Walking downtown yesterday, I passed through Latham Square and saw the bust of Breonna Taylor that’s been there since 2020, and I wondered how come there’s no official city tribute to Officer Tuan Le, the OPD policeman who was brutally slain in the line of duty on Dec. 29, 2023. Born in Vietnam, Officer Le had been an Oakland cop for four years and served his city honorably and faithfully. Ms. Taylor, to the best of my knowledge, never had anything to do with Oakland. With all due respect to Ms. Taylor and meaning no shade to her, why do we honor her in a public space instead of Officer Le?
There’s no answer that makes sense. The closest I can come to an explanation is that official Oakland—by which I mean the Mayor, City Council and all the departments and commissions—don’t give a damn about cops. Whether the men and women in uniform live or die is of no concern to our progressive overlords. On the other hand, race means everything to them, because their paymasters—the unions—demand this obeisance. Ms. Taylor was a Black woman who was killed (accidentally) by cops. Therefore all the boxes are checked for Oakland progressives: race, gender, and the “correct” killers, i.e., cops. As for poor Officer Le, well, he’s not their problem.
Does that make you angry? It really pisses me off. The priorities are so backwards. Someone’s head should roll for this obscene oversight. But no one will ever be held accountable, because we live in a city that hates cops. Ken Houston, where you are? Zac Unger, where are you? Kevin Jenkins, where are you? Mr. Gallo, where are you? Ms. Wang? Ms. Brown? Why are you joining Carroll Fife in this defilement of everything we hold sacred?
This is the sort of outrage that prompted me to start this blog five years ago. Things haven’t gotten better since then, they’re actually worse. It’s not just the disregard of Officer Le’s life that’s so disgusting, it’s the mindset behind it. In any normal city, there would be a plaque or statue for Officer Le, or a street named after him, or even, God willing, an annual day of remembrance. He would be mourned by that city’s mayor, blessed by its clergy, and honored by its city council. But not Oakland. No, this abnormal city will never celebrate its police. Instead, it will defund them.
Which leads to the next topic. I’ve thought long and hard about whether to continue the blog. A lot of you wrote to ask me to please keep writing. I’ve also talked with some valuable friends and advisors and they said the same thing. Most everybody said it was okay with them if I reduced the blog’s frequency from five days a week to one or two. But they really didn’t want it to end. Ultimately, I’ve been convinced that the blog does some good in Oakland. We may not have the biggest readership, but our readers are smart, socially engaged, concerned citizens who love Oakland and hate what our “progressive” politicians have done and are doing to it.
I can’t let those people down. I can’t let myself down. I feel so strongly about so many things, like Officer Le getting thrown into the dump and a person who never did anything for Oakland instead being honored. This is crazy-making stuff, and I can’t let it go on without calling out the insanity and injustice. I’ll continue to write, not the least for brave, innocent Officer Tuan Le.
Thank you to all who contacted me. Thank you to all who will have a cup of coffee with me and share your wisdom—you know who you are. Folks like you are why I will continue this blog, despite the challenges.
Have a wonderful, safe weekend. Back on Monday.
Steve Heimoff