The Alameda County DA Accountability Table seeks justice for all families affected by police violence, urges Price to go further.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2023
CONTACTS:
Kyung Jin, Urban Peace Movement, [email protected]
Joshua Stickney, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, [email protected], (405) 315-4151
Oakland, CA – District Attorney Pamela Price’s administration announced the creation of the Public Accountability Unit, and that they would reopen cases of eight officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths for further review to determine whether charges should be filed or not. These include the murders of Cody Chavez in 2022, Mario Gonzalez in 2021, Agustin Gonsalez in 2018 and Andrew Moppin-Buckskin in 2007.
In response, the Alameda County DA Accountability Table releases the following statement:
We commend Alameda County DA Pamela Price for keeping with her commitments that got her elected, and taking steps toward creating a process for greater accountability for deaths and shootings at the hands of the police.
This news is a step in the right direction. And there is still much to do to transform policing and carceral systems that perpetuate violence and create harm in our community. Families of those named know that more must be done to end systematic racism and prevent other families and communities from experiencing the same tragedies.
“The re-opening of Augie’s case is not enough – the officers responsible need to be held accountable,” said the family of Augie Gonsalez. “While we applaud the act of reopening this case, we hope that this act is accompanied with a conviction. We need the cops prosecuted, convicted, and stripped of their badges so they cannot continue to cause harm to the communities that they are sworn to protect.”
We urge DA Price to reopen many other questionable cases of police violence and misconduct, not only ones involved with shootings and deaths, but those that involve excessive use of force and other misconduct. Strong administrative accountability policies must be placed simultaneously to affirm the DA’s office position against such acts of violence and misconduct at the hands of police.
We also stand with families seeking justice in numerous other cases where police murdered their loved ones but were not named in the DA’s recent announcement. One of these, Erik Salgado was murdered in 2020 by three CHP officers in an Oakland neighborhood. His sister Amanda provided the following statement:
“We are disappointed that Erik’s case was not listed to be reopened,” said Amanda Salgado, sister of slain Erik Salgado. “Erik was murdered by three CHP officers who continue to police Black and brown communities across California. We want Justice for Erik and for those responsible to not be allowed to continue to patrol our streets. We also want CHP accountable: Why were they in a residential community? CHP should never be policing our neighborhoods and putting families and children in danger.”
We call for the review of his and other similar ones that may exist, as well as any deaths or misconduct within Alameda County Santa Rita Jail. Cases such as those of Erik Salgado, Raymond Reyes Jr., and Dujuan Armstrong, among many others that should be reopened for further investigation into police misconduct.
The coalition urges the DA’s office to increase transparency and access to the Public Accountability Unit.
Spokespeople, including advocates, legal and policy experts, and systems-impacted community members, are available upon request.
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The Alameda County DA Accountability Table is a coalition of Bay Area community-based organizations committed to ending mass incarceration, police accountability, and eliminating racism from the criminal legal system.
- Urban Peace Movement
- CURYJ
- Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
- ACLU of Northern California
- East Bay Community Law Center
- The Justice Reinvestment Coalition
- Alameda Participatory Defense Hub