Frustrated Oaklanders confront Alameda County DA over surge in crime
OAKLAND -- At a heated community meeting Thursday night, residents of Oakland's Montclair neighborhood had a chance to confront Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price and the Oakland police department over rising crime.
After video of a recent attempted carjacking on Skyline circulated on social media, many who attended the meeting wanted to know more about what's going on with crime and how these cases are being handled.
Montclair Presbyterian church was filled to capacity with many left outside. The crowd inside was eager to talk about violent crime and started interjecting as District Attorney Pamela Price tried to deliver a presentation about criminal justice.
Price told the crowd, "Some people want to hear it." That drew shouts from the audience "No! address the issue!"
The meeting was held on the same day that the Oakland branch of the NAACP issued a statement calling for a state of emergency to address rising crime.
"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," said the statement from branch president Cynthia Adams and The Rev. Bob Jackson of Acts Full Gospel Church. "If there are no consequences for committing crime in Oakland, crime will continue to soar."
On Friday, Price's fired back at the statement.
"We are disappointed that a great African-American pastor and a great African-American organization would take a false narrative on such an important matter. We would expect more from Bishop Bob Jackson and the Oakland Chapter of the NAACP," said a spokesperson from the District Attorney's office.
Frustration at the meeting Thursday wasn't just aimed at the district attorney. Captain Clay Burch from the Oakland police department was questioned about what officers are doing to prevent crime.
"My brothers in blue, I know your hands are tied but you got to be doing some preventative stuff. You stand on the corner right here in Montclair, you can hear the bucket cars come up here robbing us blind. Please talk about preventative, not a crime happens," said one man.
Captain Burch tried to explain how the department's hands are tied when it comes to property crime.
"If all we have is a burglary and my officer sees five cars being broken into and that car takes off, we can't chase that car," Captain Burch said.
Youth crime brought out a lot of anger.
Price described a recent case where she said there wasn't enough evidence to take a group of kids to court. She was asked, "What happened after they were let go?" She replied, "I don't know."
Many concerned residents wanted to hear more about how criminals are punished. One woman said, "I just have to say, there has to be consequences and I just feel there are no consequences for these children."
Price talked about a movement in California to decriminalize kids, a movement that she identifies with.
She said, "One of my goals is that I will give young people hope. Because I was doing some things that I shouldn't have been doing but, because some people believed in me, they helped me find another way."
Many residents say that at this point they no longer feel safe in Oakland and they want more concrete solutions to the problem. By the end of the night, many felt the answers were not there.
"A lot of jabbering that didn't have much value," said Damon Manni.
Nichola Americanos added, "How are we going to solve these problems. There still are no solutions."