Residents of a California town are grappling with out-of-control crime and a loss of confidence in their elected leader.
While scenes of brazen criminal activity in the city have become all too common, the fledgling administration of Democratic Mayor Sheng Thao is plagued by scandals.
The FBI raided Thao’s home on June 20 and seized devices belonging to her and her partner, Andre Jones. This comes as the mayor faces an impeachment attempt just two years after taking office.
None of this has stopped the frequent looting of businesses, random shootings or brutal attacks on the elderly.
Jim Ross, a Democratic consultant based in Oakland, called the crime wave and political unrest in the city “the perfect storm times three.”
Oakland’s ire is directed squarely at Mayor Sheng Thao, who presides over a crime-ridden city while also dealing with personal scandals involving her romantic partner.
Oakland also has a homeless crisis, with scenes of desperation like this becoming increasingly common in the troubled metropolitan area.
“I can’t think of a more difficult time for the city,” Ross said. The Washington Post.
Bob Bishop Jackson, senior pastor of an evangelical church in Oakland, said the city is plagued by lawlessness more than ever and that “divine intervention” is needed.
Although the homicide rate has declined, Oakland has more murders than the U.S. average.
“I think we need, from the top down, a new slate of leaders for the city,” Jackson said. “We need a new city council, a new, new, new, new mayor.”
This while robberies and car thefts have doubled and tripled respectively compared to pre-pandemic rates.
This convenience store at a gas station in Oakland was the scene of a burglary. About 100 people went in and emptied the shelves, but the police never showed up.
Elderly woman brutally attacked in unprovoked assault in Oakland
This is the crazy moment a bold thief casually rips an entire display of iPhones off the shelves of an Oakland Apple store amid Newsom’s new efforts to crack down on crime in the area.
Some of the most shocking incidents include a mass shooting during a Juneteenth celebration in Lake Merritt and an elderly woman who was attacked and robbed in broad daylight.
Just last month, 100 thieves vandalized a gas station and emptied the shelves; their conduct did not prompt a timely police response.
Days after that incident, the Oakland Police Department admitted it only has 35 officers on patrol at any given time for a city with more than 400,000 residents.
Thao’s response to all of this has been to say that crime is down compared to the early-year crime wave of 2023, though keen observers have noted that his office’s report compared fully compiled year-end 2023 statistics to the ongoing count for 2024.
Retired Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, who led the effort to remove Thao, told local media she had “blood on her hands” while criticizing his policies that she says are driving businesses out of Oakland faster than ever.
Business owners who have decided to persevere are beginning to reach their breaking point, with one longtime Oakland resident calling the current situation “demoralizing.”
Ken Houston said he is demoralized after his office was one of 16 small businesses in a single building that were broken into and robbed last weekend.
Pictured: A glass door leading to a Houston building was smashed by burglars.
Two masked men looted more than a dozen small businesses located in the building and stole items worth an estimated $120,000.
Ken Houston said FOX2 KTVU that his office was one of 16 small businesses in a single building that were robbed last weekend.
“We’re already in trouble. The city is in dire need of public safety. We’ve asked for help over and over again. Over and over again. Even before Denny’s left,” Houston said.
Houston was referring to the Denny’s down the street from his business building, which was forced to close after 54 years in operation due to threats to the “safety and well-being” of staff and customers.
The former Denny’s is surrounded by dilapidated RVs and other forms of disrepair that have become all too common as tent cities for homeless people continue to pop up.
The late-night robbery at the Houston building last Saturday was caught on surveillance video, showing two masked men breaking through a door to search for valuables.
The total loss was around $120,000, and the two suspects stole everything from high-end cameras, speakers, laptops and cash.
“How can a small business recover from that when we’re already hurting? We were closed because of COVID, we weren’t making much money. Now we’re back and this is happening.”