There’s a new statue of Breonna Taylor at Latham Square in downtown Oakland. It replaces two previous ones that were smashed and desecrated. The new one is made of bronze and was paid for through a Go-Fund-Me campaign.

One way to describe the excesses of woke politicians is the extremes they go to in order to assuage what they perceive as the collective guilt of Americans. We see this in several forms. For example, the wokes view American history as one of repression of people of color, and so the Oakland City Council developed their own form of “reparations” when they voted to give “Black and Indigenous families and people of color” $500 per month.

You may recall I wrote yesterday how surprised I was to see Nikki Fortunato Bas at the police press conference on Tuesday. It’s rare as unicorns to see a City Council member at these things, and I just couldn’t figure out why Bas was there. Then I saw her on the evening news on Channel 2 on Tuesday night, when she was interviewed right after the press conference.

OPD does it almost every time there’s a murder: holds a press conference at headquarters on Seventh Street. It’s the same routine every time: the press gathers, sets up their equipment, then someone—usually Chief Armstrong—arrives, talks about the murder, and takes a few questions. Then everyone departs, and the day goes on.

The following is an email Harold Lowe sent me about his priorities. Lowe is running for the Oakland City Council in District 2, which runs along the southern and eastern coasts of Lake Merritt and stretches to Crocker Highlands and the San Antonio neighborhood. His resume shows his deep roots, a lifelong Oaklander whose kids attend Oakland public schools. He has had a successful career outside of politics. He entered this race against Nikki Bas because so many people in District 2 implored him to. When he speaks of “our leaders forcing their personal philosophies” on the rest of us, that resonates with the feeling of most Oaklanders, and certainly those of us here at the Coalition for a Better Oakland. Harold brings real-life experience, a commitment to Oakland youth, and a panoramic perspective to our problems. His promise to increase the police force is especially commendable. Harold actually listens to people instead of telling them what to do, the way Bas does.