Equity Lab: Sacramento police commission + Podcast on health & wellness

Orizo Hajigurban

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What’s up, Equity Lab readers!?

Good afternoon, it’s Marcus D. Smith, your Black Communities Reporter, and today is Wednesday, May 5th.

Did you know that in Sacramento there is a community-driven Police Commission that is supposed to make recommendations on policing in the city? The commission has made attempt after attempt to make their voice heard and respected in discussions of how police go about their line of work.

Whether you’ve been a Sacramento resident - or you keep your ear to the news on this topic - it’s well-known and documented that Sacramento law enforcement has had many incidents where their encounters with civilians have turned fatal.

A lack of trust has grown over the last couple of years between city officials and residents. Some say it’s because when it comes to accountability for law enforcement’s actions, Sacramento turns the other cheek.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a City Council meeting this is a matter of life or death. But many in Sacramento, including activists and communities of color, don’t believe this matter of life or death has been taken seriously enough.

Police budgets come from taxpayer dollars. And many in the community have asked that policing in this city better reflect the community’s needs and values. Others wonder whether the police are prioritized over other needs, including investments in youth, education and business development.

The Sacramento City Council spent a couple hours Tuesday at their meeting discussing use-of-force by officers, ultimately passing a policy that says “deadly force shall only be used as a last resort” to de-escalate a situation.

Well what is the “last resort”?

It’s a final course of action, used only when all other means have been exhausted. This implies that an officer should attempt to de-escalate a confrontation without necessarily needing to use deadly force.

What does that mean to civilians?

The city’s policy still leaves power with officers to determine what they believe “last resort” truly is. As the mayor said, the guidance, based on state law, does not “require the officer to exhaust every conceivable option in a split second.” He added, however, that state law and the new city policy “require an officer to use their training and purposely de-escalate if at all possible.”

The Police Commission can still go back and look at the policy and bring forward any issues, concerns, or accommodations in the language. The commission was even encouraged by council members to take another look at the policy to ensure that officers aren’t using loopholes in the language to continue what some in the community strongly believe are unnecessary acts of violence.

The City Council will meet to revisit this in a couple of weeks. There’s clearly still more work to be done in the capital of California.

And since we’re accustomed to seeing distractions get in the way of political change, I’ll conclude with this - Happy Cinco de Mayo; please drink responsibly.

Here’s what else you need to know this week:

Must-Read Stories

  • ‘WELL-INTENTIONED BUT ILL-INFORMED’: In the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the greater racial reckoning that ricocheted across the country last year, Sacramento Theatre Company announced a play festival last fall that would tackle issues surrounding diversity and inclusion. But the virtual stage readings of the ten plays selected by the theater company was ultimately canceled in March, after actors backed out en masse and raised concerns that the plays and the casting decisions made failed to live up to the festival’s mission.

    [Read more here]

  • ‘I WAS ROBBED OF MY SENIOR SEASON.’: San Juan High School senior Paris Burney led her team in scoring and emerged as a standout player on the girl’s varsity basketball team last season. She was looking forward to returning this season and enshrining her name on her high school’s gym walls. She won’t get that chance.

    [Read more here]

  • How can California help laid-off retail workers find jobs?: The COVID-19 pandemic was one for the record books for the retail industry. More than 40 major retailers declared bankruptcy, and more than 11,000 stores closed in 2020 across the U.S., according to CoStar Group. A transition to online shopping accelerated, leaving millions of retail workers in the country wondering whether they will have their jobs back when the pandemic subsides.

    [Read more here]

  • Domestic violence on the rise in Sacramento: In the Sacramento region, domestic violence incidents have increased both in numbers and in intensity. Being informed about domestic violence, recognizing the signs and having the proper resources can be the lifeline to save someone in an abusive relationship.

    [Read more about how to spot it and where to go for help]

More Interesting Reads

What we’re listening to (and you should, too!)

When stay-at-home orders came down last year and I was reeling over the lack of control and agency I felt regarding this massive and horrifying public health crisis, I decided that I would take one very small thing into my own (hygienic, well-washed) hands — my skincare regimen.

I watched endless YouTube videos on the benefits of niacinamide. I researched holy grail drugstore alternatives to celebrity-touted (and obscenely expensive) products. I signed up for waitlists to be notified when cult-status sunscreens were restocked.

I’ve locked down a decent routine, cleansing and toning and pressing gently and slathering. My skin has never been happier. So why do I still feel so bad?

Enter, ”POOG.” It’s a podcast about health and wellness, but also, among other things, consumerism, ghosts, snake oil salesmen, really good water, energy cleanings, homemade tinctures, milk frothers and your small intestines.

Created last November and hosted by comedians/best friends Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak, “POOG” (Goop, spelled backwards) is equal parts funny and intellectual. Lost in the murky world of self-love and self-improvement I’ve entered since the pandemic, this podcast has been my joyous beacon of light.

Both self-aware and self-absorbed, Berlant and Novak revel in their personal rituals and weird wellness thoughts. They have a naked desire for things and practices that promise to make you feel even a little better, and an insatiable appetite. Even if something is a scam, they want to know how it’s a scam. Berlant and Novak are rooting for snake oil products to work. Placebo effects are welcome.

I am constantly cackling while listening to this podcast, and surely, laughter is an act of self-care, right?

— Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks

Where to find us

❗ We want to hear from you! Please send us your story tips and thoughts to equitylab@sacbee.com.

➡️ You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook at @EquityLabSac.

Thank you for reading, and we will see you again next week!

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