The Problem

Alameda County Sheriff Greg J. Ahern is responsible for corruption, civil rights abuses, increased militarization of agencies like the Oakland Police Department, and dozens of unaddressed cases of police brutality. It is imperative we hold him accountable for these actions and recall him from office. He has a gross disregard for the lives of the very people he is supposed to "serve". 

Sheriff Ahern most recently ran unopposed in 2018 and since then has taken this as a free pass to do whatever he pleases as sheriff. He has held the position since 2007. 

"Complaints against Ahern and his office run the gamut of law enforcement misconduct: prisoner abuse, excessive force, inadequate medical care, squalid jail conditions, anti-immigrant practices, and a still-unfolding scandal in which one deputy was caught on video admitting that he illegally recorded conversations between detained youths and their lawyers. Between 2015 and 2018, 41 civil rights lawsuits against the office cost Alameda County $15.5 million in settlements and judgments—the highest amount incurred by any Bay Area law enforcement agency during that time, according to the East Bay Express." (Kyle Barry, https://theappeal.org/ice-friendly-policies-a-string-of-jail-deaths-why-does-this-sheriff-keep-getting-elected/ 

According to the Ella Baker Center in Oakland (https://ellabakercenter.org/sites/default/files/media/Ahern%20Fact%20Sheet%20F.pdf Ahern is responsible for 34 in custody deaths, receives donations from jail phone companies for his reelection campaigns, has notified ICE of 339 release dates of individuals held in Alameda County Jails, and has openly supported the nomination of white supremacist AG Jeff Sessions. 

A quick look at Ahern's Twitter account also shows that he is following several openly facist individuals, including Donald Trump, Dana Loesch, and Sebastian Gorka. (https://eastbaymajority.com/the-alameda-county-sheriffs-ties-to-the-racist-far-right/ He is also a member (and former president) of the California State Sheriffs’ Association (CSSA), a lobbying group that has opposed criminal justice reform and legal protections for undocumented immigrants. 

What Can We Do?

Since Sheriff Ahern evidently is not doing his job, and it is within our rights as citizens to hold our elected officials accountable, Ahern can either resign or get recalled by us. By signing this petition we are making it clear that we will not tolerate his blatant abuse of power any longer.

Further Reading:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/01/15/opinion-audit-actions-of-alameda-county-sheriffs-office/​

https://movementgeneration.org/tell-alameda-county-sheriff-gregory-j-ahern-no-more-ice-holds/​

https://www.sfgate.com/tv/article/Last-Week-Tonight-john-oliver-sheriff-ahern-15117637.php