NAACP Demands More Police Officers in Oakland

Amid an increase in violent crime, the Oakland chapter of the NAACP is calling on the city to declare a state of emergency over crime in the city and to hire more police officers.

In a letter released on July 27, the NAACP and the Acts Full Gospel Church blamed “the movement to defund the police” for contributing to the crime problem and noted the impact on minority communities.

The press release stated that “Oakland residents are sick and tired of our intolerable public safety crisis that overwhelmingly impacts minority communities. Murders, shootings, violent armed robberies, home invasions, car break-ins, sideshows, and highway shootouts have become a pervasive fixture of life in Oakland. We call on all elected leaders to unite and declare a state of emergency and bring together massive resources to address our public safety crisis.”

The groups argue that Oakland does not have enough police officers.

From the letter, “We are in crisis and elected leaders must declare a state of emergency and bring resources together from the city, the county, and the state to end the crisis. We are 500 police officers short of the number that experts say Oakland needs.”

“We urge African Americans to speak out and demand improved public safety. We also encourage Oakland’s White, Asian, and Latino communities to speak out against crime and stop allowing themselves to be shamed into silence.”

In addition, the letter notes that “the movement to defund the police…and the proliferation of anti-police rhetoric have created a heyday for Oakland criminals. If there are no consequences for committing crime in Oakland, crime will continue to soar.”

The press release concludes by stating, “There is nothing compassionate or progressive about allowing criminal behavior to fester and rob Oakland residents of their basic rights to public safety. It is not racist or unkind to want to be safe from crime. No one should live in fear in our city.”

In comments to the The San Francisco Standard, Cat Brooks, co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project, said she believes the people behind the NAACP and Acts Full letter are from an older generation who are “completely detached from what’s actually happening.”

She believes that the spike in crime is caused by socioeconomic problems that were exacerbated by the Covid pandemic.

“We lost social services, human services, housing services, people lost their jobs,” Brooks said. “If we want to pay for those things, we need to stop giving the Oakland PD half of our budget!” 

Steve Stewart

Steve Stewart is the founder and editor of Tallahassee Reports which began in 2009 as an online blog. Steve received a Bachelors Degree from Clemson University in 1984 and a Masters degree in Political Science from FSU in 1990. He has been involved with state and local politics since arriving in Tallahassee in 1989.

View all posts by Steve Stewart →

9 Comments

  1. The Spider
    The Spider

    Oakland is in COMMIEFORNIA. They are FLOIRIDA'S ENEMIES. We don want to hear about they dumb asses. I hope that state falls off into the damned ocean.

  2. David T. Hawkins
    David T. Hawkins

    "“We lost social services, human services, housing services, people lost their jobs,” Brooks said. “If we want to pay for those things, we need to stop giving the Oakland PD half of our budget!” " ........................ NO, you need to STOP COMMITTING CRIMES.

    @ Little Flower = I don't commend the NAACP for being honest because THEY WERE WRONG. The NAACP needs to Apologize because they were WRONG.

  3. Little Flower
    Little Flower

    My prediction is the bullying and virtue signaling will continue to drown out and silence the voices of reason. The crime will continue to grow and the area will continue to decline.

    I commend the NAACP for being honest and for appealing to reason. But, I think if they and their supporters really want to save themselves, they will have to do the unthinkable.....leave the Democrat party.

  4. Snidely Whiplash
    Snidely Whiplash

    This is likely some sort of leftist media "trick" to make gulliable media believers believe something about the NAACP which is not true. Its election season dont believe everything you read im media anytime especially around major elections.
    You cab trust this but I smell a Rat.

  5. David T. Hawkins
    David T. Hawkins

    "the NAACP and the Acts Full Gospel Church blamed “the movement to defund the police” for contributing to the crime problem and noted the impact on minority communities."

    That is funny because it was the NAACP and the Minority Communities that were marching, Protesting and yelling to Defund the Police. They were demanding it.

  6. NE Moderate
    NE Moderate

    The Oakland NAACP… ok? National narratives

  7. David T. Hawkins
    David T. Hawkins

    BUT, wasn't it the NAACP, the minority communities creating the proliferation of anti-police rhetoric and demanding to defund the Police? Yes they DID.

    https://pjmedia.com/uncategorized/rick-moran/2023/07/29/oakland-naacp-called-for-defunding-the-police-now-theyre-demanding-action-on-rising-crime-n1714478

    https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/east-bay/oakland-community-group-demands-city-defund-police-send-money-to-community-groups/2476751/

  8. DeepStateProvocateur
    DeepStateProvocateur

    This is the kind of hard hitting Tallahassee local news we need.

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