Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao touts reductions in violent crime as recall vote nears
Crime has been the number one topic in the city of Oakland, and Mayor Sheng Thao is facing a possible recall because of it.
But is crime really that bad, or is it just a false perception? At a news conference on Monday, eight days before Election Day, the mayor announced the city of Oakland is significantly safer than it was just a year ago and that everyone must do a better job of getting people to believe that.
Thao and city officials gathered at City Hall to announce a $2 million federal grant for the Cease Fire program, an initiative of the city's Department of Violence Prevention.
"This $2 million investment will be given to the DVP over three years," said DVP Chief Dr. Holly Joshi, "and will result in our ability to hire three additional life coaches, taking our team from 10 life coaches to 13."
The life coaches provide intensive outreach and support to people who are identified as being likely to commit violence or be the victims of it. They say it works, and Thao, who is fighting for her political life in a recall effort, said it is, in fact, making Oakland a lot safer.
"Due to the reimplementation of our Cease Fire strategy, we are seeing a 33% reduction in homicides, year-to-date. So far this year, 34 less people have been killed," said Thao. "It is direct results of a shift in our strategy under my administration."
But Sgt Tim Dolan, Vice President of Oakland's police officers union, said that's not what they're seeing out in the field.
"Not at all," he told CBS news Bay Area. "I've been assigned to East Oakland for quite a while as a patrol supervisor, and calls for service are definitely up, crime is trending up. Crime has actually increased. I think we're up 33% from the year 2020 and property crime is up 74% from 2020."
So who's right? They're both quoting numbers but with opposite conclusions. It turns out when it comes to Oakland, safety is more of a feeling than a data point. And those feelings can vary wildly.
"I think that it's a big improvement, tremendously," said Oakland resident Susan Lewis. "That they have a great supportive system as far as the government is concerned, as far as helping lower the crime rate. Based upon me living here, I believe the crime rate has lowered."
"Everyone I hear talking about Oakland is talking about the danger of it, not about the safety," said long-time resident Lawrence Gladfelder. "I don't see any significant rise in the safety factor. I don't see more policemen on the street. I see less all the time."
But Thao insisted that things are improving and people just need to be convinced of that.
"Crime is down. You cannot hide bodies, so we know that those numbers are accurate. But at the same time, we have to promote the great positive stories of Oakland," she said. "At the end of the day, of course, there's the sense of feeling safe. And that is incredibly important. And all of us, we all have a responsibility in insuring that our community feels safe."