Public Comment

Since 2013, the Bay Area has been trying to transform Alameda County Sheriff Ahern’s Urban Shield from a highly militarized SWAT competition and weapons expo devoted mainly to policing into a community-focused safety and resilience exercise.

And now we are almost there. After six years of struggle on the streets, before government entities, and in the court of public opinion, Urban Shield may end on February 26.... with your help.

The second Alameda County task force has completed its work and issued a long and thorough list of recommendations that include ending a weapons expo that features military-grade weapons and high-tech spying and crowd control gadgets, ending the violent SWAT competition to focus on training other first responders, and directing $5 million in new funding to health and social services. 

Now the recommendations come before the Alameda Board of Supervisors – who commissioned the task force - and we need to make the adoption of them by the Supervisors a reality. That means countering the Sheriff's Department all-out defense of the status quo with pressure of our own. 

You can take action right now:  

• Write to the Board of Supervisors with this easy one-click action and share it with others.
  
• Join the opposition to Urban Shield at the Alameda Administration Building on February 26 at 10:45am as the issue comes before the Board of Supervisors. Shield: 1221 Oak Street, 5th Floor Oakland.