A drone spotted in Berkeley last October. Photo: William Newton The Berkeley City Council voted last week to enact a one-year moratorium on the use or acquisition of drones by the Berkeley Police Department. The Feb. 24 vote came despite the fact that the department had no plans to get or use a drone. “We don’t own […]
Peace & Justice Commission
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Berkeley council refers community policing package to city manager
The Berkeley City Council at a meeting in late January. Photo: Emilie Raguso The Berkeley City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to ask the city manager to assess a long list of issues related to community-police relations and bring back a report on potential associated costs and related efforts that are already underway. The broad […]
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Berkeley town hall examines race, police relations
About 200 people attended a special Berkeley City Council meeting on Jan. 17, 2015 to talk about police and community issues. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel More than five weeks after Berkeley police used tear gas, smoke bombs, and over the shoulder baton strikes to control a crowd protesting the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, […]
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety
Berkeley adopts anti-bias policing policy, commits to collecting data on race
Berkeley Police officers patrolling at night: a new policing policy adopted unanimously by the City Council aims to address alleged racial profiling when police make stops. Photo: Emilie Raguso Berkeley Police officers patrolling at night: a new policing policy adopted unanimously by the City Council aims to address alleged racial profiling when police make stops. Photo: Emilie […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime, Crime & Safety
Community comes out for NAACP forum on alleged racial profiling by police
The father of Kayla Moore, who died in police custody last year, was one of many community members to attend a forum Saturday, May 10, about perceived racial profiling by the Berkeley Police Department. Photo: Emilie Raguso More than 100 community members turned out to the Berkeley Public Library over the weekend to share or hear stories […]
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Drone technology in Berkeley may see further study
Advocates calling to make Berkeley a “no drone zone” set up in front of Tuesday night’s council meeting to spread the word. Photo: mary mad Tuesday evening, the Berkeley City Council delved into the sticky issue of drone regulation, and plans to take an even deeper look at the related ramifications at some point in the future. […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime, Crime & Safety, Fire
Drone battle to come before Berkeley City Council
Two quadricopter drones, typical of the designs popular with hobbyists. Photo: Gregor Hartl/Ars Electronica More than a year after the Berkeley City Council asked three city panels to take a look at the use of drones around town, two starkly different recommendations are slated to come before officials in a special work session later this […]
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Berkeley considers becoming a No Drone Zone
Two quadricopter drones, typical of the designs popular with hobbyists. Photo: Gregor Hartl/Ars Electronica Berkeley City Council will tonight consider a proposal from the Peace & Justice Commission to ban the use of drones — unmanned aerial vehicles — in the city’s airspace. The recommended ordinance would also prohibit the city, or any agency of the city, […]
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Berkeley declares Native American code names offensive
Goyathlay, who was named Geronimo by Mexicans in the 19th century Berkeley city officials adopted a resolution this week honoring the Native American leader Geronimo, but decided against asking President Obama to apologize for using his name in the May mission to kill Osama bin Laden. Instead, the city council asked the President to retroactively […]
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Peace & Justice Commission to Obama: Apologize
Berkeley’s Peace & Justice Commission wants the city to send a letter to President Obama, demanding he take off the name “Geronimo” from the operation that killed Bin Laden.
Posted inCity
Can Berkeley live with not being nuclear-free?
When Berkeley voters were asked in 1986 to make the city a nuclear-free zone, Gordon Wozniak was among the thousands who cast his ballot in support of the measure. It was the height of the Cold War and Ronald Reagan was president. The United States and the Soviet Union were racing to see which country […]
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Berkeley won’t welcome Guantanamo Bay detainees
Bradley Manning, Photo courtesey of The Telegraph Berkeley won’t be offering a home any time soon to former Guantanamo Bay detainees. And it won’t be calling Private Bradley Manning a hero, either. The City Council on Tuesday night rejected a proposal to invite two former Gitmo prisoners to come and live in Berkeley. However, the […]