The Oakland Police Officers Association (POA) has issued an urgent demand for the resignation of Mayor Sheng Thao, citing a severe lack of resources and a deteriorating public safety situation in the Bay Area city.
Oakland, California, has become a focal point of the Bay Area's escalating crime crisis, prompting the city's police union to issue an unprecedented call for the mayor's resignation.
Oakland Police Union Demands Mayor's Resignation Amidst Crime Crisis
At a press conference on Tuesday, Oakland Police Officers Association president Huy Nguyen outlined a litany of failures he attributed to Mayor Sheng Thao, including an inability to stem rampant criminal activity, an ongoing budget deficit, and an FBI raid that has hindered the city's ability to function.
"Every day, our citizens feel the tragedies. That they cannot exit their own home or walk to the streets of Oakland, calling 911 and not getting the services they need," Nguyen lamented.
Oakland Police Union Demands Mayor's Resignation Amidst Crime Crisis
According to Nguyen, the police department is severely understaffed, resulting in delays in responding to emergency calls or even an inability to respond at all. "We don't have the resources," he stated bluntly.
Mayor Thao responded with a video statement later that day, asserting that crime rates in Oakland have actually declined. She accused the POA of engaging in political maneuvering and emphasized her commitment to public safety, citing increased funding for police academies and the retention of 80 police jobs in her budget.
However, the police union maintains that these measures are insufficient. "This is a time to invest more in the city, hire more police officers, retain the police officers and fix the crime issue," said Oakland POA vice president Tim Dolan.
Nguyen went so far as to suggest that Mayor Thao should resign immediately to avoid wasting time and resources on an upcoming recall election. "If she resigns by this week, the election will take place in November, versus waiting through the recall," he explained. "Then it will happen in April and the process drags out longer when we need to work into the new budget immediately."
The city has been rocked by a series of violent incidents in recent days, including a shooting at a sideshow on Sunday that left five people wounded and another shooting on Monday that hospitalized two teenagers and an adult.
The Oakland Police Officers Association's demand for the mayor's resignation reflects the growing frustration and concern among residents and law enforcement alike over the city's deteriorating public safety situation. The city council is expected to address the union's request at an upcoming meeting.
