‘Corrupt in its roots’: as Oakland police scandals pile up, residents not surprised
Donald Trump may have called the city one of the ‘most dangerous’ in the world but community members say the real danger is its police officers
Olga Cortez was getting out of the shower and preparing for bed when she heard a loud banging outside. It was 9.30pm on 7 December, and the Oakland, California, mother saw a man she did not recognize furiously pounding on her front door.
“Open the fucking door,” he screamed, according to Cortez’s account. “Let me in!”
When her husband Nemesio cracked open the door to ask him to leave, the man, who smelled strongly of alcohol, allegedly kicked him in the stomach and grabbed Olga, who was wearing a bathrobe and fell to the ground – exposing her body. Another man came running out of their backyard and appeared to point a gun at the wife.
Their daughters, ages 11 and 13, stood in the doorway crying.
The traumatizing incident, outlined in a claim to the city, got worse when the Oakland police department (OPD) showed up. The officer wanted the couple to “sanitize their story”, asking them if the man “was simply knocking” on the door and had inadvertently pushed Olga “while falling down”.
The bizarre line of questioning only made sense when OPD lieutenant Roland Holmgren later revealed to Olga the identities of the two suspects: They were Oakland cops who, according to the lieutenant, were just “being silly” and “mistakenly went to her house” looking for a party, the claim alleges.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/21/oakland-police-misconduct-scandals-pile-up
