Oakland Police Protest Proposed Layoffs

Organizing protest on Facebook, website

As the Oakland City Council considers layoffs of officers at the city's police department to balance the city's budget, the Police Officer's Association is mustering supporters to protest.

Current and former officers are being asked to show up at the meeting en masse.

It has also been linking to coverage of the layoffs on its Facebook page, and at one point supporters were urged to visit an article online to leave comments, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Let's flood out the cop haters," read the note.

Automated phone calls from the OPOA president were also made on Tuesday, and specifically named Councilwoman Jean Quan's budget proposal that includes 80 layoffs, and who is running against OPOA-endorsed Don Perata for mayor.

However, Councilman Ignacio de la Fuente wasn't targeted, even though his budget proposal suggests nearly twice as many layoffs as Quan's.

And, of course, the layoffs could be averted if the OPOA agreed to a concession that would require officers to pay into the pension program.

The council's budget discussion starts at 5:30 p.m. at Oakland City Hall.

Jackson West doesn't envy the folks trying to hammer out this budget.

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