As news of a federal immigration crackdown in the San Francisco Bay Area spread on Wednesday, groups across the region prepared to respond and support community members. 

One such gathering Wednesday evening in deep East Oakland was a “know-your-rights” safety training and town hall.

Organized by Rev. Cheryl Ward, longtime pastor and founder of Cheryl Ward Ministries, and hosted by Amos Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the event featured speakers from the Anti Police-Terror Project, Oakland Rising Action, and the Oakland/Berkeley chapter of Black Women Organized for Political Action.

“The question is not, are we prepared if they come. It is, when they come,” Ward told The Oaklandside before the meeting.

Attendees, ranging from teenagers to older adults, listened intently and asked questions throughout the two-hour session, with some jotting down notes. Most of the community members said they were residents of East Oakland or grew up in the neighborhood.

Other local organizations, like Bay Resistance, have held similar trainings on Zoom to mobilize community members from across Oakland and other Bay Area cities.

“Don’t give them a reason to pull you over or stop you”

Little is actually known about what the Trump administration has planned for the Bay Area, but Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed in media reports Wednesday that Customs and Border Protection agents were being sent to a Coast Guard base near Oakland for some kind of operation.

While President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social Thursday morning that he “called off” sending National Guard troops to San Francisco, it’s unclear whether other parts of the Bay Area will see federal troops conducting enforcement operations.

Ward said Wednesday’s meeting was the fourth in an ongoing series of trainings aimed at educating high school- and college-aged youth about politics and civil rights, though the information covered at the event was pertinent to people of all ages.

“We’ll be going to different places in East and West Oakland so that the community is equipped with the information they need to protect themselves and their communities,” she said.

Wednesday’s meeting comprised three parts: a presentation on basic safety tips from Ward, an interactive explainer of constitutional rights and state laws from the Anti Police-Terror Project, and a primer on Proposition 50 from Oakland Rising Action and Black Women Organized for Political Action.

Ward encouraged attendees to carry a picture ID, have a buddy system when going outside, memorize important phone numbers, and use location-sharing with loved ones. She said people should also keep their car registration and insurance information up to date and handle any outstanding tickets or warrants.

“Don’t give them a reason to pull you over or stop you. We want you to come home safe and alive,” she said.

Trump ran on a platform of mass deportations and has sent ICE agents into cities across the U.S. to carry out more aggressive sweeps as part of a goal to deport millions of immigrants and undocumented people. Along the way, his administration has sent federal troops to a handful of cities, arguing that protests and crime justify the use of military force.

Know-your-rights training

Refilwe Gqajela and Keyan Bliss with the Anti Police-Terror Project briefed attendees on their First, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights, as well as best practices for encounters with police.

“Knowing our rights and being able to assert them in the moment can protect us from them (law enforcement) wanting to violate our rights with impunity,” Bliss said.

Chaney Turner, voter engagement director with the political advocacy group Oakland Rising Action, and Denisha DeLane with Black Women Organized for Political Action informed the audience about Prop. 50, which Californians will be voting on on Nov. 4.

Advocates of Prop. 50 say it will help level the electoral playing field between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, which recently gerrymandered congressional district maps in Texas. Opponents say Prop. 50 will undo the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission, allowing Democrats to gerrymander congressional districts.

Reginald Walton, senior pastor at Amos Temple CME Church, said hosting the town hall at his church was intentional, given its long tradition of organizing for racial justice.

“It’s important for us to refute the twisted histories that some people are trying to tell, to inform people of their rights, and to stand against oppression in any shape, form, or fashion,” Walton said.

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