Public Comment

Waterballoongate has the best name in a wild field of choices for worst Berkeley police scandal. Berkeley's police scandal list recently had to add homeless arrest quotas, a matter discovered when a whistleblower from within the Berkeley Police Department (BPD) decided to reveal text messages affirming the fact now under what passes in this town for investigation. 

But the Waterballoongate police scandal hit the Los Angeles Times, although it was tucked discretely into the "California" section. Arrest quotas are illegal under California law. Berkeley police officers may not be legendary for having familiarity with the law, but one would think any police captain angling for Chief of Police would keep an eye on that kind of thing. 

Dee Williams-Ridley, the current Berkeley City Manager, could certainly be forgiven for absorbing the culture of obfuscation and absolution which continues to characterize what's left of a once-sterling standard for police accountability now a tattered in-name-only banner. Any allegations upheld by the new "Police Accountability Board" which replaced the old "Police Review Commission" are overseen by and can be dismissed entirely by, you guessed it, the City Manager, whose only review is a City Council too cowardly to comment beyond being "concerned" about the sexual harassment allegations against her proposed candidate for Chief of Police. "Waterballoongate" is a milder appellation than "Nipplegate", but both have that little something extra that "Homeless Quotagate" doesn't have. 

But we've had the wholesale disappearance of drugs from the BPD evidence lockers, police shootings of unarmed, vulnerable Berkeley residents, sweeps of the poor which included the wholesale destruction of residents' belongings joining redoubtable moments where Berkeley judges and city council representatives were given a pass on criminal behavior because of their positions. We have lots to choose from over the years, including moments when an experienced Berkeley police captain explained to the assembly of League of Women Voters that applying pain compliance to arrestees was a way to streamline policing since the court cases take so long. 

My favorite, of course, is having to watch both the Chief of Police and the Berkeley City Manager swear in court under oath that they had personally seen me assault the Chief in the middle of a Berkeley City Council meeting right before my defense attorney put a videotape of undisputed news footage into the court's video player proving they were both lying and shortly had to resign their respective positions. But then, that's just me. The Berkeley City Manager's effort to omit sexual harassment allegations from her preferred candidate's resume might look like a small matter, but the fallout, according to the Los Angeles Times, should prove rare entertainment besides being sad commentary on the state of police accountability in the city of Berkeley.