Nine police officers in Oakland, Calif., the founding home of the Black Panther Party and hometown of the first U.S. vice president of color, have been disciplined for racist, sexist postings on social media.

The punishments came after The Oaklandside news website revealed that several police officers had “liked” and commented on social media posts by a former Oakland officer who has defended the actions of the Jan. 6 mob at the U.S. Capitol and has shared extremist theories about election fraud. The revelations came after a city investigation that included the confiscation of 140 Oakland Police Department work phones, according to The Oaklandside. 

In a related development, an independent report by outside investigators criticized the Oakland Police Department for its slow response to the social media scandal, The Oaklandside reported.