Richmond and San Pablo Community Allies Rally Against Police Hit and Run

On the evening of December 1st, a longtime resident of the Richmond area was struck by a San Pablo Police Department SUV. It was driven by Jonah Norman, a 21 year old who works as a jailer for SPPD. Many witnesses noted that Norman was under the influence when he struck 3 cars and caused serious injuries to the resident and demanded that the police arrest him. However, the officers who arrived at the scene seemed more concerned with the optics of the situation, threatening furious residents with a baton and forcing them back onto the sidewalk. It has been over two months since this incident.

At the end of January 2025, local activists associated with the Stop Cop City Coalition decided to start protesting in front of the San Pablo Police Department demanding justice for those who were wronged as well as for the local cop campus to be defunded. This Friday (February 21st) will mark a month of protesting every Friday to demand that Norman and the department be held accountable for their actions. However, to our knowledge, all the department has done in response has continued its “internal investigation” which is an obvious attempt to push this incident under the rug and out of the public eye.

In the past month, we have learned that this is not the only instance of the local police force's negligence. Earlier this month, another resident told us their story of how one of their family members was harmed during a hit and run. When they went to the police to try and seek some form of justice, the police claimed they found who had hurt their family member and that they “talked to them”. It's examples like this that make it blatantly clear that SPPD, much like every other police force, has very little interest in not only protecting the public from serious cases of injustice. It has no interest in holding themselves accountable for their grievous actions.

We will continue to protest the SPPD and the construction of the new cop campus until they are truly held accountable and public funds are reinvested into things the residents of Contra Costa county and the greater Bay Area actually need such as a new public hospital in San Pablo and more money into education and for teachers. We invite any people of conscience to come out and join us as we continue to expose the SPPD for who they really are.