Submitted On:
Jan 30, 2026, 10:55PM PST
City Council Regular Meeting -
Submit your written public
comment
City of Pleasanton
Full Name First Name: Brian
Last Name: Jenkins
Email (this entry is disclosable if
included) [email protected]
Meeting type Regular Meeting
Agenda Item Number N/A
Comments In the interest of public safety, what is the city of Pleasanton's plan for responding to ICE if we see escalated and unlawful actions of ICE, CBP, and DHS's behalf against our people? Pre-planning may be the difference between maximum survivability for our residents or unacceptable losses.
If there is not a plan I have some strong suggestions.
Is there a plan in place to request rapid support from the Governor to deploy the California National Guard, and any local organized armed non-violent militia groups for self-defence?
Militia groups could act as force multipliers if Pleasanton PD and the guard force is outnumbered, they of course would need to be trained in de- escalation tactics. These individuals would be the people to assist the police arrest people posing as federal agents who are not conducting themselves in lawful ways. If we are not prepared the amount of damage done to our community is likely difficult to measure.
Given what we know about ICE's activities over the last several months, in particular in Chicago and Minneapolis, the injustices occurring to individuals who are having their rights violated, an action plan is necessary.
Community members must have training to keep themselves safe, they need to be prepared for chemical and nerve agents to be used against them which are not permitted even in wartime environments according to the geneva conventions. Gas masks should be provided or information about the type to use to protect ourselves from known chemecal and nerve agents.
People need to be prepared to protect their hearing and potential long term damage if and when LRAD's are deployed. Training videos should be made available and directions should be made available to make concave shields, and hearing protection should be made available. People need to be careful not to stand alone as this makes them vulnerable and easy targets for violence by these barely trained federal agents.
People should have ready family plans and coordinate with others to ensure if in case of emergency, children, elderly, and pets are known and cared for if caretakers turn up missing.
This may sound hyperbolic but it is not. As a veteran, I was trained about what threats look like. What people with bad intent look and act look like. ICE is supposed to be enforcing civil immigration law. The gear they carry is the kind of gear SWAT teams and sometimes specialf orces carry. We have watched them murder people on video for no reason. We have heard countless stories of unlawful detentions, kidnappings of children, women, and brutal engagements with people. We have heard about incidents of torture in these detention facilities and illegal slave labor. At least 50 people have died in ICE custody over the past year that we know about. We learned about CECOT, illegal renditions of over 280 people including 170 U.S. citizens. We are under assault from our federal government.
I recently called the Pleasonton non-emergency line, I was told pleasanton PD does not get involved in federal forces enforcement activities. I noted that I was concerned given the information we have about countless illegal activiites that ICE has engaged in. I was told they would respond if ICE has done something I felt was illegal. My concern at this time is, we know it takes only a matter of seconds for ICE to take people, and if no one is arround to get your name, they can and have dissapeared people. How do we protect our rights when the federal government is not following the law.
My public safety recommendation is for Pleasanton to declare itself an ICE free zone and establish strict protocols for any and all activity from ICE. There should be designee's that are appointed as a contact for ICE officials, senior and well trained supervisors that communicate what lawful actions they intend to carry out, with only signed judicial warrants. Pleasanton officials would have to determine what level of cooperation and coordination is legal within California State law and local laws to determine what further action is permitted.
It should be clear that Pleasanton, has prefarably deputized trained civillians in coordination with national guardsman to conduct crowd control for safety and pleasanton PD as well as dedicated press or volunteers to document video evidence for any and all actions to ensure tranparency and accountablility, assist in arrests of ICE and or any individuals who violate the laws and are engaged in unsafe or conduct that may escalate the situation.
I am not trying to invoke any escalation, or put pressure on our council members. I just do not see a safe future for our people unless we provide clear guidelines for only legal conduct of law enforcement officers of any kind and the people need to know our backs are covered. We must have disincentives for these federal agents who act in ways that are violent and unaccountable. They murdered people with impunity. We cannot lose anymore of us. We owe it to our kids here in Pleasanton to show we stand up to these lawless bullies and don't allow them to hurt our people.
History tells us that standing back and complying with a Gestapo force employed by Fascists and Slave Catchers never ends well.
P.S.,
I think we should be examining what life should look like long term as things deteroriate in America. How do we prepare ourselves and how do we sustain a thriving community we all build and love together?