Oakland police union calls for mayor's resignation, citing 'failures in this city'

The police union of a California city called for “chaos” daily, begging the mayor to resign “immediately” as citizens “cannot leave their homes”.

(Video credit: KTVU)

Just as leftists touted their economic policies while people filled their shopping carts with fewer and fewer goods at higher and higher prices, reports of declining violent crime rates did not match the sentiment in the streets Tuesday, after a weekend where KTVU reported that nine people were shot over a 30-hour period in Oakland, California, the president of the police union officially called for the resignation of Mayor Sheng Thao (D).

“Every day, our citizens feel the tragedies. That they can't leave their homes or walk the streets of Oakland, call 911 and not get the services they need,” Oakland Police Officers Association President Huy Nguyen said as he called Thao's resignation, “immediately because of many of the failures” in this city, from crime, to the budget crisis, to the distraction of the FBI raid that impedes our ability to function as a city.”

As reported in June, the mayor blamed “right-wing forces” when his home was raided by the FBI, which was speculated to be related to an alleged financial connection to a recycling contractor. Meanwhile, conditions in the city had gotten so bad that even California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) he urged the city to allow police to “pursue suspects in more circumstances.”

“We don't have the resources,” lamented Nguyen, who recounted a case in which police had taken three days to respond to a shooting where 100 rounds had been fired.

In the POA letter, the leaders wrote, “Oakland's hard-working, dedicated and brave police officers risk their lives every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. But your policies, and those of most of the council, they continue to reduce the ability of police officers to protect Oakland from the violent crimes, murders, shootings, carjackings, burglaries, robberies, side shows and the chaos that Oakland experiences daily.

The Oakland Police Officers Association has called on Sheng to resign.

It's hard to read when they describe the reality Oakland residents face and yet missed opportunities to make it better.

“Every day you're in office, Oakland is less safe.” pic.twitter.com/jHIf08zLQO

— Trishala Vinnakota (@trishala) August 6, 2024

Meanwhile, while a rollback effort was underway to see the mayor removed as crime rates rose 17% from 2022 to 2023 and the police force was reduced to 678 officers when estimates projected that “ total strength” was between 1,000 and 1,200, Thao posted a video. responding to the demand that she resign.

“It is a shame that the POA is obviously playing politics. Right now, during this sensitive time, we need to come together,” he argued. “We see that what we're working on in terms of the comprehensive approach to public safety is working.”

Public safety is my top priority, so let me lay out the facts about the progress we've made since I was sworn in last January. #OneOakland #OaklandLoveLife #Oakland pic.twitter.com/GfPbFhyftc

— Mayor Sheng Thao Sheng Tao (@MayorShengThao) August 6, 2024

Oakland POA Vice President Tim Dolan disagreed when he said, “This is a time to invest more in the city, hire more police officers, retain police officers and fix the crime problem. And going forward, this is what we would like to see from the next mayor”.

Nguyen further justified the call for Thao's resignation, telling the press that it would ultimately save the city time and money that would otherwise be used for the withdrawal: “If he resigns this week, the election will take place in November, as opposed to waiting until the withdrawal. Then it will be in April and the process is even longer when we have to work on the new budget.”

Staff writer

A native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College, where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and seeker of truth, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and dog, and when he's not researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel ·the.

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