Coalition of Activists Band Together Opposing Omaha’s 2022 Budget, Continuing Their Focus on Community Organizing

RAP Organizer Bear Alexander speaks to the assembled crowd at the Budget Rally on Aug. 3

By Mel Buer

On August 3, members of the Omaha community came together in opposition to city’s proposed 2022 general fund budget. While dozens gave testimony at the public hearing inside city council, a group of approximately 40 remained outside listening to speeches from community organizers. The rally was organized by a coalition of community activist groups, including Strongly Worded Letters, Revolutionary Action Party, Omaha Autonomous Action, and Omaha Abolition Research. 

Revolutionary Action Party organizer Bear Alexander began the rally by explaining how the community response differed from last year’s contentious hearing. Last year, activists planned a noise demonstration outside of the budget hearing with the express intention of making as much noise as possible during the course of the hearing. At this year’s budget rally though, local groups focused on continuing political education and organization among its members and the general public. 

“Where we lacked is organization,” Alexander said, referring to last year’s demonstration. “We relied on spontaneity and energy to leap us over this inordinate hurdle of our corrupted [sic] city officials. We foolishly underestimated the significance of [sic] organization truly has on emitting change and fortunately for the sake of progress, we have recognized those wrongdoings,” he said.

An attendee holds up a sign protesting the increase in the 2022 police budget at the Budget Rally on August 3

Speakers at the rally spoke on the history of American policing, the brutality that some community members have endured at the hands of police, and spoke at length on abolition and the necessity for continued community organizing. Organizers gave attendees time in between speeches to leave chalk drawings on the sidewalk or talk amongst themselves about the information they heard. Organizations handed out pamphlets and ordered pizza for attendees.

Inside the public hearing, educators, activists, concerned community members, students, and dozens of others took turns giving testimony to the city council. Only three proponents gave testimonies, while the rest of the two-hour hearing heard from community members standing in opposition to the city budget. Thirty-seven percent of the $456 million general fund budget is earmarked for the Omaha Police Department, with a $5.3 million increase planned for 2022.

Nicholas Bonnet-Murphy spoke in opposition to the proposed police budget. “In the last ten years, we increased our police funding from $99 million to $164 million, which is much, much more than the national average for similarly sized cities, even when accounting for population growth,” he said. “But according to the OPD’s crime rate report from this July, we have not done better than those cities at reducing the rate of crime.”

Revolutionary Action Party member Jaden Perkins spoke on the failure of the city council and the mayor’s office to take the concerns of the community seriously during a time of great economic and social uncertainty. “The community is here today because we have had enough of inefficient and ignorant government; because we believe in people over profit and investing in the marginalized over the privileged few,” he said in his testimony to city council. “Budgets are moral documents, and if you vote yes on this budget, you are anything but.”

PhD student and activist Morrey speaks to the assembled crowd at the Budget Rally on Aug. 3

Omaha Autonomous Action organizer Nick O’Connell spoke on the city’s inability to provide adequate shelter for the city’s houseless population, and suggested that the increase to the police budget is a misuse of funds. “Here we are discussing whether we should give another $5.3 million to the police while people fight for survival under tarps and living in tents,” he said in a fiery speech. “If this city truly cared about solving the problem it has in caring for its most vulnerable people it would invest in building more public housing and repairing the current public housing.”

The activist groups who attended the rally and public hearing plan to continue to organize against the increased funding of the police department, as well as advocate for sustainable alternatives that focus on cultivating a healthy community in the City of Omaha. “Reactionary days are over. The days of rolling over and conceding to such violent forces are over,” Revolutionary Action Party organizer Kiara Williams said in a speech. “I want revolutionary reform. The people want revolutionary reform. In this sense, revolutionary reform looks like defunding the police, funding communities, all while continuously working towards abolition.”

The city council vote on the 2022 city budget will be held on August 17.