I was surprised to see that the BLM movement has been targeting elements of the eugenics movement. August Vollmer, the first police chief of Berkeley, actually made a show of appointing African Americans, while advocating for sterilizing the disabled and disproportionately policing African Americans. BLM supporters want to rename a park named after him:  

City Councilmember Cheryl Davila wants the East Bay Regional Park District to rename Tilden Park’s Vollmer Peak – named after Berkeley’s first police chief and park district co-founder, August Vollmer – amid accusations Vollmer supported eugenics and was at least partially responsible for what she characterizes as “systemic racism” in today’s department.

Davila’s recommendation, slated for the council’s consent calendar Tuesday, urges the district to ask the community to suggest new names. It’s an extension of what Davila wrote is “unprecedented engagement in discussions of policing and community safety in the past several months.”

“As the city takes the time to deeply consider the role of police in public safety and figure out the best way to invest in community safety resources, we must also consider the history of policing in Berkeley,” wrote Davila.