having my home and children's daycare doxxed, abusive harassment, swatting attacks, and even attempts to get me fired from my job. Police officers have tried to intimidate me, stalked me outside my home, and attempted to entrap me at community events. So I asked Chief Pridgen why would he want me on the board? His answer was that he wanted to hear from a diverse group of perspectives, that he valued different voices and opinions. He said that he knew how much I cared about San Leandro, that I had a principled and important point of view to share. So, in that spirit of good faith, I accepted his invitation and ...

I recently took a ride-along with a sergeant of the San Leandro Police Department. The revelations that occurred left me pensive and unsettled as I challenged and was challenged about basic principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Yet, at the end of our four-hour appointment, I was able to shake hands with a person whom I disagree with on levels so fundamental that it was a wonder we were able to stay in the same car for 10 minutes. Whether that’s a testament to the sergeant, myself, both of us, or some higher power, I leave for you to discern. But let me back up a bit and provide some context. While this was my first ride-along with SLPD, it wasn’t my first ride-along with law enforcement. I’ve taken ride-alongs with police departments in Costa Mesa (CA), Billings (MT), Las Vegas (NV), Harrison (AR), and Scranton (PA), as well as Border Patrol and the Sheriffs in Imperial County (CA). I’ve also been a victim or almost a victim of many different crimes from childhood t...