"Everyone is in danger" in Oakland, the NAACP argued in its statement released Thursday. "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."
If criminals face no consequences for their actions, "crime will continue to soar," according to the NAACP.
Crime in Alameda County's biggest city, Oakland, is up 26 percent overall from last year at this time. The city's violent crime index, which is a combination of killings, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults, is up 15 percent. Slayings in Oakland were down 13 percent year over year as of Monday.
In response to the NAACP statement, county DA Pamela Price said her office is "disappointed" Bishop Bob Jackson and the Oakland chapter of the NAACP "would take a false narrative on such an important matter. We would expect more from them.
The same minority communities hit hardest by crime are facing biases in the criminal justice system and mass incarceration. The divide is playing out countywide with at least two factions facing off over whether to recall Price, who is being criticized for being too lenient on criminals.
Price says she is reforming a biased criminal justice system.
Brenda Grisham, whose son was killed in Oakland violence in 2010 – and is a leader of the recall effort – said Thursday in an interview that her main issue is how Price treats the families of violent crime victims.
