Over the past decade, journalists Ali Winston and Darwin Bondgraham have exposed some of the Oakland Police Department’s biggest scandals. Their coverage of violent misconduct, corruption, and sexual abuse has led to multiple resignations and terminations within the department, but even more shocking is the relative lack of consequences for many of the officers responsible for this illegal behavior. Winston and Bondgraham’s new book “The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover Up in Oakland” proves that this pattern of impunity has characterized the department since its very inception.
“The Riders Come Out at Night” compiles more than a century of police scandals in order to understand why the OPD has been unable to reform itself according to the demands of a court-ordered consent decree, despite two decades of federal oversight. History repeats itself in scandal after scandal as a toxic stew of racism, machismo, resentment, carelessness and lethal violence is brushed aside or even rewarded, while taxpayers cover the costs and victims’ families are left devastated. For Oaklanders desperately yearning for safer streets, Winston and Bondgraham’s reporting paints a sad and frustrating picture about the relationship between the OPD and public safety.
Please join me on January 21 at Clio’s Bookstore for a difficult, but important conversation about the history of the Oakland Police with Ali Winston and Darwin Bondgraham. We’ll be discussing their new book, the challenges of reporting on police misconduct, the political power of law enforcement, and much more. Books will be available for purchase and this event will be recorded for a future episode of East Bay Yesterday. -Liam O’Donoghue [Photo credit: Dorothea Lange, Oakland Museum of California]
Where: Clio’s Bookstore (353 Grand Avenue, Oakland)
When: 4PM on January 21, 2023
Tickets: Tickets are free, but due to limited capacity, registration is required. Click here to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-riders-come-out-at-night-a-history-of-policing-in-oakland-tickets-512022572297
ABOUT THE BOOK
No municipality has been under court oversight to reform its police department as long as the city of Oakland. It is, quite simply, the edge case in American law enforcement.
The Riders Come Out at Night is the culmination of over twenty-one years of fearless reporting. Ali Winston and Darwin BondGraham shine a light on the jackbooted police culture, lack of political will, and misguided leadership that have conspired to stymie meaningful reform. The authors trace the history of Oakland since its inception through the lens of the city’s police department, through the Palmer Raids, McCarthyism, and the Civil Rights struggle, the Black Panthers and crack eras, to Oakland’s present-day revival.
Readers will be introduced to a group of sadistic cops known as “The Riders,” whose disregard for the oath they took to protect and serve is on full, tragic, infuriating display. They will also meet Keith Batt, a wide-eyed rookie cop turned whistleblower, who was unwittingly partnered with the leader of the Riders. Other compelling characters include Jim Chanin and John Burris, two civil rights attorneys determined to see reform through, in spite of all obstacles. And Oakland’s deep history of law enforcement corruption, reactionary politics, and social movement organizing is retold through historical figures like Black Panther Huey Newton, drug kingpin Felix Mitchell, district attorney and future Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren, and Mayor Jerry Brown.
The Riders Come Out at Night is the story of one city and its police department, but it’s also the story of American policing—and where it’s headed.
BIOS
Ali Winston is an independent reporter covering criminal justice, privacy, and surveillance. His work has been rewarded with several awards, including the George Polk Award for local reporting in 2017. Ali is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in New York. You can follow him on Twitter @AWinston.
Darwin BondGraham is the news editor for The Oaklandside, has reported on gun violence for The Guardian, and was an enterprise reporter for the East Bay Express. BondGraham’s work has also appeared with ProPublica and other leading national and local outlets. He holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was the co-recipient of the George Polk Award for local reporting in 2017. He lives in Oakland, California. You can follow him on Twitter @DarwinBondGraha.
Liam O’Donoghue is the host and producer of the podcast and KPFA-FM radio program East Bay Yesterday. He also writes a monthly column about the East Bay for SF Gate. His journalism has appeared in outlets such as KQED, The Oaklandside, Berkeleyside, Mother Jones, Salon, East Bay Express, 99% Invisible, The Kitchen Sisters, and the syndicated NPR program Snap Judgement. O’Donoghue has given many presentations on local history at libraries, schools and bookstores and throughout the Bay Area, as well as at institutions such as The California Historical Society, The Hearst Museum, Oakland Rotary Club, and Berkeley City Club. You can follow him on Twitter at @liam_odonoghue.
