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time of Zack's death. Borenstein's piece linked to an
October 2, 2017 letter from the city manager to Alameda City Council, in which she wrote: "The pressure to select as the new fire chief has been intense and unrelenting. Some of the specific instances include: Written correspondence urging the selection of and a two-Councilmember meeting with me to suggest that the selection of their candidate would be in the interest of labor peace and would avoid an incident similar to the one involving Raymond Zack (this thinly veiled threat insults the very notion of good government) " Though Weaver's name was redacted from the letter as it was released by the city, Borenstein's article names Weaver as the candidate who was being promoted by the Union and the Councilmembers for the position.
40:
personnel handle it. Eventually, Zack collapsed in the water, apparently from hypothermia. Even then, nobody entered the water for over twenty minutes even as his body drifted, face down, back towards the beach. Finally, a young woman entered the water and pulled Zack to shore. Zack died afterwards at a local hospital.
135:
In
October 2017, Daniel Borenstein of the East Bay Times wrote an opinion piece about the firefighters union's attempt, including through two friendly city council members, to compel the city manager to name Captain Domenick Weaver the new fire chief. Weaver was the firefighter union president at the
78:
to conduct an investigation and produce a report. His 67-page report "found that the death was caused by a breakdown in communications and a lack of training." In the intervening period, a memo surfaced that contradicted the fire chief's claim that Zack's death was due to a lack of funding for water
39:
Dozens of civilians on the beach, and watching from their homes across from the beach, did not enter the water, apparently expecting public safety officers to conduct a rescue. A bystander took off her shoes, preparing to enter the water, but was told by a police officer not to, to let public safety
35:
According to police reports, Alameda police expected the firefighters to enter the water. Firefighters later said that they did not have current training and certifications to perform land-based water rescue, and that funding for the program was cut. However, a memo soon surfaced that contradicted
28:, walked into the waters off Robert Crown Memorial Beach and stood neck deep in water roughly 150 yards offshore for almost an hour. His foster mother, Dolores Berry, called 9-1-1 and said that he couldn't swim and was trying to drown himself. There are conflicting reports about Zack's intentions.
96:
In
October 2011, members of Zack's birth family filed claims against the City of Alameda and Alameda County, and eventually sued both agencies over Zack's death. In May 2012, Zack's family filed suit in Alameda County Superior Court. (The Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center,
127:. The film screened in Alameda for the first time on January 31, 2016, at the Michaan Auction House Theater at Alameda Point in the presence of many witnesses and the new mayor of Alameda. Zack's mother, Delores Berry, was present as well. It was boycotted by the local fire department.
31:
City of
Alameda firefighters and police responded but did not enter the water. The firefighters called for a United States Coast Guard boat to respond to the scene. The boat the Coast Guard sent drafted too deep for the shallow water off the beach. No boat ever arrived.
179:
Many issues about this incident are disputed. Roughly one year after the incident, Raymond Zack's family filed a "Failure of Duty" lawsuit against the City of
Alameda and the County of Alameda, which handles dispatch for the Alameda Fire
87:
On June 14, 2016, Zack's foster mother, Delores Berry, died of congestive heart failure and kidney failure. Friends and family said that she never got over Zack's death, and that she essentially died of a broken heart.
55:
Members of the local community were outraged. In May 2012, Alameda residents held a "wade-out" in memory of Zack, and to demonstrate how public safety officials might have reacted differently to preserve Zack's life.
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the lack-of-funding claim. Local agencies disputed whether or not the
Alameda Fire Department or Alameda Police Department made requests for mutual aid, such as a request for a shallow-water boat.
97:
a.k.a. ACRECC, handles radio dispatch for the City of
Alameda Fire Department.) In early 2013, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying public safety officials had no legal duty to save Zack.
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Local residents filed complaints with a state agency that oversees paramedics; however, those complaints were dismissed.
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The event prompted "widespread public outrage," and a number of commentaries on ethics, linking the event to the
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Countless contemporaneous eye witness accounts reported in multiple national and international media sources.
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Countless contemporaneous eye witness accounts reported in multiple national and international media sources.
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Alameda police released redacted police reports to the media after the event that confirm this.
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Audio recordings of 9-1-1 call, as released to the public, and reproduced in the documentary
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which examines events of the day that Zack died. In 2015, the documentary screened at the
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In 2015, filmmaker Jaime Longhi released to film festivals his 35-minute documentary
214:"Fire departments say Alameda authorities never asked for help to save Raymond Zack"
17:
615:"Sixth Anniversary of Memorial Day Death of Raymond Zack at Alameda's Crown Beach"
567:"Raymond Zack Death: Report Faults City Of Alameda For Lack Of Water Rescue Crew"
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The event made international headlines, and was covered on CNN, Fox News,
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200:"Contrary to what Alameda fire chief said, rescue swimmers were funded"
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In the aftermath of Zack's death, the City of
Alameda contracted with
587:"Report Criticizes City Of Alameda In Drowning Death Of Suicidal Man"
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775:"Borenstein: Who runs Alameda, city manager … or the fire union?"
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382:"Alameda Residents 'Wade-Out' In Bay To Protest Suicide Response"
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in La Jolla, California and won Best
Documentary prize at the
328:"Cops, firefighters watch on shore as suicide victim drowns"
545:"The 1964 Kitty Genovese Tragedy: What Have We Learned?"
470:"Judge Dismisses Crown Beach Drowning Case Against City"
274:"Alameda Police Release Memorial Day Drowning 911 Calls"
492:"The Death of Raymond Zack: No Heroes, Only Bystanders"
288:"The Death of Raymond Zack: No Heroes, Only Bystanders"
434:"State agency clears Alameda paramedics of wrongdoing"
251:"Shallow Waters: The Public Death of Raymond Zack"
228:"Shallow Waters: The Public Death of Raymond Zack"
655:"Raymond Zack's Family Files Wrongful Death Suit"
601:"Memo contradicts Alameda fire chief in drowning"
713:Shallow Waters: The Public Death of Raymond Zack
641:"Alameda hit with claim over man's death in bay"
169:Shallow Waters: The Public Death of Raymond Zack
108:Shallow Waters: The Public Death of Raymond Zack
683:"Judge dismisses family's water rescue lawsuit"
448:"Memorial Day Prompts Memories of Raymond Zack"
735:"Film About Man's 2011 Drowning Shows Jan. 31"
304:. Orange County. June 10, 2011. Archived from
8:
506:"They didn't even try to rescue the victim"
408:"The drowning suicide that shook an island"
342:"Alameda residents hold memorial wade-out"
813:Suicides by drowning in the United States
163:
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131:2017–2018 Alameda City Manager scandal
669:"Alameda fights water rescue lawsuit"
7:
520:"The Alameda Incident Perspectives"
547:. Psychology Today. March 24, 2014
14:
737:. January 6, 2016. Archived from
697:"Shallow Waters Official Website"
358:. January 8, 2015. Archived from
302:"Such callous disregard for life"
384:. June 12, 2011. Archived from
617:. May 31, 2017. Archived from
410:. June 6, 2011. Archived from
276:. San Francisco. June 8, 2011.
125:New Hope Film Festival in 2016
1:
761:"Shallow Waters Delves Deep"
525:. PSDiver.com. February 2013
47:and regional media outlets.
715:on Internet Movie Database"
834:
117:Global Peace Film Festival
70:City of Alameda reaction
113:Awareness Film Festival
818:Suicides in California
356:"Save the city's soul"
589:. September 30, 2011.
575:. September 30, 2011.
388:on September 16, 2015
119:in Orlando, Florida,
741:on February 22, 2016
685:. February 11, 2013.
621:on September 9, 2017
436:. November 22, 2011.
115:in Los Angeles, the
763:. February 4, 2016.
671:. February 7, 2013.
643:. October 14, 2011.
472:. February 12, 2013
92:Zack family lawsuit
26:Alameda, California
808:2011 in California
777:. October 12, 2017
79:rescue programs.
16:On May 30, 2011 (
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18:Memorial Day
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781:October 12,
745:January 12,
418:January 12,
392:January 11,
366:January 11,
312:January 11,
180:Department.
101:Documentary
797:Categories
551:August 16,
529:August 16,
476:August 16,
454:August 16,
152:References
121:Indiefest
45:USA Today
572:HuffPost
140:See also
625:May 30,
523:(PDF)
24:, of
783:2017
747:2016
720:IMDb
627:2017
553:2017
531:2017
478:2017
456:2017
420:2016
394:2016
368:2016
314:2016
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.