Bay Area

“I Will Not Be Bullied,” Says Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao

Mayor Sheng Tao promised to not allow the attacks to distract her from her duties. She pledged to work with the City Council to approve a balanced budget amid the deep financial shortfall facing cities nationwide and to move ahead with the sale of the City’s half of the Oakland Coliseum to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, which some estimate is the largest sale of public land to African Americans in history.

Published

6 months ago

July 1, 2024

Ken Epstien

Mayor Sheng Tao. FILE photo.

Community Leaders Stand Up for Mayor Against Concerted Attacks

By Ken Epstein

If Mayor Sheng Thao’s enemies, who have been working since the day she was elected to unseat her and install a representative of the old regime, had hoped she was on the ropes and that her supporters would be silenced following an unannounced and unexplained but highly publicized FBI raid on her home last week, they learned this week they were wrong.

In a short, fiery speech, the mayor came out swinging, defiant. She made clear that she does not know any more than the public about what the FBI is investigating.

She questioned why the FBI felt it had to raid her home at dawn, the day after the announcement that a recall petition made the November ballot: “What probable cause does the FBI have that justifies the raiding of the home of a sitting mayor without the courtesy of conversation?”

“I am innocent: I have not been charged with a crime,” she said.

She stated forcefully that the attack on her was politically motivated: “I want you to know about the handful of billionaires from San Francisco and Piedmont who are hellbent on running me out of office.”

She said the same people who are going after her are silent about current charges against a former elected official (Libby Schaaf) for political corruption.

“This couldn’t have gone down the way it did if I was rich, if I had gone to elite private schools, or if I had come from money,” she said.

“I am your mayor. The people who voted for me deserve to have their voices heard. I will not be bullied, and I will not be disparaged, and I will not be threatened out of this office.”

She promised to not allow the attacks to distract her from her duties. She pledged to work with the City Council to approve a balanced budget amid the deep financial shortfall facing cities nationwide and to move ahead with the sale of the City’s half of the Oakland Coliseum to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, which some estimate is the largest sale of public land to African Americans in history.

Encouraged by Thao’s strong words, community leaders and activists are raising their voices to support her.

Walter Riley, Oakland civil rights attorney and leader of the John George Democratic Club, has been an outspoken opponent of local recall campaigns.

Riley, who saw the press conference, said, “I thought she made a strong statement and that the people who are calling for her to resign are not following the evidence and are ignoring due process. They are not behaving responsibly or showing any quality leadership when they make sensational accusations where they have no evidence to back up what they are saying.

“I do know that there is evidence that leaders of past city administrations and some of the leaders of the local recalls have committed serious violations,” he said.

David Weintraub released a statement on behalf of the Coordinating Committee of the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, the East Bay’s largest Democratic club.

“(We are) 100% supportive of the mayor and her progressive policies and the direction she has set for our City.

“We are 100% opposed to the recall funded by wealthy interests and which have not only targeted her but progressive leaders such as our progressive DA, Pamela Price, and the former DA of SF, Chesa Boudin.“The recall efforts of all these leaders were commenced practically before they took office, much less had any fair opportunity to implement the policies they ran on and because of which were elected.

“We join Mayor Thao in questioning why she has not been told the reasons for the raid nor given an opportunity to cooperate and all this within hours of the recall petition being certified.”

Said Pamela Drake, a longtime political and police accountability activist in the city: “Our mayor along with our progressive councilmembers have made some enemies with deep pockets – developers, corporate landlords, and lock-’em-up folks – and they have come after her.”

“Additionally, her style offends some older folks and people who have a vision of how Asian women should deport themselves,” said Drake. “They’re willing to bring chaos to our city government to turn back the clock, but we must resist their rumor-mongering and negativity and give her a full term as the voters intended.”

Mona Treviño, a parent activist who has fought school closings and is organizing for a Gaza cease-fire, wrote a strong statement on Facebook:

“It’s not just me that sees that the Mayor appears to have pissed off some powerful people who are now throwing her under the bus. At the end of the day, power at the top does not have a party, it’s about power and money. This is seeping into our local representation and cannot be accepted. If you know anything about the shark tank that is politics, you know that too many people are open to the highest bidder – like this joke of a lawyer.”

She continued: “Why would anyone want any replacement who is not willing to accept the outcome of our (elections)? These people running around pouring in millions for reactionary recalls – who is leading this in elections around the country?… Shame on the powers that be (who are) throwing a local mayor under the bus. We see you.”

Servant BK Woodson, pastor of Bay Area Christian Connection, said he was concerned about the timing of the recall announcement to coincide with the FBI raid. “I don’t think these things are a coincidence,” he said.

“The idea of democracy, that people can govern themselves without the guidance of the overlords, is at risk right now,” he said. “Recalls are a way for the rich and well-positioned to override the will of the people.”

“It’s easy to abandon someone when they are down; I’m not going to do that,” he said. “She’s innocent until proven guilty. I think everyone needs to support her.”

Ken Epstien

Posts by Ken Epstien

Up Next

Oakland Coliseum Sale to AASEG: A Model for Community Development and Inclusion

Don't Miss

Presidential Debate Disaster: CNN’s Shameful Spectacle

Ken Epstien

Click to comment

Activism

Who Wants to Be the Next Elected Mayor of Oakland?

The Oakland Post is issuing a CALL to all candidates to present their answers, plans, or solutions in response to our list of questions.

Published

7 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Oakland Post

An aerial view of the downtown Oakland skyline on a clear sunny day. The federal building and other iconic buildings fill the skyline. Photo: iStock.

By Paul Cobb

Many of you probably recall the oft-repeated expression when describing leadership that “many are called but few are chosen.” We will be inundated during January with many claims of qualifications by those who want to lead Oakland.

As of Jan. 1, 2025, we have heard the names of 14 potential candidates who might become Oakland’s next Mayor.

The Oakland Post is issuing a CALL to all candidates to present their answers, plans, or solutions in response to our list of questions.

Any candidate who wishes to receive a free announcement, publicity or space in the paper must submit solutions.

The first questions we propose are 1) What is your budget balancing plan?
What is your position on requiring all city employees to work full-time in their designated offices rather than remotely from their homes?
What is your plan to provide open-access opportunities to all police officers for overtime pay?
Since many businesses, especially downtown, have closed, what is your plan to attract and increase revenues?

Please send your submissions of 300 words or less to each question to Social@postnewsgroup.com or visit www.postnewsgroup.com

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland NAACP President Stands on the Frontlines for Equity

With education as a cornerstone, Adams emphasized the importance of youth having access to quality kindergarten through 12th-grade education along with college or vocational programming beyond high school. “I feel that it’s so important for our children to get a good education in K-12th grade, along with the colleges of their choice, especially with the HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).”

Published

8 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Oakland Post

NAACP Oakland President Cynthia Adams. Photo Courtesy of Cynthia Adams.

By Carla Thomas

For Cynthia Adams, president of the Oakland chapter of the NAACP, fighting for the rights of Black people comes naturally. With southern roots in Arkansas, Adams experienced firsthand the injustice and unfairness of racism.

“Growing up in the Jim Crow South, I experienced the unfair treatment of people of color and how faith can inspire communities to bring about positive and long-lasting change,” said Adams. Adams says a combination of her family and faith has kept her strong in the face of adversity and inspired her life’s work of advocacy.

Adams chose education as a career path — and a means to achieve equity and overcome racism. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and later received an advanced degree from California State East Bay.

Adams’ experience as an Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) recorder, a counselor, a researcher, and a college recruiter has allowed her to be laser-focused on youth. She also served as the chairperson for the Oakland NAACP youth.

“The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. We want to ensure our citizens have equal rights and opportunities without discrimination based on race.”

As a partner with the State of California’s Stop the Hate campaign, Adams says the initiative is a step in the right direction. “It’s great that our governor and state created the Stop the Hate campaign and provides resources for victims of racism and other hate crimes,” said Adams. “The racism toward Black people has increased and our children are being targeted,” she continued.

“We, at the Oakland branch, created a declaration on racism that will amplify the needs of our community to combat racism,” continued Adams. “That declaration was adopted nationally.”

Bridging communities and collaborating is also a strategy for moving society toward justice, according to Adams.

“Through the NAACP, we build connections between communities and advocate for the rights of historically marginalized and oppressed individuals,” said Adams. “Collective action is the only way to advance civil rights and promote social equity.”

By taking stands on supporting former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong to supporting the recall of a mayor faced with a scandal that brought negative national press to the city of Oakland, Adams has always demanded more for her people, and better for Oakland, the city she calls home.

She expressed pride in the national organization’s announcement of a $200 million fund designed to empower Black funders nationwide. “We all know the health of a community begins with economics,” said Adams.

Adams says that strengthening Black businesses automatically sustains a community. “We’ve also got to educate our community on opportunities and teach our children critical thinking so that they can provide the next generation of solutions for society,” said Adams.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

‘In 2024, We Had a Decrease in Shootings and Killings,’ Says Oakland Mayor Nikki Bas and Ceasefire Leaders

“The Ceasefire Strategy is once again being properly implemented and fully executed by all its partners as a data-driven gun violence reduction strategy. It is reducing gun violence in the City of Oakland with remarkable results and tangible improvements. The leadership of Rev. Damita Davis- Howard, Ceasefire director, Dr. Joshi of the Department of Violence Prevention, and the Ceasefire Strategy partners must be commended for this incredible work in ensuring public safety,” said Pastor Michael Wallace, Oakland Public Safety and Services Oversight Commission member.

Published

8 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Oakland Post

Some faith and community leaders who attended the year-end Ceasefire press conference are (left to right): Rev. Damita Davis-Howard, Oakland Mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas, Rev. Michael Wallace, and Brooklyn Williams. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

From Oakland City News Sources

Oakland’s Ceasefire partners, including representatives from the City of Oakland Department of Violence Prevention (DVP), Faith in Action East Bay, and other community leaders held a press conference Monday to discuss year-end reductions in gun violence and share community support for the Ceasefire Strategy.

“Our communities have never wavered from our support of the Ceasefire Strategy. We knew in the beginning that Ceasefire saves the lives of Oakland’s most vulnerable,” said Alba Hernandez, Faith in Action East Bay.

According to the DVP, Oakland will finish 2024 as the safest year since the start of the COVID pandemic. As of Dec. 23, there has been a 35% decrease in murders accompanied by a 33% reduction in nonfatal shootings compared to 2023.

As Oakland’s primary violence reduction strategy, Ceasefire seeks to identify individuals at very high risk of being involved in gun violence. Those high-risk individuals who are arrestable are prioritized for law enforcement action. Others at the highest-risk are informed of their risk and offered intensive community-based services such as life coaching, workforce development, and mental health care.

Ceasefire operates through close coordination and collaboration between the Mayor’s Office, DVP, the Ceasefire director, Oakland Police Department, and the Alameda County Probation Department, with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) and California Partnership for Safe Communities (CPSC) providing training and technical assistance.

“I am extremely grateful for the successful resurrection of the Ceasefire Strategy and for the historic declines in shootings and homicides that followed in just one year. I am proud to have worked with [former] Mayor Sheng Thao to reinvest in Ceasefire, and I commend the leadership of Brooklyn Williams in the Mayor’s Office, who has assembled a committed team that is saving lives every day,” said Mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas.

Said Pastor Hopkins, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, “I have been a pastor in Oakland for 36 years, and for each of those years the number of homicides has been a crisis in our community. Ceasefire is an answer to prayer because it serves to save lives by stopping the shooting and serving as a lifeline to healing,”

“The Department of Violence Prevention is grateful for the on-going support of Faith in Action East Bay and committed community leaders,” said Dr. Holly Joshi, chief of the DVP.

“Their vision to bring the Ceasefire strategy to Oakland over a decade ago, advocacy for its initial implementation, and determination to see it successfully re-rooted are commendable. With Ceasefire fully up and running, DVP life coaches and violence interrupters are in communities every day working with high-risk individuals, mediating conflicts, and preventing retaliatory violence. Through hard work, focus, and partnership, we have made significant progress this year in reducing gun violence,” said Joshi.

“The Ceasefire Strategy is once again being properly implemented and fully executed by all its partners as a data-driven gun violence reduction strategy. It is reducing gun violence in the City of Oakland with remarkable results and tangible improvements. The leadership of Rev. Damita Davis-Howard, Ceasefire director, Dr. Joshi of the Department of Violence Prevention, and the Ceasefire Strategy partners must be commended for this incredible work in ensuring public safety,” said Pastor Michael Wallace, Oakland Public Safety and Services Oversight Commission member.

“The Oakland Ceasefire Strategy is one of the most comprehensive, intelligence-led violence reduction initiatives I have had the privilege to be a part of and fully support,” said Oakland Police Department Chief Floyd Mitchell.

“The 2024 violent crime reduction data realized by the City of Oakland underscores the effectiveness of our unwavering focus, strategic emphasis, and strong collaborative partnerships within the Ceasefire framework,” Mitchell continued. “Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Oakland Police Department, and the invaluable contributions of our community, county, state, and federal partners, Oakland has achieved a 34% decrease in homicides, a 33% decline in firearm-related assaults, and a 25% reduction in robberies.”

“Oakland is once again a national leader in gun violence reduction,” said David Muhammad, executive director of NICJR. “Through the hard work of community violence intervention workers in partnership with city staff, police officers, Alameda County Probation, and others, many lives were saved in Oakland this year.”