In late April, 2012, a transgender woman, Brandy Martell, was murdered in front of her friends in Oakland, CA in what was presumed to be a hate crime. Many activist argue that the Oakland police and city council have not only been ineffective in stopping crime, they also use it to cover their tracks. The unchecked power of the police smashed the Occupy movement, and is regularly used to abuse youth of color, and murder unarmed people.

Shortly after the murder of Brandy Martell the Oakland Police Department murdered an unarmed youth, Alan Blueford, who was weeks away from graduating from Skyline High School.

On June 9, 2012 family members of Alan Blueford and Brandy Martell joined anti-police brutality and anti-oppression activists for this panel discussion in Oakland about racism, police brutality, anti-LGBT oppression, and how to win justice for Alan Blueford and Brandy Martell.