top
East Bay
East Bay
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Wed Sep 21 2016 (Updated 09/25/16)
East Bay Cops Charged with Sex Crimes and Corruption
Media Exposure Leads to Largest Number of Area Police Criminally Charged in Recent History
Recent reporting led by Darwin BondGraham and Ali Winston at the East Bay Express exposed widespread crimes, corruption, and coverups in the Oakland police department. As more and more came to light about Oakland police sexually abusing and trafficking a teenage girl since she was a minor, with other media outlets digging in as well, the fallout quickly snowballed. It became apparent the trafficking of the teenager spread across multiple Bay Area police departments. In response, community activists issued demands including the removal of Mayor Libby Schaaf. A steady drumbeat of protests turned up on OPD's doorstep. With such disturbing police behavior regularly highlighted on television, the calls for accountability at OPD came from all quarters. Mayor Schaaf was forced to acknowledge the seriousness of the problems in her police department, leading to the suspension of multiple cops and the dismissal of several police chiefs. In this extraordinary environment, with the avalanche of known police crimes falling all around her, it was clearly untenable for DA O'Malley to do nothing.

The first charges brought by O'Malley were on September 16, against Livermore police officer Dan Black, who quit the day before O'Malley publicly announced charges were coming, and Oakland sergeant LeRoy Johnson, who retired earlier this year. Black is charged with two counts of engaging in an act of prostitution, two counts of lewd acts in public, and one count of providing alcohol to a minor. Johnson is charged with one count of failing to report sexual misconduct concerning a minor. On September 18, former Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputy Ricardo Perez, who recently resigned, and Oakland officer Giovanni LoVerde, still with OPD, were each charged with felony oral copulation with a minor. Oakland cop Brian Bunton, also still with OPD, was charged with one count of felony conspiracy to obstruct justice and one misdemeanor charge of engaging in an act of prostitution. Yet to be charged are OPD's Terryl Smith, who resigned in May, and Warit Uttapa, who is still employed by OPD

Read More: Tip of the Iceberg: East Bay Cops Charged with Sex Crimes and Corruption | Bay Area police re-victimize teenager in cop sexual abuse scandal | video #ByeLibby | audio Cat Brooks, Darwin BondGraham and Ali Winston speak about Oakland police criminal culture | audio photo Oakland Community: OPD Is Rotten to Its Core and Libby’s Got to Go | photo Oakland Police Headquarters Banner Hang: OPD Guilty of Human Trafficking & Statutory Rape | audio Darwin BondGraham & Ali Winston Discuss Their Oakland Police Investigation, Firing of Sean Whent | video Cat Brooks at OPD headquarters protest | photo Oakland Police Rocked by One Scandal After Another

Related Features: Hotline and Legal Advice Ready for Oakland Police Whistleblowers | Oakland Freedom Now Actions Include Lock Down at OPOA & OPD Headquarters, Children's March | New Wave of Black Lives Matter Protests Nationwide
2024-03-20 Victory! EFF Helps Indybay Resist San Francisco Police Warrant and Gag Order Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Media Activism & Independent Media | San Francisco2024-02-09 Catholic Anti-Choice Marchers Get an Earful from Abortion Rights Activists in San Francisco Front Page | Health, Housing & Public Services | Womyn | San Francisco | South Bay | U.S.2024-01-10 Wall of Shipping Containers Intended to Keep the Public Out of People's Park Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Environment & Forest Defense | Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism | East Bay | California2023-12-08 Largest Ever Pro-Palestine Marches in NorCal Demand End to US Aid for Israel's War on Gaza Front Page | Anti-War | Central Valley | San Francisco | South Bay | Peninsula | U.S. | International | Palestine | Santa Cruz Indymedia2023-10-31 Three Activists Detained at Climate Protest for Crossing Beale Air Force Base Gate Front Page | Environment & Forest Defense | Anti-War | Central Valley | California | U.S.2023-09-29 California Climate Justice Actions in Coordination with Massive New York City March Front Page | Environment & Forest Defense | Central Valley | California2023-08-19 Environmentalists Speak Out Against Airport Expansion as Climate Disasters Accelerate Environment & Forest Defense | East Bay2023-08-12 Starbucks Bus Tour Stops in San Francisco, Rallies with Allies to Support Unionization Labor & Workers | San Francisco | Peninsula | California | U.S.2023-07-19 Halt to Fossil Fuel Funding Demanded as Wells Fargo Operations Shut Down Environment & Forest Defense | Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism | San Francisco | U.S.2023-07-13 Demonstrations Wrack France, Boiling Over After Police Murder of Youth Police State & Prisons | Health, Housing & Public Services | Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism | LGBTI / Queer | International | Government & Elections | Immigrant Rights2023-07-02 A Call for Pride to Return to its Roots as a Riot in Defense of LGBTQ+ Rights Health, Housing & Public Services | LGBTI / Queer | Womyn | San Francisco
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network