Urban Shield

In light of community opposition to the Urban Shield program, the Alameda County board of supervisors revoted Tuesday in a 3-2 decision to implement 60 recommendations, which were initially adopted Feb. 26, that call for demilitarized emergency response training and a community-focused response to disaster.

In its final meeting, the Ad Hoc Committee on Urban Shield approved a report Wednesday containing recommendations for the replacement of Alameda County’s controversial Urban Shield program, which will be reviewed and voted on by the county’s board of supervisors March 12.

Out of the many items and initiatives that Worthington advocated for while on the council, he said his most “significant accomplishments” were giving platforms to younger generations and people of color to serve in public office.

Urban Shield, a training exercise for emergency response teams, sparked controversy when it held its operations in September on a bird nature reserve at Alameda Point that is home to endangered species.

The Stop Urban Shield Coalition organized the rally to coincide with the final scenario exercises and vendor exhibitions of Urban Shield taking place this weekend, according to Jennifer Abella, a Gabriela Oakland member and Stop Urban Shield Coalition organizer. The rally also coincided with the People’s Climate March in San Francisco this Saturday.

Mayor Jesse Arreguín and City Councilmembers Linda Maio, Sophie Hahn, Susan Wengraf and Lori Droste voted in favor of continued Urban Shield participation.

The decision passed with a 5–4 vote, with Mayor Jesse Arreguín and Councilmembers Linda Maio, Sophie Hahn, Lori Droste and Susan Wengraf voting in support.

Staying in Urban Shield hurts the city and the community. It reinforces the deeply concerning behavior we want our police officers to overcome.

Several people held signs during the event to protest Arreguín’s vote recommending the continuation of police participation in Urban Shield, a training program for police and other response teams.