Kudos to Oaklandside’s reporter, Eli Wolfe, for writing this lengthy analysis of why fighting crime in Oakland is so hard. It makes for fascinating reading, but it’s also frustrating, because, as Eli notes, every time there’s a common sense solution for a problem, there emerge multiple reasons why that solution can’t be deployed.
The Price Recall: Alive and well!
I try to post five days a week, but there are slow-news days, and this is one of them. The one thing I’ll say is that the Price Recall is going well, as far as I can tell. To judge from social media, a majority of Alameda County voters are poised to bid Price good riddance. The comments on Twitter, Facebook, etc. are overwhelmingly in favor of the Recall. People are personally offended by her, not only because she has increased the danger level for us all, but because of the vengefulness and appalling obliviousness with which she practices her racist soft-on-crime policies. So please, when signature gatherers hit the streets (hopefully soon), sign up! Donate a little money to the Recall. Above all, talk to your friends and neighbors and urge them to sign the petition and vote YES on the Recall. We can do this!
Steve Heimoff
"Our children"? "Our babies"? No, they're feral monsters
BART has new posters in the stations touting the system’s efforts to “boost safety and prevent harassment.” The posters inform us of BART’s new “Transit Ambassadors” who “are trained in anti-bias and de-escalation techniques.” I have a question for BART: What the hell do “anti-bias techniques” have to do with keeping passengers safe and less harassed?
Here's a great idea: Let's shut down the jails!
“If we want to imagine the possibility of a society without racism, it has to be a society without prisons.” Who said that? Pamela Price? Nope, although it could have been. It’s from one of Price’s intellectual mentors, Angela Davis, the Black Panther and Communist, and the spiritual godmother of radical Black nationalists.
Please note! The Price Recall event has been postponed!
For various reasons, Carl Chan and the other organizers have decided to postpone today’s rally for a little while. No new date has been announced, but it shouldn’t be too long. The organizers are sorry for any inconvenience, and wish to let everyone know that the Recall process is proceeding full steam ahead! Stay tuned for more information.
Meanwhile, Sheng Thao has released a statement on crime. Among its many dubious claims, here’s the part that most concerns me: “Enhanced Youth Service Referral Pipeline: The DVP, OUSD and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and Probation are collaborating to create referrals to DVP programs and services specifically for juveniles involved in crime or violence.”
I’ll begin by saying that I don’t want “collaboration” with DVP, OUSD or Pamela Price’s office when it comes to prosecuting juvenile criminals. These three organizations have long been captured by the hopelessly woke. They perceive their task as the unremitting quest for “social justice” and are unwilling to support or even acknowledge the public safety and level of policing we need to protect us. Each of the three organizations is run and staffed by leftwing ideologues who have achieved power through “the long march through the institutions.” Their claim that criminals are compelled to break the law due to “structural racism” is insane. These ideologues do not believe in punishment, which they feel merely perpetuates the White power structure. They favor what they think of as “rehabilitation.” This means, in effect, that nothing bad happens to the criminals, who know they can commit their crimes with impunity, because the people running the system-- DVP, OUSD and the D.A.’s office—believe in letting them go free so they can reoffend.
Thao also makes much of MACRO, the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland, which is absorbing tens of millions of dollars that would more usefully be invested in the Oakland Police Department. I’ve made no secret of my mistrust of this sinister-sounding program, which the Left pushes in their never-ending effort to defund the police. According to MACRO’s own timeline on the City of Oakland’s website, “Police and Fire Start Dispatching MACRO calls on Aug. 1, 2022.” That was more than a year ago. Have you seen or heard any evidence that MACRO is out there on the streets, doing anything useful? I’ve seen MACRO vehicles exactly twice. One time was a few days ago, when a MACRO truck was parked by Kaiser Center but the people inside appeared to be resting. Another time was a few weeks ago, when I saw a MACRO team giving a bottle of water to a derelict who was huddled in a bus stop that was littered with garbage. You’ll have to pardon me when I allege that MACRO is a huge scam. Somebody is making bigtime money off it. But who?
I’ll give Sheng Thao credit for at least making the right sounds about crime. She’s against it! Who knew? Thank for, Madame Mayor. You were late to the party, but at least you’ve finally joined us. When you say “Violent crime is something that touches all of us and I take it very seriously,” I hope you mean it. But mere words count for nothing. The thing for you to do now is to determine how to make OPD stronger than ever, even if that means transferring dollars away from DVP and MACRO. After all, the police are the only ones out there who are taking care of us. It certainly isn’t the phony cronies who run DVP or the kids riding around in their MACROmobiles.
Steve Heimoff, President
Coalition for a Better Oakland