Hours after the guilty verdict of former police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, about 70 people gathered at Fresno City Hall to breathe a collective sigh of relief. But the focus quickly shifted forward as several speakers said that the work of police reform is only beginning. "This last year...
Baines Gets Personal with Emotional Comments as Police Reform Panel Wraps
For four months, Oliver Baines held his emotions in check while leading a 39-member commission on the contentious issue of police reform. A former councilman and Fresno police officer, Baines was asked to guide the city through a process aimed at addressing issues that have been simmering for decades. After...
Police Reform Panel Struggles to Keep Everyone on the Same Page as Deadline Nears
A virtual meeting of the Fresno Commission for Police Reform turned into more than 5 hours of back and forth bickering about rules Monday night that ultimately led to the tabling of many recommendations up for discussion. For example, the panel's subcommittee on police oversight produced 29 recommendations, but the full...
PD Reform Commission Debates Cops on Campus, Breaking the Chains
The Fresno Commission on Police Reform held a marathon five-hour meeting, hearing updates from its four subcommittees and proposed changes, as well as news that a community survey is underway. The commission's request for more time to complete its work was granted by Fresno City Council President Miguel Arias. The...
Calls to Defund Fresno Police Continue as Commission Seeks More Time
The Fresno Commission on Police Reform resumed business with a public meeting on Monday night that included more calls to defund the department. As it gets closer to the deadline for issuing its reform recommendations, the group continues to seek an extension of its 90-day mandate. Also in Politics 101: D'Aungillique...
COVID-19 Can’t Keep Fresno From Honoring Juneteenth
Just because the traditional Fresno Juneteenth celebrations were canceled, didn't mean people couldn't party and protest. In a slightly condensed version, hundreds gathered in the triple-digit heat at Cultural Arts Park on Friday night to dance, mingle and protest. The refreshed Black Lives Matter movement took center stage, as speakers...
Baines Casts Wide Community Net for Police Reform Commission Members
Oliver Baines says he welcomes having 36 members serving with him on the Fresno Commission on Police Reform. "Anyone that wanted to serve on this commission, I pretty much said yes to. I felt like it was such an important moment in Fresno's history," Baines said Friday at City Hall....
Los Angeles Leaders Want Unarmed Agencies Responding to Non-Violent Calls. Fresno Mayor Responds
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on a new emergency response model to use non-law enforcement agencies to respond to non-violent calls for service. Council Member Herb Wesson writes on Facebook, "We have gone from asking the police to be part of the solution, to being the only solution for...
Demands to Defund Police Pepper Fresno Budget Opener
At its first budget hearing for the next fiscal year, the Fresno City Council stepped into the "Twilight Zone" as one member put it Tuesday. Budgeting looked much different amid the pandemic and following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. The council started debating a...
Fresno State NAACP: Sunday’s Peaceful Rally First in Series of Political Actions
Leaders of Sunday's Fresno State student-led rally at Fresno City Hall said Monday they were grateful that it was a peaceful political expression that drew participants from all parts of the city and beyond. And they promised that there will be more action to come, because the presence of thousands...