SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Protesters of the Sacramento Police Department's purchase of an armored vehicle known as 'The Rook' disrupted another City Council meeting Tuesday— this time coming with a list of demands.
As the council meeting came to an end, the floor opened to public comment on items that had yet to be discussed that day. More than 20 names were signed on as public speakers.
'We want to hear from everyone," Mayor Darrell Steinberg told the chambers.
Some speakers said they were residents of District 5 and were represented by City Councilmember Caity Maple. They said they were upset over her vote to approve the purchase of 'The Rook' Jan. 31.
The freshman councilmember was met with a wave of scrutiny from constituents who claim she contradicted previous statements on her views regarding armored police vehicles.
She defended her decision, saying she needed to needed to do what she felt was best for the safety of the District 5 constituents.
Residents who came to the meeting to protest her decision said the presence of 'The Rook' in Sacramento communities threatens the safety of historically marginalized groups.
"You all gaslight the constituents of Sacramento by claiming a written policy, most likely authored by the same people who abuse power and... enforce the policies, will somehow keep our communities safe," said Fatima Garcia of District 5.
Maple left the room before the first public speaker protesting her vote began speaking and returned to the room after her time expired.
One speaker brought a child to the podium who read from a script statements critical of Sacramento police and the city's response to homelessness.
Speaker Shelly Williams told Sacramento City Councilmembers she grouped up with some of the other speakers present to draft a list of demands to the city.
Among protesters' demands were a ban on traffic enforcement by Sacramento police, a ban on use of unmarked police cars and the dissolution of any "gang enforcement and problem oriented police teams."
"This frustration is not about 'The Rook,' it's about ongoing Sac PD and this council's unwillingness to take accountability, to meaningfully engage in critique," said another speaker.
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