The future of the Oakland Police Commission could be decided by the City Council on Tuesday, June 9. Will the voters be allowed to strengthen the independence and authority of the community’s commission, or will they be asked to weaken and marginalize it?

The City Council will decide what to put on the ballot in November and that’s the stark choice.

The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the brutal overreactions of police departments across the country to the resulting demonstrations vividly illustrate the crying need for civilian oversight of the police. That oversight has to be real, not “advisory” and it has to have teeth.