In an open letter to elected leaders, President of the Oakland NAACP Cynthia Adams, and Bishop Bob Jackson, senior pastor at the Acts Full Gospel Church, are calling for a state of emergency to be declared to address the “public safety crisis" in the city.
“Murders, shootings, violent armed robberies, home invasions, car break-ins, sideshows, and highway shootouts have become a pervasive fixture of life in Oakland,” the letter states, placing the blame squarely on failed progressive leadership and efforts by social justice movements.
"Failed leadership, including the movement to defund the police, our District Attorney’s unwillingness to charge and prosecute people who murder and commit life-threatening serious crimes, and the proliferation of anti-police rhetoric have created a heyday for Oakland criminals," the letter continues, going on to point out how people are leaving the city in droves.
To bring change to the city, not only are more police needed, but opportunities for youth and blue collar jobs must come as well, they argue.
“Unfortunately, progressive policies and failed leadership have chased away or delayed significant blue collar job development in the city, the Port of Oakland, and the former Army Base. That must change!"
Adams and Jackson urge Oakland’s white, Asian, and Latino communities to speak out about the issues and not be “shamed into silence.”
“There is nothing compassionate or progressive about allowing criminal behavior to fester and rob Oakland residents of their basic rights to public safety,” they write. “It is not racist or unkind to want to be safe from crime. No one should live in fear in our city.”
"We are 500 police officers short of the number that experts say Oakland needs. Our 911 system does not work. Residents now know that help will not come when danger confronts them. Worse, criminals know that too."
— Leighton 明 Woodhouse (@lwoodhouse) July 28, 2023
"We urge African Americans to speak out and demand improved public safety. We also encourage Oakland's White, Asian and Latino communities to speak out against crime and stop allowing themselves to be shamed into silence."
— Leighton 明 Woodhouse (@lwoodhouse) July 28, 2023
"It is not racist or unkind to want to be safe from crime. No one should live in fear in our city."
— Leighton 明 Woodhouse (@lwoodhouse) July 28, 2023
Discussing the problem on Friday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “On Balance,” Adams said crime is so bad people are afraid to even get their mail.
“You can’t go to the grocery stores. You can’t put your groceries in your cars. You can’t do anything. … We [were] too quiet…and we had to open our mouth. We had to say something," she said.
The Oakland NAACP wants the city's leaders to declare a state of emergency due to crime in the region. The organization's president, Cynthia Adams, joins @LelandVittert to discuss what's happening in the city and why more needs to be done.
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) July 29, 2023
More #OnBalance: https://t.co/n92idkeBzV pic.twitter.com/vC88LJ7BZH