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Residents and activists urge commission to reverse taser decision, cite trust and process concerns
Summary
Multiple public commenters and a commissioner raised serious concerns about a recent taser decision and meeting procedures, citing public opposition, alleged procedural irregularities and calls for greater transparency and civilian participation in OIS reviews.
Several members of the public used the meeting's public comment periods to criticize recent commission action regarding tasers and to raise broader transparency concerns.
A community organizer told the commission the decision had "reset the clock on trust" and invoked the December 2015 killing of Mario Woods to underline community anger, saying public input (cited as 85 percent opposed in the speaker's remarks) was not honored. Another commenter and multiple speakers criticized the expert selection and the public-notice process used in prior hearings and urged the commission to reconsider the decision.
Commissioner De Jesus said she is conferring with the City Attorney about a prior vote, citing incidents where the City Hall building was locked, members of the public were prevented from attending or given limited ability to make public comment, and questioned whether the Brown Act was followed.
No formal policy reversal or vote on tasers occurred during the Nov. 8 meeting. Commissioners and staff acknowledged the strength of public feeling and said they would pursue legal and procedural follow-up where appropriate.
Why it matters: public trust and procedural fairness were central themes. Speakers tied the taser decision to longstanding community concerns about use-of-force policy and oversight. Commission-level follow-up (including consultation with the City Attorney and potential process review) was announced but no immediate change to prior votes was made.
