The time was the early sixties, turmoil and social unrest was the order of the day throughout America.

This was also a time that African Americans began to stand up and demand their rights that had been guaranteed through the U.S. Constitution.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was leading the civil rights movement in the deep south and parts of the east, as many black Americans were asserting their rights throughout the country.

The Black Panther Party, a radical, militant and activist group, was formed in Oakland, California with Huey Newton at the head, became a thorn in the side of the Oakland Police Department.

Racism and Unfair Treatment in Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement found itself in a difficult position. The police department was being bombarded with charges of racism, unfair treatment, brutality, and lack of sensitivity to blacks and other minorities. The Federal Government reacted by appointing committees, the state initiated investigations and the city waited to see what was going to happen.

The Warren Commission, appointed by President Johnson and the many civil law suits, helped cities decide that it was time to add blacks and other minorities to their ranks.

One of the civil suits filed in Federal court in San Francisco was Penn/Stump v City of Oakland, which led to a Consent Decree in 1967.

This Consent Decree stated that men and women should be hired by race and gender as police officers in the same percentage that they’re represented in the population of the city. This process took more than twenty years to complete, in part, because police departments at first were never serious in their effort to recruit minorities.

There were approximately 34 black police officers on the Oakland Police department. There were no black females among them.

The Consent decree remained in effect for approximately 20 years and was ended after a judge decreed that parity had been reached.

Severe Shortage of Policemen

In the early 1960’s, the Oakland Police Department had a large percentage of their officers retire and it left the department with a severe shortage. The city made a decision to recruit nationwide for replacement officers and added over 150 white men from that recruitment drive. Many of these new officers came from Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana, States with a history of overt racism and discrimination. A number of these new recruits had little or no involvement with people of color. This was being done at a time when the population of Oakland was changing from white to a black majority.

New Police Chief Hired

In 1968, Oakland hired Charles Gaines as the new Police Chief. He was given a mandate to clean up the corruption, racism and police brutality in the department.

The Oakland Police Department was known in the black community for its racist policies, police brutality and unfair treatment of blacks. The Black Panther Party was formed in part to defend and protect themselves and the black community from the Oakland Police Department. The result was delay

OBOA HISTORY