A retired judge has hit out at Oakland Mayor Shen Thao, claiming she has ‘ruined the city’ as efforts to oust the leader gather steam.
The beleaguered city deals with large-scale criminal activity, and Thao recently missed a deadline to secure $15 million in state aid to help fight retail crime.
On top of this, there have also been a number of companies that have decided to shut down, and a continued failure to appoint a permanent police chief.
During a rally Saturday afternoon in the California city calling for Thao’s resignation, retired Supreme Court Justice Brenda Harbin-Forte slammed the mayor.
Talking to KVTUHarbin-Forte said: ‘People saying give her more time. More time to do what? She has destroyed our city.’
During a rally Saturday afternoon in the California city calling for Thao’s resignation, retired Supreme Court Justice Brenda Harbin-Forte, seen here, slammed the mayor.
The former judge added: ‘She didn’t inherit all these problems. She caused a number of problems.’
Harbin-Forte is spearheading the petition to recall Thao as mayor, and those who want her ousted need 25,000 signatures by July.
With months to go before the threshold amount needed to ensure Thao is forced to step down, organizers appear to be well on their way to beating that number.
An organizer Seneca Scott told KVTU that the group already had 12,500 signatures, which is half the amount needed.
Victory Baptist Church Pastor Marty Jenkins also told the outlet: ‘Look at the holes. Look at homelessness. Look at the jobs. Look at the companies leaving Oakland.’
Edward Escobar of Citizens Unite added: “We are not getting the services we deserve across the board and crime is spreading.”
In a statement to KTVU about the rally, Thao said: ‘My focus is to fight for a safer, more affordable and more prosperous Oakland.
‘I’m asking Oaklanders to help me achieve that vision with hope and cooperation, pushing aside fear and division. Let’s bring our community together to fight for the city we love.’
The beleaguered city deals with large-scale criminal activity, and Thao, seen here, recently missed a deadline to secure $15 million in state aid to help fight retail crime
In September, the Newsom administration approved over $267 million to be given to local police departments and district attorneys’ offices — which Thao did not use
Oakland saw a 21 percent increase in violent crime, a 38 percent increase in robberies and a 45 percent increase in vehicle thefts between 2021 and 2023, per police data.
The city has also been rocked by a citywide crime wave for over two years, with homicides up 80 percent in July 2023 compared to 2019 rates, while assaults and robberies rose 40 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has deployed 120 California Highway Patrol units in Oakland and Alameda County to help with an increase in theft.
The increase has caused several businesses in the area to close, including a Denny’s that had been open for 54 years.
Newsom also reportedly wasn’t happy that Thao failed to take up state aid to fight retail crime.
Robert Harris of the Oakland NAACP told Local News Matters: ‘The governor brought it up one, two, three times.
‘He talked about the missed deadline and then about 10 minutes later he said the same thing over: “We’ve made it available to you and you haven’t submitted it”.’
An exclusive report for DailyMail.com revealed that Oakland potentially has the most dangerous square mile for crime in all of America.
Three gas stations and fast food joints that surround Oakland Airport have become notorious for car thefts.
Within a single square kilometer, police claim criminals strike a dozen or more times a day every day, mainly targeting victims on their way to and from the airport.
The city’s only In N Out Burger due to rising crime – the only restaurant the chain has ever closed in its history
Also closed was the city’s only In N Out Burger due to soaring crime rates — the only restaurant the chain has ever closed in its history.
In August, shocking video circulated showing a woman being confronted by two men who tried to grab her purse before pistol-whipping her.
She fell to the ground before both men ripped her pockets.
A month earlier, the Oakland Police Department issued a public safety advisory citing an increase in home robberies.’
OPD urged residents to trim hedges and bushes to ‘eliminate potential hiding places’, install home security systems and use outdoor lighting with motion sensors.
Thao said her office had been implementing new neighborhood strategies since then and was already seeing success.