WHERE: Lake Merritt United Methodist Church
1330 Lakeshore Ave. (entrance also @ 1255 1st Ave)
Oakland, CA

WHO: Testimony from Victims of Racial Profiling

The Oakland Town Hall is part of a series of statewide community meetings being held to focus on the widespread problem of racial profiling by local law enforcement. Victims of racial profiling will testify about their experiences. Elected and appointed local officials will be present to listen to the testimonies. Some of the officials include Supervisor Keith Carson, Oakland Superintendent of Schools Dennis Chaconas, and Oakland Assistant City Manager Randolph Hall. Audience members will fill out a civil rights report card on the Governor that will be delivered to the State Capitol in a mass protest on April 27th.

The Town Hall meetings are being sponsored by the Racial Justice Coalition which includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the United Farm Workers (UFW), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), as well as numerous local organizations.

A statewide protest is being held in Sacramento on April 27 to urge Governor Davis to sign SB 1389, a bill that will require all law enforcement agencies in California to collect data regarding the race and ethnicity of motorists stopped and searched. Town Hall meetings are being held in Sacramento, East Palo Alto, Fresno and Los Angeles. For more information contact Racial Justice Project Organizer Olivia Araiza at 415-621-2493 ext. 380.