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Breakbox Thought Collective: Founder Jamillah Hasan-Oliver says the group began serving Fresno in 2018, and the new space includes room for new classes, workshops and activities. YourCentralValley
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1. Still no police auditor in Fresno
It’s been one year since Fresno’s Office of Independent Review has reviewed anything independently.
The last quarterly report was issued in July 2025, a month before the last independent reviewer retired.
City officials said in March they offered the job to a candidate, who turned it down. The search began again after that, according to the mayor’s office.
“The Fresno Police Department has hundreds of complaints a year and dozens of cases that end with discipline, which can be as simple as an official letter of reprimand that requires the officer to take more training or more serious cases that can end in termination,” The Fresno Bee reports.
2. Chief Casto defends Flock cameras
Dozens of Fresno residents packed the Ted C. Willis Community Center on Monday night as Fresno police leadership defended the use of the controversial Flock surveillance cameras.
The issue has received intense national scrutiny and local advocacy groups have pushed the city to scrap the cameras that capture license plate information and other vehicle images that are stored, at least temporarily, in a law enforcement database.
“You have asked our opinion on Flock, and we have made it resoundingly known. I hope you make the right choice and end the contract with Flock and remove the cameras,” one resident said.
“Despite the criticism, Casto and the Fresno Police Department maintained their support for the program, citing its role in criminal investigations,” ABC30 reports. “According to the department, Flock cameras were used in 79% of homicide cases and 39% of shooting investigations over the past year.”
Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto: “We have to find a balance between safety and liberty.”
3. Pokemon card collectors out in droves
Hundreds of people lined up outside the north Fresno Sam’s Club starting Monday afternoon just to get their hands on a new, premium release of Pokemon cards.
The hype is over a new collection releasing today, with each of them containing over a dozen separate packs of trading cards.
KMPH reported that online forums of Pokemon card collectors are tracking which Sam’s Club warehouses are getting shipments.
