Community Members Demand Resignation of BART Deputy Chief Following Video of Shaquille Coleman Assault

OAKLAND, Calif. — Community members, organizers and advocates are set to gather Monday afternoon to demand the resignation of BART Deputy Chief Antoinette Turner after video footage surfaced showing Shaquille Coleman being assaulted by officers while Turner was present at the scene.

According to ABC7 News, Sgt. Mike Olivera of San Leandro Internal Affairs uncovered body camera footage from December 2024 while reviewing old video files. The footage reportedly showed “San Leandro police handcuffed this homeless man at a strip mall, got into a violent struggle, and then ‘dumped him’ — in their words — seven miles away in Oakland.”

The Anti-Police Terror Project said the footage shows “officers violently pulling Coleman’s dreadlocks before transporting him across city lines and abandoning him.”

ABC7 reported that officers later concluded “the man had committed no crime.”

Under department policy, “any use of force is supposed to be thoroughly documented by the arresting officer,” but that reportedly did not occur in this case.

At the time of the incident, “Antoinette Turner was a lieutenant with the San Leandro Police Department and was present on the scene.” According to the Anti-Police Terror Project, Turner was seen in the video footage “watching and laughing during the incident.”

Robert Bowden of the organization All of Us or None stated “…and the lieutenant thought it was funny. She is laughing while this man is being violated and disrespected.”

Community members have particularly emphasized that “someone connected to this type of violence should not be overseeing BART’s ‘Progressive Policing and Community Engagement’ division.”

The controversy intensified following “BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin’s public response to questions about Turner’s role in the incident.”

ABC7 reporter Dan Noyes questioned Franklin about the incident, but “Franklin reportedly dropped a reporter’s microphone and walked away without addressing concerns from the public.”

Franklin also “defended Turner’s hiring,” stating that he had “confidence that she is able to lead and grow our progressive police and community engagement bureau.”

The Anti-Police Terror Project said the response prompted further mobilization demanding accountability and the resignation of Deputy Chief Antoinette Turner, arguing that “the response reflects a broader culture of arrogance, impunity, and refusal to take accountability within BART Police leadership.”

ABC7 reporter Dan Noyes also spoke with Shaquille Coleman regarding the incident. Coleman reportedly “became emotional and asked to stop” watching the video footage after only a few seconds.

Coleman also stated that it was “hard to talk about” and “hard to even grasp the situation because (he) didn’t think nothing like that would happen to (him).”

Coleman reportedly said he would have more to say the following day, but “Noyes returned at the agreed time the following day, but Coleman did not appear.”

Despite his absence, “a crowd spoke in support of Coleman at a BART Police Civilian Review Board meeting” that same night.

Cat Brooks, co-founder of the Anti-Police Terror Project, stated, “I’m going to guess you all are sitting in these seats, because those are not the kind of cops that you want on our streets.”

At the meeting, speakers “focused on San Leandro police Lt. Antoinette Turner, who oversaw Coleman’s detention and approved the decision to leave him in Oakland away from any BART station, according to the video.”

The Anti-Police Terror Project also said organizers are “pointing to previous allegations involving Turner connected to efforts to discourage reporting related to a crash involving a former San Leandro police chief.”

The allegations have raised broader concerns about “accountability, misconduct, and institutional cover-ups within policing systems.”

Now, “community members, organizers, and advocates will gather today at 4:00 PM at the BART Police Civilian Review Board.”

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  • Arielle Amri

    Arielle Amri is a second-year Criminology, Law and Society and Psychological Sciences double major at the University of California, Irvine. She aspires to attend law school after graduation. She is a strong advocate for justice and equality within the criminal justice system. In her free time, she enjoys playing pool and soccer, hanging out with friends, and hiking.

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