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Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
60th Year, No. 7
Weekly Edition. Edition. February 15 - 21, 2023
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Mayor Fires Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong Chief Learns of His Firing by Watching TV Press Conference; Sheng Thao Jumps the Gun and Preempts Police Commission
Community leader Brenda Grisham supports Armstrong’s “Loyalty and trust for the community where he grew up.” Many spoke of his family and their school experiences. One who had been incarcerated and remains suspicious of many OPD officers said, “Armstrong was politically strong-armed out of office so she (Mayor Sheng Thao) could appear to be tough.”Photo by Jonathan Fitness Jones.
Community Elder Rosalind Charlotte Patton, former member of the Black Panther Party, supports Armstrong. Photo by Carla Thomas
By Ken Epstein
committed no misconduct, and my termination is fundamentally wrong, unjustified, and unfair,” Armstrong continued. “I anticipate releasing a more detailed statement soon once I have the chance to fully digest the mayor’s remarks.” The mayor had placed Armstrong on administrative leave on Jan. 19 following an investigation conducted by an outside law firm hired by the city into how the police Internal Affairs department conducted two investigations into Sgt. Michael Chung. The report by the outside law firm, which was confidential but released by several news outlets, found that Chief Armstrong’s denials of involvement in the internal affairs case were not “credible” and that he had committed “gross dereliction of duty and performance of duty” for failing to hold subordinate officers accountable
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announced this week that she has fired Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong, who had been on paid administrative leave pending results of an investigation into allegations that he mishandled two internal affairs misconduct cases against a police sergeant who was involved in a hit-and-run car crash and fired a gun in a police department elevator. “I am no longer confident that Chief Armstrong can do the work that is needed to achieve the vision,” said Thao at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. “Oakland needs a police department that welcomes opportunities for improvement rather than immediately rejecting criticism.” The mayor said she was concerned that Armstrong’s public statements in his defense minimized the significance of the misconduct cases that had been
covered up during internal affairs investigations. In a written statement, Mayor Thao said: “I made a commitment, as your mayor, to ensure that the Police Department and the City can prove, once and for all, that Oakland is ready to ensure constitutional policing without federal oversight. “Within days of being notified that the city needed time to carefully review the findings and evidence in these very serious cases, Chief Armstrong made a number of statements that troubled me. “In response to a public report that concluded that OPD had repeatedly failed to rigorously investigate misconduct and hold officers accountable, Chief Armstrong said these were not incidents where officers behaved poorly. He stated that he did not believe these incidents reflected systemic problems,” she said. “Instead, Chief Armstrong de-
scribed the underlying incident as a minor vehicle collision. He said that officers made ‘mistakes.’ He publicly stated that the sergeant involved in a vehicle collision was held accountable, disregarding the independent investigator’s findings of serious flaws in the disciplinary process.” “It is clear to me that there are systemic issues the city needs to address and that we cannot simply write them off as mistakes,” she said. Following his termination, Armstrong released the following statement to KTVU: “I am deeply disappointed in the Mayor’s decision. After the relevant facts are fully evaluated by weighing evidence instead of pulling soundbites from strategically leaked, inaccurate reports, it will be clear I was a loyal and effective reformer of the Oakland Police Department. “It will be equally clear that I
slaves.” At the heart of the opposition to the building is the desire to further the legacy of local Black entertainment and entrepreneurship exemplified by businesses like Pete’s. His business is housed in a building that was once the all-white Athenian Club. It is now a historic landmark and the venue for thousands of people who listen to jazz and other entertainment and hold wedding receptions and memorial services. Geoffrey’s has hosted hundreds of homeless people for holiday dinners with table clothes and fancy cutlery and offered his venue for free to groups ranging from advocates for affordable housing to academics urging Black and Brown residents to become teachers. Residents are asking the city to make the Black Movement Arts and Business District real by investing in its corridor along 14th Street. The Black population of Oakland has decreased rapidly
in the last decade because of the city’s concentration on building housing that is not affordable to people who currently live in Oakland. Enhancing the Black Arts District could help to stop displacement. Approving this proposed building would further displacement by continuing the policy of approving developments that current Oakland residents cannot afford. The new building would remove the only parking available in the area and threaten a historic brick building during construction. In addition, acknowledgement of racism and the experience of other cities tell us that new high-end housing developments drive out entertainment venues, especially those frequented by Black customers. While some argue “we need housing,” others say this claim is disingenuous because this particular housing will displace more Black and Brown Oaklanders in favor of gentrification. Said one opponent of the development, “If Tidewater wants to build in the Black entertainment district and help Oakland with housing, they should determine the rent level that the average Black family can afford and build for those families.”
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Opposition Grows Over Proposed 40-Story High Rise in Middle of City’s Black Arts District
By Post Staff An out-of-town developer is trying to build a 40-story highrise in the middle of Oakland’s Black Movement Arts and Business District against strong community opposition. At its meeting on Feb. 16, both the Planning Commission and the developer were called out by Oaklanders including the Oakland Heritage Alliance and a representative of minority builders. The Planning Commission acknowledged that they went through the entire design review process for the building without even knowing that the Black Arts and Business District existed! The district was created in 2016 by city council resolution. When the developers claimed to have Black support, Oakland community leader and owner of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Geoffrey Pete, quoted Harriet Tubman, “I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more, if they had known that they were
Community leaders Loren Taylor. Brenda Grisham, Tarrell Gamble, Jorge Flores, and Antoine Towers gather in support of ousted Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong outside Oakland City Hall at Oscar Grant Plaza. Photo by Carla Thomas
Mayor Sheng Thao Announces Police Walking Patrols, Other New Safety Measures
By Ken Epstein
during a smash-and-grab robbery. “Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has made public safety a top priority of her administration,” according to a city of Oakland media release. “Even as we work to address the root causes of crime, the city is taking steps to deter crime now and address the needs of residents, businesses and visitors.” The public safety programs
include new foot patrols, a vehicle enforcement unit, and a traffic division. “Starting next week, you’ll see a return of our walking officers to our business and neighborhood shopping districts, said Acting Chief Allison. “This is a unit that hasn’t been in existence for the past two years.” Mayor Sheng Thao also said the Oakland Department of Transportation is starting a new Vehicle Enforcement Unit that will “remove blighted and abandoned vehicles.” Alicia Kidd, owner of CoCo Noir wine bar in the downtown area, spoke at the press conference: “In order for Oakland to thrive 365, we need to have OPD, we need to have our community policing, as well as the community, to help continue our businesses and the safety of our customers and employees and owners.” There is broad concern in Oakland about the rising rate of crime. In 2021, the city experienced 132 homicides and 119 in 2022, the last two years of former Mayor Schaaf’s administration.
stein has been a barrier breaker for all of us who have been inspired by her monumental career, myself included. Her historic Senate career will be marked by her unwavering commitment to passing groundbreaking legislation. A champion for gun control, she passed the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban that banned semi-automatic firearms and continues to be a vocal advocate against gun violence today. A protector of our natural environment, she passed the California Desert Protection Act that safeguarded more than 7 million acres of California desert wilderness. A fighter for women’s and
human rights, she pushed the 2022 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and passed legislation to combat human trafficking and protect marriage equality. While I hope we will keep the focus in these coming days on celebrating the Senator and her historic tenure in the Senate, I know there are questions about the Senate race in 2024, which I will address soon. But for now, let me say I have been honored to serve beside Senator Feinstein in the California Congressional Delegation, and to the Senator, I’d like to say thank you for your enormous service to our state and country.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao held a press conference this week with acting Police Chief Darren Allison and small business leaders to announce new and strengthened public safety initiatives in the wake of the death of a popular Oakland baker who was killed
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (DCA) has filed papers to run for the U.S. Senate.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee on Feinstein’s Retirement
(The following statement is from the office of Rep. Barbara Lee:) Senator Dianne Feinstein is a historic figure, a trailblazer, and a tireless advocate for the people of California and our country. Shattering glass ceilings, she served as the first female President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the first female Mayor of San Francisco before being sent to Washington as California’s first woman U.S. Senator in 1992 along with Senator Boxer in the historic Year of the Woman, where she continued to challenge the status quo in Washington. Senator Fein-