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The Oakland, California, NAACP civil rights organization blasted woke city leaders for their soft-on-crime policies which they say have led to skyrocketing numbers of shootouts and violent armed robberies, forcing residents to leave the area for good.
The group issued the statement Thursday as dozens of Oakland residents packed a public safety meeting and demanded progressive Alameda County DA Pamela Price to address the alarming uptick of violent crime in the city.
In the letter, the local NAACP chapter said residents are “sick and tired” of the shootings, car-break-ins and highway shootouts and implored city leaders to declare a state of emergency.
“There is nothing compassionate or progressive about allowing criminal behavior to fester and rob Oakland residents of their basic rights to public safety,” the group wrote.
“It is not racist or unkind to want to be safe from crime. No one should live in fear in our city.”
The group, along with Bishop Bob Jackson of the Acts Full Gospel Church, said Price’s unwillingness to charge and prosecute serious criminals, as reported by The Post, has created “the proliferation of anti-police rhetoric and created a heyday for Oakland criminals.”
The city’s 911 system also is failing its residents, while criminals know police response is usually slow since the city is suffering from a shortage of 500 officers, Oakland NAACP officials said in the letter.
As of July 16, robberies in Oakland have increased by 22% with 1,880 reports, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Crime overall was up 15% citywide and up 42% in total since the first half of 2021.
Jackson and the NAACP said no one is safe when it comes to becoming targets of criminals who have taken over Oaklands’ streets because of the lack of leadership and prosecution.
“African Americans are disproportionately hit the hardest by crime in East Oakland and other parts of the city,” the group said. “But residents from all parts of the city report that they do not feel safe. Women are targeted by young mobs and viciously beaten and robbed in downtown and uptown neighborhoods.
“Asians are assaulted in Chinatown. Street vendors are robbed in Fruitvale. News crews have their cameras stolen while they report on crime. PG&E workers are robbed and now require private security when they are out working. Everyone is in danger.”
Price has received criticism for her progressive policies and declining to seek harsher punishment against violent offenders. In March, the prosecutor declined to add gun and gang enhancements against three gangbangers charged with shooting a 5-year-old girl.
Price announced in June she would not be prosecuting nine teens arrested for a string of robberies in the East Bay.
Price cited “lack of evidence” for not moving forward with charges against the teens, and added, “Many of the details of these incidents being spread by some individuals have been hyperbolic.”
“While I’m driving, I’m pulled out of my car at gunpoint,” one woman said. “What are we doing to address this? How do we solve this? Nobody feels safe.”
At the Thursday public meeting, Price doubled down on her decision not to prosecute the nine teens for the robberies. She said a veteran deputy in her office determined there was lack of evidence because the victims were unable to identify their attackers.
Oakland resident Barbara Hoffer, who also was at the meeting, said she was assaulted during an attempted robbery along with her friend.
“Pamela Price needs to understand that there must be consequences when there are assaults on people in their city,” Hoffer said.
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