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The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-up in Oakland
From the Polk Award–winning investigative duo comes “a meticulously researched and enraging account” (Shane Bauer, New York Times bestselling author) of the systematic corruption and brutality within the Oakland Police Department, and the more than two-decades-long saga of attempted reforms and explosive scandals.
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 and sadistic cops known as “The Riders,” and the 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.
Those who have fought for reform are also revealed, including Keith Batt, a wide-eyed rookie cop turned whistleblower, who was unwittingly partnered with the leader of the Riders, and Jim Chanin and John Burris, two dedicated civil rights attorneys. Meanwhile, 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.
“As thrilling as the best noir fiction” (Whiting Foundation, 2021 Creative Nonfiction Grant Jury), 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.
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 and sadistic cops known as “The Riders,” and the 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.
Those who have fought for reform are also revealed, including Keith Batt, a wide-eyed rookie cop turned whistleblower, who was unwittingly partnered with the leader of the Riders, and Jim Chanin and John Burris, two dedicated civil rights attorneys. Meanwhile, 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.
“As thrilling as the best noir fiction” (Whiting Foundation, 2021 Creative Nonfiction Grant Jury), 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.
480 pages, Paperback
Published March 12, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
April 27, 2023
“Law enforcement is the repressive, coercive power of the state embodied in an armed officer. They are made to deal with societal problems when they reach a crisis point. The police have to respond to the symptoms of an unequal society and the alienation and suffering it produces. If they are allowed to do so—or encouraged, as they so often are—police will frequently subject a society’s poor and racially oppressed to violence, surveillance, and harassment, all in the name of maintaining social order.”
Or, in short, ACAB.
Or, in short, ACAB.
January 25, 2023
This is a captivating and extensive investigative look into the brutality and misconduct of a group of vigilante cops in the Oakland Police Department who terrorized Black and low-income neighborhoods during Jerry Brown's tenure as mayor. Rich in detail and paced like a thriller, The Riders Come Out At Night places Oakland within a larger historical context as a city with a complicated 150+-year history with police, from the city's exploitation of the immigrant Chinese population starting in the late 1800's, to the influx of the KKK into Oakland with a storefront in downtown and many Klan members in the police department, to the OPD crackdown on the Black Panther party, to the present day; it is necessary reading to deeper understand the dynamics of race, power, and collusion within the OPD, an organization that has been repeatedly rocked by scandals.
A fast, enthralling read, as chilling as it is illuminating. I’m going to be talking about and recommending this book for years to come.
A fast, enthralling read, as chilling as it is illuminating. I’m going to be talking about and recommending this book for years to come.
January 9, 2023
If you’re curious as to how out of control a group with power over people without the means to fight back can get if left unchecked from the outside and how incredibly hard it is to change an entrenched culture in a large institution can be, read this book.
August 5, 2023
3.5 stars / The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-up in Oakland is an in depth look at Oakland's police department over the past decades. Combing through numerous reports, documents, and articles as far back as the Viet Nam era protests, authors Ali Winston and Darwin Bondgraham, found racism, evidence planting, warrantless searches, brutality, and scandals. Attempts to reform bad policies was difficult and slow as Oakland experienced many changes in city government, courts, and police chiefs. Eventually bad policies were reformed, changes in training occurred, and transformation in leadership and accountability were accomplished. I found this non-fiction interesting, challenging, and well worth reading.
February 1, 2023
There's a temptation to see this is a parade of horribles, detailing some of the worst excesses of the Oakland PD over the past 25 years of attempts to reform it. But I think it's rather more subtle than that: one of the authors is a sociologist, and this book is very much about how a culture of abuse becomes rooted in a police department, and what it takes to actually reform it. There's also a great deal of historical analysis of the role of the Oakland police and combined with detailed reporting on the current state and recent scandals, it makes a compelling (if deeply depressing) argument about how police departments can be fixed.
December 31, 2023
Wow, this was a lot. A horror on so many levels while just being a non-fiction account of what the title is. I picked this up because my professor was interviewed for it, and she’s a badass reformer, but I stayed for the terrible and and terrific record of events across Oakland police history. Makes me wonder what my dad thought of this as part of Sac PD during some of this. If your curious about how policing has very real effects on the local Bay Area community, this book contains so much to learn from.
January 5, 2023
This is such an egregious story about police brutality in neighborhood under siege in those in power not caring. It is so sad to think that if not for one of the things that started this own slot of justice would still be happening. We can only be thankful for the rookie Keith man and his conscious but what is sad is that they hit a whole police force of rookies and old-timers that were A-OK with the status quo. I feel like it would be wrong to say I enjoyed the story because so many people had to be injured and or murdered for the story to be written it definitely held my attention and broke my heart all at the same time. How humans can treat each other like this baffles me. If you love a great story about good beating evil then you should read the Riders Come Out at Night I do want to say one thing though I did find the author made every excuse for those who are cops called sample he said in the beginning riots are the language of the unheard and then when they were doing a drugs thing and pretending to be drug dealers when someone went up to them to buy crack he said they were tricked into doing it. I don’t trust anyone to pinion Hoosies victims as only victims is it there’s no way at all possible they too could be perpetrated there were many examples in this book where police were abusive physically and verbally and I don’t want to take anything away from the fact that they are horrible people but I don’t think giving someone a complete pass is helpful at all. When we don’t acknowledge wrongdoing The Knick continues like in the case of this book you spell the author was too apologetic and acted as if no one in this town with the corrupt police force we’re guilty of anything that they were just victims and nothing else. I am not talking about the truth victims and I wish I was better equipped verbally to put my thoughts into words but last I am not so I will just say this was a great book and although I didn’t agree with his apologetic attitude towards everyone I still agree the cops are a bunch of jerks and should’ve been taken down long before 2000. This is such a good book and one I highly recommend. I received this book from netGalley and the publisher that I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
March 19, 2023
Unbelievable. Journalists Winston & Bondgraham document the 2 decades-long resistance of the Oakland Police Department (OPD) to relinquishing its racist, misogynist, violent, extremely conservative, scandal-ridden & anti-constitutional approach to law enforcing in Black, Latino & Queer communities. Following the loose canon, cowboy shoot-first abuses of their Crime Reduction Units (Special units, known as the night riders, charged with proactively reducing crime in Black & Brown communities of the city) of the 1990s & early 2000s when the OPD became the police force with the 2nd most officer-involved shootings in the country, federal Investigators established a negotiated settlement agreement (NSA), directing the OPD to correct dozens of violations from performing quality incident reporting, documenting race of the citizens they stop, to providing sensitivity training to meaningfully hold officers who kill, maim or terrorize citizens. They show that for over 20 years through 9 police chiefs, several mayors, city administrators, & millions of program dollars they could not sufficiently nudge the entrenched culture of the OPD & its allies to prevent gross abuses & mishandling accompanying protests like Oscar Grant, the Occupy Wall Street & sex scandals implicating several OPD officers. As a result, the community trust plummets to near zero & Oakland has the distinction of being under a NSA longer by far than any other US city as of 2022 when the book was written.
March 9, 2024
A very well researched contemporary review of policing in Oakland.
This book is heartbreaking and sobering, the roots of dysfunction date back almost a century, and decades of court sanctioned review have only started to reform the department in past decade meaningfully.
A large number of committed community members and police have labored over the years to force improvements, but the book shows progress is slow and always subject to backsliding.
Its almost as if we are slowly recognizing that the policing profession mirrors same biases hyperleveraged with unilateral authority leads to bad outcomes...checks and balances from community review are critical to balance this power differential at the level of interactions with the public.
Every citizen in Oakland should read this book.
This book is heartbreaking and sobering, the roots of dysfunction date back almost a century, and decades of court sanctioned review have only started to reform the department in past decade meaningfully.
A large number of committed community members and police have labored over the years to force improvements, but the book shows progress is slow and always subject to backsliding.
Its almost as if we are slowly recognizing that the policing profession mirrors same biases hyperleveraged with unilateral authority leads to bad outcomes...checks and balances from community review are critical to balance this power differential at the level of interactions with the public.
Every citizen in Oakland should read this book.
April 24, 2023
Every town should have the equivalent of this book. From start to finish, I found myself reading lines to people around me. The writers did an incredible job at assembling this history while not making it feel like a textbook. I can't recommend this enough to anyone who lives in the Bay Area or police reform.
One gripe I would have with the book is that it can feel repetitive at times. Chapters often end with a similar tone and the next chapter will open with an anecdote that introduces us to that portion of OPD's struggle. Although, this might be less of a problem with the book and more of a comment on the repetitive struggle of OPD.
One gripe I would have with the book is that it can feel repetitive at times. Chapters often end with a similar tone and the next chapter will open with an anecdote that introduces us to that portion of OPD's struggle. Although, this might be less of a problem with the book and more of a comment on the repetitive struggle of OPD.
July 17, 2024
I would give this 6 stars if I could; highly recommend doing the audiobook
June 4, 2023
The subtitle, Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-Up in Oakland, is a good summary of the contents of this hard-hitting investigation of the Oakland Police Department (OPD).
Reporter Ali Winston and sociologist Darwin BondGraham hit the reader with shocking fact after shocking fact, detailing police beatings and shootings of unarmed people, racial profiling, planting of drugs in order to get arrests, and the sexual exploitation of a vulnerable young woman by police officers. The latter case formed the basis of Leila Mottley’s stunning novel, Nightcrawling.
The authors run through a history of the OPD, demonstrating that the racism and police abuse of power in the mid-20th century that gave rise to the Black Panther Party’s practice of policing the police were no aberration. The OPD was overstepping the legal bounds of its authority and engaging in racist behavior as far back as the 1800s when it harassed and shook down Chinese immigrants.
This is also a tale of entrenched opposition to attempts to reform the OPD, of a police culture too often prepared to shield its officers from the consequences of their brutal actions. While the OPD has implemented some meaningful reforms in recent years, Winston and BondGraham’s work shows that these reforms took far too long to be put into effect and stop short of the transformation necessary to ensure that the police will not in future resort to the sordid behavior of the past.
The Riders Come Out at Night is essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of police-community relations in American cities. If you’ve ever asked why some activists have called for defunding the police, this book will give you plenty of answers.
Reporter Ali Winston and sociologist Darwin BondGraham hit the reader with shocking fact after shocking fact, detailing police beatings and shootings of unarmed people, racial profiling, planting of drugs in order to get arrests, and the sexual exploitation of a vulnerable young woman by police officers. The latter case formed the basis of Leila Mottley’s stunning novel, Nightcrawling.
The authors run through a history of the OPD, demonstrating that the racism and police abuse of power in the mid-20th century that gave rise to the Black Panther Party’s practice of policing the police were no aberration. The OPD was overstepping the legal bounds of its authority and engaging in racist behavior as far back as the 1800s when it harassed and shook down Chinese immigrants.
This is also a tale of entrenched opposition to attempts to reform the OPD, of a police culture too often prepared to shield its officers from the consequences of their brutal actions. While the OPD has implemented some meaningful reforms in recent years, Winston and BondGraham’s work shows that these reforms took far too long to be put into effect and stop short of the transformation necessary to ensure that the police will not in future resort to the sordid behavior of the past.
The Riders Come Out at Night is essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of police-community relations in American cities. If you’ve ever asked why some activists have called for defunding the police, this book will give you plenty of answers.
January 21, 2024
The rampant corruption and the endless brutality are perhaps less surprising than the (over a) century-long ineptitude of an entire police force. This detailed and meticulously researched book by 2 Bay Area reporters brings to light the numerous coverups, politicking, unnecessary killings, power struggles and yes, as the subtitle suggests, extreme corruption within the city of Oakland since its inception in 1852. It’s disturbing enough that a police culture can be so steeped in such racism, turmoil and disgusting overuse of force. But, what’s truly astounding is the utter stupidity and questionable morals of so many who have represented this institution over time.
The in-depth stories- many of which made national headlines- from the Black Panther Party to Occupy Oakland to the Oscar Grant case, just to name a few of dozens, are written with such attention to detail and historical facts. Kudos to the writers who most certainly did their homework.
As I read this book I was angry, appalled and shocked with disbelief, and I loved every moment of it. What an incredible way to begin the year being reminded that our societal institutions can work against us and must be held accountable.
The in-depth stories- many of which made national headlines- from the Black Panther Party to Occupy Oakland to the Oscar Grant case, just to name a few of dozens, are written with such attention to detail and historical facts. Kudos to the writers who most certainly did their homework.
As I read this book I was angry, appalled and shocked with disbelief, and I loved every moment of it. What an incredible way to begin the year being reminded that our societal institutions can work against us and must be held accountable.
May 20, 2023
A detailed, comprehensive look at the institution of policing, specifically in the city of Oakland, and two decades of systemic brutality, the corruption of power, police violence, and those that worked to fix it, ultimately resulting in a police department that has one of the better records of improvement and progress as of late 2022.
Worth a read to understand how things can go wrong and what we need to do about it.
Worth a read to understand how things can go wrong and what we need to do about it.
July 27, 2023
As someone who grew up in the bay area, but was too young to remember many of the cases in this book, a shocking account of the Oakland Police. While at times a bit too long winded, I felt it was important to learn more about the law enforcement in our city. I had trouble remembering various names at times, but probably had more to do with the fact it took me a few months of only reading a few pages at a time.
April 14, 2024
incredible account of police corruption in oakland california. personally, i thought this brilliant work of investigative journalism could have been a bit shorter in length. the countless repetitive highly detailed accounts of police brutality, although important for the context of the book, felt unnecessary to me in as much detail. at times i wished that the analysis and implications of the actions of opd were more of a focus than the violence itself. required reading.
September 7, 2023
A shocking history of Oakland policing and its culture of violence, racism, cover-ups, misogyny, and apathy towards people on the other side of the Blue Wall.
June 23, 2024
Interesting read about the events.
February 6, 2025
Good if you are interested in the history of Oakland or policing in general. I found the book to be very informative and well researched.
February 9, 2025
I got so much more then i bargained for… I thought this was going to be about the specific OPD scandal surrounding a special force of officers that called themselves the Riders. But instead I got decades of historical and cultural context that led up to and was a result of an era where the Riders were allowed to thrive. The book confronts the question is police reform possible and what does look like and how does the come to be in ever shifting political climates. Great work by these investigative journalists!
March 23, 2023
An extremely well-researched and comprehensive look at the attempts to reform a wildly issue-riddled police department (I read an ARC). While it was at times difficult and often deeply frustrating to read of the specific incidents (they’re horrifying, and the consistent pattern of reinstatement following arbitration is an exhausting and repetitive follow-up punch), such detailed analysis of incidents are necessary to get a sense of OPD. As a whole, the work is an incredible feat of investigative and explanatory labor, and I would recommend it as a very good tool for examining how policing works.
Winston and Bondgraham trace reform efforts (and the disregarding of reform efforts) over decades to illustrate what can and cannot be achieved through police reform. If Oakland is a test case, the authors ask, what can we learn? From this question we get a key text in the area of American policing.
From the conclusion:
“So long as Oakland and the rest of America is riven by extreme racial and class inequalities, and the power of the federal government is not brought to repair the economies of destitute cities and rural areas, and deal with the intergenerational trauma that leads to despair and hopelessness, then it’s very likely the police will continue serving more or less the same function they have for well over a half a century: containing, and repressing the symptoms of broader social problems through violence.
Small reforms that save lives, and prevent some egregious abuses of power are possible. However, Oakland has shown that this only happens through the utmost exertion by civil society”
Winston and Bondgraham trace reform efforts (and the disregarding of reform efforts) over decades to illustrate what can and cannot be achieved through police reform. If Oakland is a test case, the authors ask, what can we learn? From this question we get a key text in the area of American policing.
From the conclusion:
“So long as Oakland and the rest of America is riven by extreme racial and class inequalities, and the power of the federal government is not brought to repair the economies of destitute cities and rural areas, and deal with the intergenerational trauma that leads to despair and hopelessness, then it’s very likely the police will continue serving more or less the same function they have for well over a half a century: containing, and repressing the symptoms of broader social problems through violence.
Small reforms that save lives, and prevent some egregious abuses of power are possible. However, Oakland has shown that this only happens through the utmost exertion by civil society”
February 8, 2023
Exceptional reporting on the history of the Oakland Police Department. The authors reach back as far as the department's inception, a century or so ago, but the main thrust of the book is the Riders scandal, when a group of cops were planting drugs, beating citizens and falsifying reports. They trace the response of the community and the city, and the work of two attorneys who led the charge for police reform, up to today. The story's ending is encouraging -- the Negotiated Settlement Agreement accomplishes, after decades, what everyone hoped it would, and stringent oversight is no longer essential to ensure civil rights are respected. Hard to read the whole book, though, and not worry that the department, so good at backsliding, might do so again.
The Riders Come Out at Night is an excellent history for anyone interested in reforming policing, and many departments in the US need that right now. It's especially interesting to folks living in the San Francisco Bay Area or (like me) in the East Bay, since most of the stories the book documents are fresh in local memory.
Really liked this one.
The Riders Come Out at Night is an excellent history for anyone interested in reforming policing, and many departments in the US need that right now. It's especially interesting to folks living in the San Francisco Bay Area or (like me) in the East Bay, since most of the stories the book documents are fresh in local memory.
Really liked this one.
February 2, 2025
I will never look at Oakland or their police department the same way ever again after reading 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. Writers Ali Winston and Darwin Bondgraham put together a thick book on police reform and brutality that I'm sure will educate, enlighten, and scare anyone who has ever read this book. You cannot come away from this book and not be angered by how the Oakland Police Department (OPD) got away with so much corruption, evil, and of course brutality since the early 1900s. This book in just under 400 pages covered over a century of Oakland Police corruption, racism, and brutality. Anyone who is an academic or at least a casual analyst of police conduct should read this book and make it apart of their book collection.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 is one of the most essential books on police conduct I've ever seen in my life. This book chronicled the myopic, evil, and corrupt nature of the west and east Oakland police departments. You had these rank-and-file cops mistreating Oakland residents and then these cops' superiors (station commanders and police chiefs) letting these cops get away with these violations of human rights for decades and decades. Reading this book gave me a sick feeling in my stomach every time I read it, and that was the authors of this book's intent.
The book began with a graphic and unflinching analysis of the infamous Riders, a group of officers who terrorized West Oakland residents from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. The two main antagonists of that group were 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐕𝐚𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐳 (author's description of him on page 28: "... a stone-cold criminal in a cop's uniform...") and 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠. It was because of their horrible leadership that other cops who trained under them or who went on patrols with them (𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐚𝐩𝐧𝐨, 𝐊𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭 and others) joined in on the "fun" of beating, intimidating, and harassing residents of West Oakland. Page after page of the first two chapters of the book could make even the most hardened veteran cops scream out in anger of what these Riders did and got away with it on the beat.
One of my favorite parts of this book was how the authors included the real names of the rogue, corrupt, and evil cops that were not only part of the Riders, but the other seedy cops who patrolled other parts of Oakland. I am so glad this book put these thugs in uniform names in this book so the world could see them for who they really are.
One of my favorite quotes in this book was on page 2 in the prologue, "Black communities in particular, have been harmed by policing since the dawn of the institution." That is so true. And this book adhered to that quote, as it chronicled just how harmful and disrespectful the OPD has been towards the Black communities that they've served since the 1960s.
Chapter 2 (Nobody Will Listen to Jerry Amaro) will tug at your heartstrings. The way Amaro was treated the night he was arrested and how his health was subsequently ignored by the OPD will anger you. And it's all there on pages 39 to 41, the names of the three cops who jumped and then beat Amaro.
Even celebrities weren't immune from OPD brutality. Former Tony! Toni! Tone! member Tony Wiggins (analyzed twice in the book and lastly on page 84). He was confronted and later choked by officer 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐮𝐧𝐠 outside of a North Oakland night club. I'm glad the authors included that incident because I'm a big fan of Tony! Toni! Tone! and I never knew about that act of police brutality against Wiggins.
One of the most educational periods of the book was chapters 5 through 6. In those chapters the authors discussed the origin and early periods of the OPD. In chapter 5 I learned that one of the Los Angeles Police Department's earliest police chiefs, Louis Oaks, was a member of the KKK. Also, the KKK recruited a lot of the officers who comprised the OPD in the 1920s.
After giving its readers some history on the book's main subject, the Riders, then some history on the OPD, the book then delved into the leadership of the OPD. The police chiefs (and the interim chiefs too) who had that title for the OPD from the late 2000s until around the time the book was published (2023) either tried, didn't try hard enough, or just didn't care about reforming the OPD or holding bad cops accountable for their acts of brutality, cover-ups, and etc. The authors did a really good job of chronicling these chiefs' actions in the latter part of the book. Because when you look at police corruption you can't just look at the rank-and-file cops, you must look at the police chiefs too.
Pros of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩: The book was on point with its indictment as well as its objective analysis of the Oakland Police Department. The OPD, Oakland residents, and the nation needed a book like this because I never knew the OPD was as corrupt as it was. Putting the real names of the cops responsible for the black eye that the OPD has been given was one of the best parts of this book. All anyone who ever read this book from 2023 and on has to do is Google the names of the cops in this book and they'll see those cops for who they really are.
Cons of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩: Nothing. The book did its job, and it tried to be as objective as it could be. What more could you ask from a book on police conduct?
In conclusion, I found out in the acknowledgements section of the book how tough it was for the authors to get a lot of the information that was in this book. The city attorney of Oakland and the OPD (why am I not surprised?) didn't want to cooperate with the authors in regard to the documents, records, and etc. that showed who the OPD really was. If it wasn't for the author's dogged determination to get those documents and such and take advantage of a cool California law on the confidentiality of police records, then this book wouldn't have ever seen the light of day. I am so thankful that I read this book, and I will never look at the OPD or any other police force the same again.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 is one of the most essential books on police conduct I've ever seen in my life. This book chronicled the myopic, evil, and corrupt nature of the west and east Oakland police departments. You had these rank-and-file cops mistreating Oakland residents and then these cops' superiors (station commanders and police chiefs) letting these cops get away with these violations of human rights for decades and decades. Reading this book gave me a sick feeling in my stomach every time I read it, and that was the authors of this book's intent.
The book began with a graphic and unflinching analysis of the infamous Riders, a group of officers who terrorized West Oakland residents from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. The two main antagonists of that group were 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐕𝐚𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐳 (author's description of him on page 28: "... a stone-cold criminal in a cop's uniform...") and 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠. It was because of their horrible leadership that other cops who trained under them or who went on patrols with them (𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐚𝐩𝐧𝐨, 𝐊𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭 and others) joined in on the "fun" of beating, intimidating, and harassing residents of West Oakland. Page after page of the first two chapters of the book could make even the most hardened veteran cops scream out in anger of what these Riders did and got away with it on the beat.
One of my favorite parts of this book was how the authors included the real names of the rogue, corrupt, and evil cops that were not only part of the Riders, but the other seedy cops who patrolled other parts of Oakland. I am so glad this book put these thugs in uniform names in this book so the world could see them for who they really are.
One of my favorite quotes in this book was on page 2 in the prologue, "Black communities in particular, have been harmed by policing since the dawn of the institution." That is so true. And this book adhered to that quote, as it chronicled just how harmful and disrespectful the OPD has been towards the Black communities that they've served since the 1960s.
Chapter 2 (Nobody Will Listen to Jerry Amaro) will tug at your heartstrings. The way Amaro was treated the night he was arrested and how his health was subsequently ignored by the OPD will anger you. And it's all there on pages 39 to 41, the names of the three cops who jumped and then beat Amaro.
Even celebrities weren't immune from OPD brutality. Former Tony! Toni! Tone! member Tony Wiggins (analyzed twice in the book and lastly on page 84). He was confronted and later choked by officer 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐮𝐧𝐠 outside of a North Oakland night club. I'm glad the authors included that incident because I'm a big fan of Tony! Toni! Tone! and I never knew about that act of police brutality against Wiggins.
One of the most educational periods of the book was chapters 5 through 6. In those chapters the authors discussed the origin and early periods of the OPD. In chapter 5 I learned that one of the Los Angeles Police Department's earliest police chiefs, Louis Oaks, was a member of the KKK. Also, the KKK recruited a lot of the officers who comprised the OPD in the 1920s.
After giving its readers some history on the book's main subject, the Riders, then some history on the OPD, the book then delved into the leadership of the OPD. The police chiefs (and the interim chiefs too) who had that title for the OPD from the late 2000s until around the time the book was published (2023) either tried, didn't try hard enough, or just didn't care about reforming the OPD or holding bad cops accountable for their acts of brutality, cover-ups, and etc. The authors did a really good job of chronicling these chiefs' actions in the latter part of the book. Because when you look at police corruption you can't just look at the rank-and-file cops, you must look at the police chiefs too.
Pros of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩: The book was on point with its indictment as well as its objective analysis of the Oakland Police Department. The OPD, Oakland residents, and the nation needed a book like this because I never knew the OPD was as corrupt as it was. Putting the real names of the cops responsible for the black eye that the OPD has been given was one of the best parts of this book. All anyone who ever read this book from 2023 and on has to do is Google the names of the cops in this book and they'll see those cops for who they really are.
Cons of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩: Nothing. The book did its job, and it tried to be as objective as it could be. What more could you ask from a book on police conduct?
In conclusion, I found out in the acknowledgements section of the book how tough it was for the authors to get a lot of the information that was in this book. The city attorney of Oakland and the OPD (why am I not surprised?) didn't want to cooperate with the authors in regard to the documents, records, and etc. that showed who the OPD really was. If it wasn't for the author's dogged determination to get those documents and such and take advantage of a cool California law on the confidentiality of police records, then this book wouldn't have ever seen the light of day. I am so thankful that I read this book, and I will never look at the OPD or any other police force the same again.
May 11, 2023
Incredibly well-researched and thorough, but also incredibly dense and hard to follow. Lots of narrative with little structure or robust analysis.
December 27, 2023
The timeline of the book is the first thing to discuss — the book is ordered kind of strangely.
1. It starts with a corruption trial of the Oakland "Riders" (a police gang) that takes place in the early 2000's. The settlement of this case kicks off a court-mandated reform process. However, the book pauses here and takes a look back...
2. All the way back to the 1800's and recounts the history of Oakland's crime and police history. This section is full of totally fascinating history. I'll include a few of the most interesting nuggets below, but the overall gist is that OPD started out super corrupt (they ran protection rackets/prostitution rings in the early early days of the city) and basically resisted reform all up until the Riders case in the early 2000's
3. The book then reminds us about the Rider's case and then goes on to recount the ensuing 20 years which was a totally fascinating recent history of the struggle between OPD resisting change and the powers holding them accountable forcing that change.
Given this out of order account, as well as the number of names involved, the narrative of reform was difficult to follow at times. Lots of the names washed over me, and I barely caught the gist of what went down, especially during eras where my pre-existing knowledge of regional history is light (pre-60’s, 80-00’s).
At times, the overwhelming number of police misdeeds told in this account lead to a sort of apathy that’s like “man this shit is totally fucked.” Had the book stopped there, it would be another in a long long line of recent books about police brutality that are meant, I think, to convince the public that police brutality exists and needs to be addressed. However, this account keeps going. It tells the story of one police department reckoning (and really trying to avoid) with reform for the better part of 20 years. It creates a kind of blueprint for the necessary components of lasting reform (community oversight being a major part of that.)
Everything in parts 1 & 2 of this history are necessary for understanding the trajectory and forces that led to the implementation of external oversight of the OPD. However, the book doesn’t really take off (in my opinion) until the third section, which covers the last 2 decades (up until just a year or so ago!) of trying to implement the reforms identified in the negotiated settlement agreement in the early 2000s.
It is wild, often disappointing, but ultimately heartening, to learn that a police agency can be reformed and sustain those reforms while decreasing violent crime (with the assistance of a very very dedicated external oversight committee). It’s really cool to read such a incredibly deeply researched account of one department’s misdeeds, systemic issues, and ultimate reform at the hands of several dedicated public servants (judges, external monitors, community review boards) & lawyers.
In the conclusion of book, the authors set out an argument for why Oakland’s reforms will be longer lasting that other departments (they compare w LA which had a consent decree completed in 2013 & has subsequently backslid.) It is sad the OPD has been so recalcitrant that it's taken 20 years to implement reforms, but I guess the silver lining is they've forced a model for how to get a recalcitrant department to reform. **Actually, I just looked it up and the department has not yet been released from its consent decree (most recent ruling appears to have been 4/12/23). Jesus christ.**
Some interesting nuggets from the history section:
- The authors connect Oakland's early automation/move toward container shipping (as opposed to longshoremen) as a reason why it became the premier drug smuggling port on the west coast. I hadn't made the connection with container shipping and drug smuggling before this book. It makes sense though!
- I thought the complete history of the BPP in Oakland was fascinating and even-handed. In most material regarding the BPP, there's a bias in one direction or the other, but I assume these authors would have a pro-BPP/sympathetic bias, yet they told what appears to be a fairly complete account of the party's (or at least the leader's) strengths and failings.
Last note is that I'll never look at a Bay Area security guard the same way. Lots of the cops fired for various misdeeds went on to work as guards 0_0
Read this if you like: bay area history, police reform, confusing timelines in your non-fiction
I listened to this as an audiobook.
1. It starts with a corruption trial of the Oakland "Riders" (a police gang) that takes place in the early 2000's. The settlement of this case kicks off a court-mandated reform process. However, the book pauses here and takes a look back...
2. All the way back to the 1800's and recounts the history of Oakland's crime and police history. This section is full of totally fascinating history. I'll include a few of the most interesting nuggets below, but the overall gist is that OPD started out super corrupt (they ran protection rackets/prostitution rings in the early early days of the city) and basically resisted reform all up until the Riders case in the early 2000's
3. The book then reminds us about the Rider's case and then goes on to recount the ensuing 20 years which was a totally fascinating recent history of the struggle between OPD resisting change and the powers holding them accountable forcing that change.
Given this out of order account, as well as the number of names involved, the narrative of reform was difficult to follow at times. Lots of the names washed over me, and I barely caught the gist of what went down, especially during eras where my pre-existing knowledge of regional history is light (pre-60’s, 80-00’s).
At times, the overwhelming number of police misdeeds told in this account lead to a sort of apathy that’s like “man this shit is totally fucked.” Had the book stopped there, it would be another in a long long line of recent books about police brutality that are meant, I think, to convince the public that police brutality exists and needs to be addressed. However, this account keeps going. It tells the story of one police department reckoning (and really trying to avoid) with reform for the better part of 20 years. It creates a kind of blueprint for the necessary components of lasting reform (community oversight being a major part of that.)
Everything in parts 1 & 2 of this history are necessary for understanding the trajectory and forces that led to the implementation of external oversight of the OPD. However, the book doesn’t really take off (in my opinion) until the third section, which covers the last 2 decades (up until just a year or so ago!) of trying to implement the reforms identified in the negotiated settlement agreement in the early 2000s.
It is wild, often disappointing, but ultimately heartening, to learn that a police agency can be reformed and sustain those reforms while decreasing violent crime (with the assistance of a very very dedicated external oversight committee). It’s really cool to read such a incredibly deeply researched account of one department’s misdeeds, systemic issues, and ultimate reform at the hands of several dedicated public servants (judges, external monitors, community review boards) & lawyers.
In the conclusion of book, the authors set out an argument for why Oakland’s reforms will be longer lasting that other departments (they compare w LA which had a consent decree completed in 2013 & has subsequently backslid.) It is sad the OPD has been so recalcitrant that it's taken 20 years to implement reforms, but I guess the silver lining is they've forced a model for how to get a recalcitrant department to reform. **Actually, I just looked it up and the department has not yet been released from its consent decree (most recent ruling appears to have been 4/12/23). Jesus christ.**
Some interesting nuggets from the history section:
- The authors connect Oakland's early automation/move toward container shipping (as opposed to longshoremen) as a reason why it became the premier drug smuggling port on the west coast. I hadn't made the connection with container shipping and drug smuggling before this book. It makes sense though!
- I thought the complete history of the BPP in Oakland was fascinating and even-handed. In most material regarding the BPP, there's a bias in one direction or the other, but I assume these authors would have a pro-BPP/sympathetic bias, yet they told what appears to be a fairly complete account of the party's (or at least the leader's) strengths and failings.
Last note is that I'll never look at a Bay Area security guard the same way. Lots of the cops fired for various misdeeds went on to work as guards 0_0
Read this if you like: bay area history, police reform, confusing timelines in your non-fiction
I listened to this as an audiobook.
July 21, 2023
The book struck me as a poorly set up, leading to the majority of the book reading like an extended epilogue. It shouldn't have been that way, but it's how it came off to me.
We get a very brief intro noting how US law enforcement is broken and how Oakland exemplifies that. OK, so far so good. Then we dive into the story of Keith Batt, a rookie cop who became a whistleblower on a group called the Riders, some really nasty, feloniously violent cops. These are the cops of the title. OK, so it's a book about the Riders scandal.
Well, actually, no. The Riders scandal is over about 20% to 25% the way into the book. Then we go back in time to problems of the Oakland PD since the 1960s or even earlier. We got back to the early 21st century with the Riders. Then we go beyond. We see a whole series of problem of needless violent, unprovoked shootings of civilians, corruption, beligerent opposition to any reform or civilian oversight, time and time again. It's harrowing and infuriating, but ... here's what I mean about how the book was poorly set up.
The title and opening made me thing it was going to be about one major scandal. It's actually a history of the Oakland PD over the last 60-70 years, with special focus on the 21st century. Just handle the intro differently and make expectations clearer up front. Instead, i felt a weird disconnect for the book for most of the time.
The information and material are really good. The organization is not. Your mileage may vary.
We get a very brief intro noting how US law enforcement is broken and how Oakland exemplifies that. OK, so far so good. Then we dive into the story of Keith Batt, a rookie cop who became a whistleblower on a group called the Riders, some really nasty, feloniously violent cops. These are the cops of the title. OK, so it's a book about the Riders scandal.
Well, actually, no. The Riders scandal is over about 20% to 25% the way into the book. Then we go back in time to problems of the Oakland PD since the 1960s or even earlier. We got back to the early 21st century with the Riders. Then we go beyond. We see a whole series of problem of needless violent, unprovoked shootings of civilians, corruption, beligerent opposition to any reform or civilian oversight, time and time again. It's harrowing and infuriating, but ... here's what I mean about how the book was poorly set up.
The title and opening made me thing it was going to be about one major scandal. It's actually a history of the Oakland PD over the last 60-70 years, with special focus on the 21st century. Just handle the intro differently and make expectations clearer up front. Instead, i felt a weird disconnect for the book for most of the time.
The information and material are really good. The organization is not. Your mileage may vary.
August 8, 2023
Winston has been reporting on the OPD for over 20 years, and this book is the culmination of his following the PD's NSA, the scandals (so many scandals), the internal investigations, the punishments, the overturning of punishments, the changes in mayors and chiefs and personnel. This book is dense, with a lot of information and detail, and is impeccably sourced. I also found it a bit repetitive--but that is because the actual events are repetitive. Scandal--punishments--firing--hiring--improvement--scandal--etc etc etc. This department has been such a mess that the original judge overseeing the NSA retired despite wanting to see it through. Mayors come, mayors go, police chiefs come and go--I am very curious as to who is really controlling the atrocious behavior within the department. A seemingly competent chief comes, makes progress--and then loses ground. Is it the police union itself--and how and why? Is it institutional inertia? An old boys club that is larger than who is affected by the NSA? Both?
If you have read Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley, the scandal that inspired hernovel on is discusses in depth near the end of this book. It is quite different and much more complicated in real life.
If you have read Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley, the scandal that inspired hernovel on is discusses in depth near the end of this book. It is quite different and much more complicated in real life.
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June 8, 2024The riders are rogue cops in the early 2000's who terrorized Black and Latino residents of Oakland. Book chronicles the fits and starts to the Oakland Police Department as it -- under a consent decree --is forced to reform. Deep rooted culture of misogyny and racism and protecting one's fellow cop make this a herculean task. Numerous police chiefs come and go. Numerous abuses of power are covered up. Marginalized Black and Latino men are primary victims of a shoot first, ask questions later mentality. Liberal leaders who come in for criticism include Jerry Brown (Oakland mayor), Kamala Harris (Ca. Attorney General), and Ron Dellums (Oakland mayor). All pushed a 'tough on crime' message that cops eagerly took as a message to bang heads.
Some hope toward the end as OPD's shootings have decreased and community relations improved, but authors are clear that without constant vigilance, backsliding will happen.
Some hope toward the end as OPD's shootings have decreased and community relations improved, but authors are clear that without constant vigilance, backsliding will happen.
June 3, 2023
This book is really smart; starting with the Riders story which is beyond devastating and enraging, and the common story of most cities in this country. The book then goes back 100 years and traces the root causes of the racism, corruption and brutality in the police dept., and charts out the many leadership changes and approaches to crime in the city of Oakland and on the police force, and the many murders of black Oakland residents people by the cops. The systemic racism is clearly the star of the book; Chinese immigrants in the 1920's and 1930's years ago were the targets and were replaced by black and brown people over the decades. Winston did alot of research and synthesized the political economic and social factors of the times well, and was able to end the book with a tone of realistic hope. I am really glad I read this book!
January 14, 2024
I grew up close to Oakland so I I remember seeing most if not all of the OPD scandals being splashed across the newspapers and evening news. Being a kid I didn’t really understand what was happening. Having proximity to what was going on and not knowing, then reading this book made me shake my head most of the time. My jaw dropped more than a handful of times. The detail in this book as well as the sources are extraordinary. It is written in a digestible way but in a way that still gets the seriousness across. It’s so frustrating at times I had to put the book down for a few days. And then to remember all of this was happening 30 minutes from where I lived and no one was talking about it drove me up the wall. I am so thankful for the writers of this book for the passion, the detail and the realness they put into this book.
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