Lawyer who led long fight to reform OPD say department has been transformed

A Special Send Off to KALW's Graduating Audio Academy Class

Today, we speak with one of the lawyers that exposed a culture of corruption and racism in Oakland’s Police department. Then, for the past year, our Audio Academy fellows have been working hard to report sound rich stories from all over the bay area. Today, we pay them a tribute of thanks.

Lawyer who led long fight to reform OPD say department has been transformed

Oakland’s Police Department has been under federal oversight since 2003. The oversight began after a civil rights lawsuit was filed on behalf of 119 residents, most of them Black men, who alleged that multiple Oakland police officers had beaten and planted evidence on them. [https://oaklandside.org/2025/07/11/oakland-police-federal-oversight-hearing/] Yesterday we heard from Darwin BondGraham, news editor at The Oaklandside and co-author of the book, "The Riders Come Out At Night," an exhaustive history of decades of corruption inside the OPD. Today, we hear from John Burris, one of the civil rights attorneys who represented those residents and spearheaded the legal fight to reform the Oakland Police Department. Burris says the department has been reformed.

A tribute to our 2026 Audio Academy graduates!

Every September, KALW welcomes a new cohort of eight fellows to our Audio Academy training program that’s now in its thirteenth year. Over a span of 9 months the current cohort has been hard at work learning what it takes to report and produce sound rich audio features. Stories that allowed them to follow their curiosity, go deeper on urgent issues or celebrate the communities holding people together.  Tonight we have the bittersweet honor of graduating this year’s cohort, so today we’re bringing you a special tribute. It’s a collection of clips from their best work. * ‘Finding faith in the fight against artificial super intelligence' by Arlen Levy [https://www.kalw.org/2026-01-21/finding-faith-in-the-fight-against-artificial-super-intelligence] * 'The show must go on: Tito Soto and SF's iconic Oasis drag club' by Stafford Hemmer [https://www.kalw.org/2026-02-04/soto-oasis] * ‘In Oakland, the musical legacy of Japanese American incarceration still resonates’ by Cara Nguyen [https://www.kalw.org/2026-05-14/muramoto-on-the-koto] * ‘Goalball emboldens blind athletes on the court and in their lives' by Rachel Longan [https://www.kalw.org/2026-05-21/goalball-emboldens-blind-athletes-on-the-court-and-in-their-lives] * ‘Women, non-binary players tackle America's Game’ by Jordan Karnes [https://www.kalw.org/2026-05-13/women-non-binary-players-tackle-americas-game] * ‘How queer communities are seeing themselves reflected in tide pools' by Anna Casalme [https://www.kalw.org/2026-04-21/how-queer-communities-are-seeing-themselves-reflected-in-tide-pools] * ‘Berkeley’s Warming Hut offers a safe space’ by Viviana Vivas [https://www.kalw.org/2026-04-28/berkeleys-warming-hut-offers-a-safe-space] * ‘Who put up all those gates in the Sunset?‘ by Rae Kim  [https://www.kalw.org/2026-05-20/gates]

SHOW: Police Reform, and Street Poetry

After more than two decades, Oakland’s Police Department is on track to be released from federal oversight. Today, the future of Oakland’s PD. Then, the Flor Y Canto literary festival returns to San Francisco’s Mission District.

OPD poised to emerge from 23 years of federal oversight

Oakland’s Police Department has been under federal oversight since 2003, but this year that will be coming to an end. The oversight began after a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of 119 residents, most of them Black men, who alleged that multiple Oakland police officers had beaten and planted evidence on them. [https://oaklandside.org/2025/07/11/oakland-police-federal-oversight-hearing/]  To understand what this moment means, KALW’s Sunni Khalid spoke with Darwin BondGraham, the news editor at The Oaklandside. He is also the author, along with Ali Winston, of the book, "The Riders Come Out At Night," an exhaustive look at the scandal that shook the city of Oakland, as well as a history of decades of corruption inside the OPD.