As if the NOFO weren't bad enough, take a look at the grant agreement 🤬
Sections B ii and C ix are horrific, and appear to require AC Transit give ICE unfettered access to facilities and personnel and act as kidnapping collaborators, possibly breaking California law
www.dhs.gov/sites/defaul...
09.09.2025 00:59 — 👍 24 🔁 9 💬 0 📌 1
guy who goes to the indigo girls concert thinking they’re like the blue man group
03.08.2025 02:31 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
July 8, 2025
ATF Access to RPD License Plate Readers Terminated
In June, administrators of the Richmond Police Department’s license plate reader program
learned an analyst with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been
granted access to the RPD system and had made queries for immigration enforcement in
violation of RPD’s operational standards. The ATF analyst’s access was immediately
terminated and, moving forward, no federal agencies will have access to RPD’s license plate
reader program.
“ATF is a valued partner in our efforts to combat violent crime in Richmond. But their
analyst should not have been granted access to our system — and absolutely should not
have used it for immigration enforcement purposes,” said RPD Chief Rick Edwards. “I’ve
been clear with the public, with city leadership, and within this department: the Richmond
Police Department does not enforce federal immigration law, and we do not investigate a
person’s immigration status. If ATF had formally requested access for that purpose, I would
have denied it.”
Facts and details:
The ATF analyst requested access to the RPD license plate reader program on
February 7, 2025, to “assist our agents and TFOs [Task Force Officers] with
investigations in and around Richmond.”
At that time of their request, the ATF was not actively involved with immigration
enforcement.
The RPD administrator of the program granted access to the ATF analyst.
The RPD administrator of the program has since separated from the department.
In March 2025, the mission of the ATF changed to include immigration enforcement.
In early March, four detainees from an ICE detention facility in Farmville, Virginia
escaped. In the effort to assist the investigation, the ATF analyst made numerous
inquiries to RPD’s license plate reader program in an effort to apprehend the
escapees.
Overall, the ATF analyst queried 49 unique license plates receiving over 400 results
to those inquiries. Over a quarter of the results received related to the incident in
Farmville.
The cases involved in the ATF analyst’s queries were a mixture of a) cases that the
ATF traditionally investigates with RPD and other partners, e.g. firearms offenses
and/or violent crime, regardless of a subject’s immigration status (35 of the 49
unique license plates) and b) cases that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
pursues regarding immigration enforcement (14 of the 49 unique license plates).
According to the ATF, all of those cases in the second group involved individuals
that had committed a crime or had a criminal background.
The analyst did not include the name of the state for a license plate query which
produced a result from a different state for the same license plate numbers and
letters. According to the ATF, all queries made using the system were for
investigations in the state of Virginia. Pursuant to the new Virginia law taking effect
on July 1, 2025, other states no longer have connections to Virginia license plate
information.
On June 11, the new RPD administrator received an alert from Flock Safety, the
vendor of the license plate readers, that two searches from the ATF analyst
inadvertently accessed Illinois vehicle data with “ICE” in the query field which is a
violation of Illinois law.
Within five minutes of the new RPD administrator recognizing the ATF analyst had
access to the RPD system and was using it in violation to RPD guidelines, the
administrator terminated the ATF analyst’s access to the system.
An immediate audit was conducted to ensure no other federal partner or other user
outside of RPD personnel had access to the license plate reader program. No other
user was found to have access.
The new administrator began an internal investigation on how and when access was
granted to the ATF analyst by the previous, departed manager.
Last…
“We value our partnership with the Richmond Police Department and regret that this
situation occurred,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood. “Our ATF
analyst accessed RPD’s system in support of ATF’s overall mission and although all the
queries involved criminal activity, they were not in compliance with RPD’s guidelines.
While our investigative analysts support both criminal and immigration-related efforts, the
majority of these searches were directly tied to local investigations involving gun
trafficking, violent offenders, and fraudulent firearms purchases. In one instance, a
potential residency violation may have prompted the use of ‘ICE’ in a search field — but all
queries were related to criminal activity, not civil immigration enforcement.”
“It is frustrating this occurred. However, I appreciate ATF’s willingness to acknowledge
what happened and clarify the nature of the searches,” said Chief Edwards. “We remain
committed to working with our federal partners on the investigation and prosecution of
violent crime. But moving forward, no federal agencies will have access to our license plate
reader program. This tool is vital to solving serious crimes in our city, and we will ensure it
is used lawfully, responsibly, and in alignment with Richmond’s values.”
NEW: Approximately 1hr after I submitted an inquiry to Richmond Police Department asking if the city's Flock Safety ALPR data had been shared with/accessed by feds, a spokesperson issued a statement acknowledging an ATF "analyst" in June "had made queries for immigration enforcement." Full release:
08.07.2025 19:51 — 👍 267 🔁 118 💬 10 📌 10
A placard with the following text
NO ICE ACCESS IN THIS OFFICE
PRIVATE PROPERTY - ENTRY RESTRICTED BY LAW
NOTICE TO ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT & IMMIGRATION AGENTS:
This is a private workplace. You are not permitted to enter non-public areas of this office (including offices, break rooms, storage areas, and staff-only areas) without a valid judicial warrant signed by a federal judge or magistrate
An ICE administrative warrant (Form I-200 or 1-205) does not authorize entry into private areas of this office.
You may not question emplovees or search the premises without proper legal authorify.
All employees and visitors have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.
IF YOU ATTEMPT TO ENTER THIS OFFICE WITHOUT A VALID JUDICIAL WARRANT, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE.
IF YOU PRESENT A JUDICIAL WARRANT, PLEASE NOTIFY MANAGEMENT AND LEGAL COUNSEL IMMEDIATELY BEFORE PROCEEDING.
IF YOU ENTER, YOU ARE TRESPASSING, AND WE WILL SEEK LEGAL RECOURSE.
This policy is in compliance with:
U.S. Constitution, Fourth Amendment
California Government Code $ 7285.1
California Labor Code $ 1019.2
Immigrant Worker Protection Act (AB 450)
We are posting this placard at all of our offices and asking our union contract farms to post as well.
We encourage our friends to put up similar placards at their business as immigration agents do not have the right to go on private property without permission.
23.06.2025 17:27 — 👍 14202 🔁 5958 💬 217 📌 260
Trump and Republicans in Congress are trying to pull off one of the biggest heists in U.S. history.
The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” is robbery, plain and simple.
And it’s being committed by the billionaire class and the politicians they put into office.
03.07.2025 17:11 — 👍 6057 🔁 1238 💬 119 📌 36
Sounds like Berkeley City Council has that votes to replace all residential zoning (outside the firezones) with Middle Housing after 6 years of debate and studies. 70 dwelling units per acre, 60% lot coverage, 3-story limit. In all non-fire risk residential zones below.
27.06.2025 06:41 — 👍 168 🔁 12 💬 4 📌 8
here’s the zoomed out version :)
27.06.2025 06:41 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
you slayed (and it’s crazy that my 20-minute sketch is being discussed in the same sentence as zohran 🥰)
27.06.2025 06:35 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
“when can my city get a Zohran”
we already have our in Berkeley, that’s @cecilialunaparra.bsky.social, she makes housing vision charts with rose logos on them
27.06.2025 06:26 — 👍 96 🔁 17 💬 3 📌 0
Mily continues with more things that took less time than the middle housing rezoning community engagement process:
- construction of the Eiffel tower
- the writing of the constitution
- The process for the Wright Brothers to invent, build and fly the first airplane
27.06.2025 05:50 — 👍 88 🔁 9 💬 1 📌 0
Comment of the night goes to Mily, a young renter who says she was priced out of the city.
She uses the rest of her time to cite things that took less time than this rezoning, including:
- The Civil War
- WWI
- US involvement in WW2
- Construction of the Bay Bridge
- The dot com bubble
27.06.2025 05:49 — 👍 203 🔁 36 💬 3 📌 8
Onion article: “bill deblasio: “well well well, [not is erased] so easy to find a mayor that doesn’t suck shit, huh?”
25.06.2025 02:36 — 👍 31 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 1
is that matt haney?
22.03.2025 20:31 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Alfred wearing a flowery hat and a red Chinese style jacket, in front of a freshly painted bus lane
A #7 AC Transit bus to Emeryville Amtrak stops at a bus stop with a green bus shelter
People are crossing the street in front. In the back are highrise dorms
Red paint makes buses go faster!
New bus lane on Durant Ave in #Berkeley for @rideact.bsky.social buses! 🚌🚌🚌 @telegraphforpeople.bsky.social
09.02.2025 00:49 — 👍 115 🔁 10 💬 3 📌 1
Don’t Buy a Tesla. Sell Your Tesla. Refuse a Tesla at the Rental Counter. Yes—It Will Help.
Elon Musk’s car company is in a precarious spot.
Tesla's stock is ridiculously overvalued, and even a modest consumer boycott could tank the company, which accounts for the majority of Elon Musk's wealth.
The divestment movement weakened apartheid South Africa. Let's do that again. slate.com/business/202...
12.02.2025 13:42 — 👍 10307 🔁 3697 💬 234 📌 191
NIH is crucial for life saving research and such a minuscule amount of money for the US Government
The centi-billionaire class are not reducing US spending though, they are dismantling the entire concept of public services and democratically controlled funding so US society is subservient to them
12.02.2025 18:55 — 👍 8 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
How it started / how it’s going
08.01.2025 06:57 — 👍 345 🔁 78 💬 15 📌 3
Two crushed police vehicles surrounded by pieces of car. Police tape crossed in front with other police cars surrounding the intersection
Just now at 7th and Mandela, two officers sped through the intersection and collided at high speed
The bus riders were luckily unharmed by the flying vehicles, but officers were rushed off in an ambulance
Driving at high speed is very dangerous and should be used only when absolutely necessary
29.12.2024 00:38 — 👍 92 🔁 13 💬 10 📌 12
AC Transit Director, Ward 2 (Berkeley, Emeryville, parts of Oakland, CA) Car free since 2004.
Working towards a unified, world-class transit network in the San Francisco Bay Area.
https://linktr.ee/seamlessbayarea
Surprised historian, not surprised eels.
Doctor of medieval history, talking’ about eels, history, and maps. Spaniel mourner. Alt-text artist.
I draw custom maps on commission:
https://surprisedeelmaps.com/
Support me here: patreon.com/SurprisedEel
transit and bike enjoyer, comms professional, recovering union organizer.
these opinions are my own
renzaro.com 🏳️⚧️
intermediate-level bay wheels user
organize @eastbayforeveryone.bsky.social @walkbikeberk.bsky.social
@cecilialunaparra.bsky.social’s +1
posts my own
berkeley
he/they
samjgreenberg.com
UFW - fighting for farm workers since 1962. Sí se puede!
Waitress turned Congresswoman for the Bronx and Queens. Grassroots elected, small-dollar supported. A better world is possible.
ocasiocortez.com
Assemblymember. Democratic Nominee for Mayor of NYC. Running to freeze the rent, make buses fast + free, and deliver universal childcare. Democratic Socialist. zohranfornyc.com
Housing 🏠 + transit 🚎 + climate 🌎
President: Peninsula Young Democrats
Lead Member: Peninsula for Everyone
Work: Greenbelt Alliance
Good opinions mine, bad opinions someone else's. YIMBY.
Queer East Bay GenX native & parent. He/him. Had my mask pic before the fascists. Follow me so I can disappoint you.
The game show where the rules change every show. Hosted by Sam Reich.
gamechanger.dropout.tv
Elected Commissioner of the Rent Stabilization Board in Berkeley, California. For Rent Board information or to contact Rent Board staff, please visit https://rentboard.berkeleyca.gov/
he/him
Living the car-free life in Oakland, CA. Don't make me drive.
https://mastodon.social/@bryanculbertson
Arguing since birth. Urban planning, politics, weather, Drag Race, and photography are all fair game. Opinions are strictly my own—unless others agree. I assume that strings of emojis in people's bios are their washing instructions
berkeley city councilmember, district 7 • envisioner of utopian futures, passenger of public transportation, haver of opinions, & studier of history • she/they • 🇲🇽🌹
Housing and transit data guy. Against fascism. My "bluesky posts" represent myself and do not represent my employer or any affiliated groups and organizations.
Senior Policy Advisor, California YIMBY.
Boardmember Casita Coalition and RCPC.
They call me condo daddy
Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner (@alfredtwu.net), California Democratic Party AAPI Caucus & CA Dem Renters Council Board, East Bay architect & commercial artist. Reblue/follow/like does not equal endorsement.
art: http://alfredtwu.com