Moore, who died in Berkeley police custody on Feb. 12, became the focus of controversy during Tuesday’s council meeting. As the City Council attempted to move an item on mental health for further discussion later in the meeting, vocal protests erupted, eventually culminating in police officers forcibly removing one protester who refused to give up the floor.

Before the council meeting, protesters also held a rally in front of City Hall, holding signs stating, “We won’t forget Kayla!” and “Justice for Kayla (Xavier) Moore.”

Much of the anger in the room reflected protester frustrations about the scarcity of information regarding the case. Berkeley Police Department currently has a “press hold” on Moore’s autopsy report, and although the BPD has assured that the report will be released in the near future, the situation has resulted in strong criticism from members of the family as well as the community.

During the public comment session, two protesters ceded their speaking time to Arthur Moore, Kayla’s father, who directed most of his criticism toward Bates.

“I’m very, very disappointed that your chief of police put a hold on this case,” Arthur said to Bates. “We haven’t heard anything from your office stating that things are going to change … Nobody has said anything about my son. Nobody from your office. What I’m asking you to do is change your mind and give us some answers.”

Prior to the council meeting, much frustration was taken to the streets. On March 12, for example, about 70 protesters gathered at People’s Park and marched on Berkeley Police Department.

Though the protest was nonviolent, the anger was tangible as participants chanted slogans like “Vengeance for Kayla Moore.”

The march was soon followed by a birthday memorial for Moore, who would have turned 42 this year. The memorial also had a march with turnout similar to that of the march on Berkeley Police Department headquarters.

The council meeting, however, was not all emotional pleas and outbursts. Moore’s sister, Maria, proposed that the city have a mental health awareness month.

“What the city needs is more mental health services,” Maria said. “Let’s allocate those funds that would hire more cops to mental health services.”

The heated discussion on mental health and Moore’s death cooled down after the forced removal of one of the protesters. Councilmember Kriss Worthington emphasized that the council must focus on helping move the Berkeley community past this issue and toward a healing process.

Gladys Rosario covers academics and administration. Contact her at grosario@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @gladysrosario93.

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Approximately 70 individuals attended the event to remember Moore, a 41-year-old transgender Berkeley resident and a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who died in the custody of Berkeley Police Department on Feb. 12 after a disturbance call.

The memorial and protest began in the Gaia Building, where Moore lived, and featured an extensive cast of speakers, including friends, family, a City Council member and other community members.

“She was so brave to be herself,” said Maria Moore, Moore’s sister and a UC Berkeley graduate. “Kayla was such a fun person. She was a bubbly beach blonde inside a large male body. Kayla took care of other people before she would take care of herself.”

Along with honoring Kayla’s memory, many felt that the details of the investigation were taking too long to be released. Wednesday’s protest resulted in the protesters taping a Public Records Act request to the door of the BPD station in which they demanded that BPD release the coroner’s report.

BPD, however, has placed a “press hold” on the release of the autopsy report because the investigation remains open.

“The investigation is still ongoing,” said Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for BPD. “Any investigation involving a death such as this includes thorough and detailed interviews with all witnesses and involved parties, the collection and analysis of all available evidence and preparation of appropriate reports.”

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who knew Moore for almost 30 years, criticized the investigation for taking too long a time to release details.

“No family in the city of Berkeley should ever have to wait weeks or months to get a coroner’s report of the death of their family member,” Worthington said. “In hundreds of cities across California, you can get this information in days.”

Worthington added that Moore was dealing with so many issues that our society is not prepared to deal with. Family and community members alike voiced their desire to have police better trained to handle people with mental-health disabilities.

The coroner’s office is expected to conclude its investigation shortly, and BPD expects to release something in the “very near future,” according to Lt. David Frankel of BPD, though an exact date was not specified. Frankel added that this information is planned to be made available much sooner than in similar cases due to the high-profile nature of the case.

Another protest is planned for April 30, when the protesters will attempt to voice their concern to the city manager, to whom BPD reports, said Andrea Pritchett of the Berkeley Copwatch.

Contact Matt Trejo at mtrejo@dailycal.org.

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Organized by Kayla’s family, the celebration will be held at the Gaia Building apartment complex at 5 p.m. on what would have been her 42nd birthday.

Moore, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, died in police custody on the night of Feb. 12 after officers were called to her apartment to respond to a call about a disturbance.

Following the event, Berkeley Copwatch has organized a march to the Berkeley Police Station to call on the department to release information about their investigation into Moore’s death.

“Our first objective is to honor Kayla Moore and the grief that her family has endured as a result of her murder,” said Copwatch member Andrea Prichett. “Then we’re going to the police station, asking them to release the hold that they have placed on the coroner’s report … we’re asking BPD to correct that situation and let the public and the family have access to the report.”

There is currently a “press hold” placed on the release of the autopsy report by the BPD as the investigation is still ongoing. The coroner’s office is also still currently conducting their own investigation at this time, said Deputy Damon Wilson from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau.

Maria Moore, Kayla’s sister, says the department mishandled the incident and that the officers lacked the necessary training to handle suspects with mental illnesses.

“(The incident) was handled horribly,” Maria said. “One of the neighbors said that (Kayla) was quiet and didn’t know why the police was called. The situation only escalated when the police came.”

According to Maria, the department has not been forthright with information about the investigation to the family, saying they had to reach out to BPD in order for someone to respond.

“We had to call them several times just to get a phone call back,” Maria said. “We may have to get a lawyer involved because they’re not producing any information.”

Maria also criticized the rate at which the investigation is being handled, saying that it has been two months without any word from the department. In an email, Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for BPD, said that the investigation is going at its current rate because officers want it to be as thorough as possible.

The investigation involves detailed interviews with witnesses as well as a collection and analysis of all evidence, according to Coats.

“We understand the community’s concern over this incident and their desire to have as much information as possible,” Coats stated in the email. “This can take some time and we are committed to conducting a thorough investigation into this matter.”

Andy Nguyen is the lead crime reporter. Contact him at anguyen@dailycal.org
and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Truc.

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