The percentage of African Americans living in Palo Alto is relatively low, but Black representation on the city's police force is now nonexistent.
Sgt. Adrienne Moore, a Black woman who served in the department for 24 years, retired last month, less than a year after Palo Alto adopted a "race and equity" mission statement that affirmed the city's "commitment to achieve equity."
"Palo Alto puts itself out, at least in theory, as a progressive (community), but it's not," Aram James, a longtime city resident and former public defender, told KCBS Radio in an interview.
James said at a city council meeting last month the department hasn’t had a Black woman in a leadership role since 2011. He told KCBS Radio the department, with an all-white command staff, has "a pattern and practice of discriminatory police practices" under Chief Robert Jonsen, who has served in the role since 2018.
The Palo Alto Police Department didn't respond to a request for comment from KCBS Radio.
In July, five Palo Alto police officers sued the city, claiming a Black Lives Matter mural painted near City Hall constituted harassment and discrimination against law enforcement. The mural was removed last November after being painted in June.
Fewer than 2% of Palo Alto's residents identify as African American, according to census data. Councilman Greg Tanaka told KCBS Radio he has requested demographic information on the police department from the city manager’s officer in order to learn how the city's ethnic breakdown compares to the department itself.
"There aren't that many African Americans in Palo Alto," Tanaka said in an interview. "There's some, but there's not a huge percentage. But what I do think is important is to be able to see different perspectives."
Tanaka said the issue is with budget restraints and recruiting, but James doesn’t buy it.
He told KCBS Radio the department doesn't have a good track record with African Americans, and its lack of Black representation embodies what he believes is Palo Alto’s hypocrisy.
"It stands reality on its head for a community that claims to be liberal," James said.
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