The Bay

In January, the Anti Police-Terror Project launched a community first responder program in Sacramento called Mental Health First. Throughout the night, Friday through Sunday, Mental Health First volunteers respond to people in crisis — all without police.

Guests: Niki Jones, Peer Crisis Counselor/Volunteer Coordinator with Mental Health First and Asantewaa Boykin, co-founder of Anti Police-Terror Project

Read the transcript here.

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Lisa Fagundes is a San Francisco librarian who also helps track and prevent the spread of COVID-19. As more Bay Area residents leave their homes, the state is hiring thousands of people like Lisa to contact people who have tested positive for the virus. Health officials expect the work of contact tracers to become increasingly important as shelter-in-place orders loosen and mass protests continue.

Guest: April Dembosky, KQED health correspondent

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There have been dozens of Bay Area cities protesting against police violence since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Most of the protests have taken place in the suburbs or smaller Bay Area cities not known for heavy activist scenes. But some of these cities have their own histories of police violence and activists are demanding changes to police policies. KQED Arts Senior Editor Gabe Meline lives in Santa Rosa and he covered eight straight nights of protests in the city. Today, what the national movement looks like in Santa Rosa.

Guest: Gabe Meline, KQED Arts and Culture senior editor

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Oakland Unified is the only school district in Alameda County with its own police force. And for nearly a decade, activists with the Black Organizing Project have tried to get police out of Oakland's public schools.

It hasn't happened. But now, with more calls nationally to defund the police, supporters are raising the issue with OUSD's school board once again.

Guest: Ashley McBride, education equity reporter at The Oaklandside

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Vallejo Police killed another person of color last week. Sean Monterrosa of San Francisco was shot after police say they mistook a hammer for a gun.

Days later, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued an "expansive review" of the Vallejo Police Department, citing the recent spate of high-profile police shootings and calls from the community.

We checked back in with the families of loved ones shot by Vallejo police, which we featured last year in our special series on policing in Vallejo.

Guests: Alicia Saddler, sister of Angel Ramos and David Harrison, cousin of Willie McCoy

Click the episode links below to read and hear our three-part series about policing in Vallejo

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

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Californian police officers are rarely disciplined, even internally, when they do something wrong. That's what KQED reporters have learned by looking at records released under a law passed in 2018. The records show a system designed to protect police and discourage citizens from filing complaints in the first place.

Guest: Sukey Lewis, KQED criminal justice reporter

Tap here to see the California Reporting Project. 

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On Jan. 1, 2009, Oscar Grant was shot and killed by a BART police officer. The killing was recorded and the video went viral.

There are so many other names here in California, too: Oscar Grant, Mario Woods, Stephon Clark, and many more. And each time, public outrage and pressure helped create some change. But it's never been enough.

Guest: Alex Emslie, KQED criminal justice reporter

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This past week has been a lot. Several Bay Area cities joined other communities across the country protesting the police shooting of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Most of the demonstrations were peaceful, all of them were emotional. This past week has been a lot. Several Bay Area cities joined other communities across the country protesting the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Many of the demonstrations were peaceful, all of them were emotional.

KQED reporters are following what’s happening all over the Bay Area. But for Black Americans everywhere, beneath all of this is trauma. And unless you’re Black, you can never fully know the depths of that trauma.

So today, we're sharing an episode from our friends at KQED's Truth Be Told podcast and making space for something that doesn't get talked about often: the mental health burdens of Black men. In this episode, Bakari Sellers, author and CNN commentator, Karamo Brown from “Queer Eye” and Ron Finley, the Gangsta Gardener, offer wisdom on meeting the needs of their hearts and minds as Black men in white America.

We'll have more for you on the protests later this week. For the most up-to-date information on what's happening in the Bay Area, visit KQED's website.

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Stacey Park Milbern was an expert at organizing people. A self-identifying queer disabled woman of color, Stacey organized to help her move from North Carolina to the Bay Area so that she could live independently as a disabled person.

Stacey was a well known leader within the disability justice movement. And her activism extended beyond people living with disabilities and to other communities that are often excluded — people of color, queer folks, and people living on the streets. She passed away this month at the age of 33.

Guest: Andraéa LaVant, Stacey’s friend and co-impact producer on the new Netflix documentary Crip Camp

Tap the links to see conversations with Stacey from Sins Invalid, Disability Visibility Project, and the Barnard Center for Research On Women.

For a full transcript of this episode, visit the web post here.

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Since early 2019, 125 random Stockton residents have been receiving $500 a month to spend however they want. And while the final data hasn't been released yet, we're starting to learn a little more about how that money was spent.

As many in the Bay Area struggle to pay rent or basic needs because of the coronavirus pandemic, what can we learn from this experiment in Stockton?

Guest: Rich Ibarra, correspondent for Capital Public Radio and longtime Stockton resident

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