Two weeks ago, we issued a statement exposing Mayor Barbara Lee and OPD’s continued silence surrounding the Black man who was found hanging from a tree in Dimond Canyon earlier this summer. We presented what we knew to date and made an initial call for people to demand answers with us. Since then, we’ve organized outings across different neighborhoods in Oakland and asked people what they understood of the case and the city’s inaction.
In the first week, our crews went out to the Dimond Canyon neighborhood, the dubs, and around 73 in East Oakland. On the ground, we met people who were hearing about it for the first time or who had heard about it on social media but were unsure if it was true. In both cases, what was clear to us was their outrage and incomprehension over the city’s refusal to publicly acknowledge the situation. One person expressed to us, “Why isn’t this bigger news? This should be on Channel 2!”. Another person told us, “Why didn’t they just come forward and say, ‘we are going to do everything we can to investigate the matter and if we find there is foul play and suspects, we will prosecute them to the fullest extent’ or ‘yes, this was a suicide, but the family is asking for privacy,’ is that so much to ask?”. Others shared that they felt traumatized after first hearing the news and betrayed by the lack of reassurance given by public authorities, especially at a time when racially motivated violence against Black people has been on the rise across the country.
OPD’s deliberate silence actively fueled this fear and outrage, making clear that silence itself is a weapon of police brutality. Police brutality is not always a beating or a killing—sometimes it’s neglect, deliberate silence, or a media gag order. In this case, they’ve quietly buried the information out in the open.
To mention the truth quickly and bury it in a mass of other information is more nefarious than outright lying or a quiet omission because it says to the reader with a chilling calm that yes, this took place, but it’s not that important (to borrow a phrase from Howard Zinn). On July 29th, OPD released nothing more than a short quip to the Oaklandside, acknowledging only the truth of the discovery and confirming that an “investigation is ongoing”. And most recently on August 13th, when City Councilmember Ramachandran held a closed-door meeting and invited OPD to share updates, they had no further information to respond to people’s legitimate concerns. They are insulting our intelligence. We reject the idea that his death was not important or had no impact on people, and insist that his life mattered.
The only notice for this closed-door meeting appeared on Ramachandran’s personal TikTok on August 5th, where it was promoted as being ‘for District 4 residents only.’ The unusual choice to announce the meeting on such a limited platform—combined with the actions of the Councilmember and organizers in the days prior—made it clear that broad public attendance was neither intended nor desired. The organizers didn’t confirm the meeting time and place until two days before, meaning that of the thousands of Oaklanders who’ve been demanding answers, only 20 were able to make it.
A confirmation message leading up to the event quieted discussion of the event even further, warning us: “out of respect for the family, please do not publicize meeting details.” This message gave us particular pause — the phrase “out of respect for the family” when used by authorities speaking on behalf of family has historically been used in bad faith to silence political opposition. But the phrasing of the message was unclear, and seemed to imply that the family would be in attendance. We ultimately decided not to share this information to our readers in the interest of connecting with the family in person and to do right on their wish for privacy, if it were genuine.
When we arrived at the meeting, we were surprised to find that the family was not present. The stifling atmosphere and explicit instructions to not record anything further confirmed the city council staff’s desire to keep as much as possible from getting out. The entire character of the meeting ran counter to the expectations of its attendees and to its stated purpose—to share news that would relieve an overwhelming sense of public anxiety that has only multiplied over the past two months.
When we correctly pointed out that OPD was just repeating what was already known and had provided no further information, challenged them for not coming out with a public statement for over a month, our voices were suppressed. When we demanded transparency and accountability in order to politically support the family, they threatened to remove us from the room. In what has already become a serious, high-profile case, we reject the way that this is all being kept under wraps. It was only by talking to other residents that we uncovered from public records that both OPD and ACSO had gotten in contact with the family as early as 06/30/25. In the documents, it’s mentioned that the family strongly objected to a full autopsy and is asking for privacy.
If genuine, we respect the family’s decisions. But we know that they are flanked by OPD on one side and the ACSO on the other, and in such a situation, being cut off from mass support, there are legitimate reasons to suspect that they could be pressured into silence. We don’t know if it’s coming directly from them or if it’s just OPD and ACSO controlling the narrative. Police in America have a long history of coercing families and witnesses into silence, telling lies, fabricating evidence—all to advance the police’s interests. Sometimes the lies are recanted decades later, when the harm has already been done. More often, they’re not.
In light of these recent developments, and the uncertainty around the ask for privacy, we’ve decided to pause our activities and write this letter with the hope of reaching the family and friends concerned.
We want to let you know that there are people who are not the police, who will keep your identity private, and who will support you politically to demand the truth for your loved one. We want you to know that you can reach out to us so we can, together, demand a genuine and thorough investigation into the death at Dimond Canyon. We call on our readers to help this letter make its way to you and we hope to hear from you soon.
-Dare to Struggle Bay Area
Dare to Struggle 