A bit about us. We’re a group of Oaklanders who love our Town and believe its best days are ahead. There are many issues that impact us all, but we’ve chosen to focus on two of the most important: cops and camps.
By “cops,” I mean that we support the brave women and men of the Oakland Police Department. We see the abuse heaped on them every day by those who label themselves “reformers” or “reimaginers” but who fundamentally do not understand the proper role that police officers play in a city like Oakland. That role is to protect law-abiding citizens from those who would prey on them. We do not suggest that everything is perfect with OPD. There are steps than can and should be taken to improve policing for everyone, not just cops but the communities they protect and serve. (I’ll have more to say about police reforms in future posts.)
By “camps,” I mean the tent encampments that have overwhelmed our city in recent years. We believe that Oakland city government has utterly failed in its duty to keep our streets and parks safe and clean. The current mayor and City Council, like their predecessors, have failed to rise to the challenge and manage these camps, as any responsible civic leader should. We believe that our parks must be reclaimed. We believe that sanctioned camp sites should be immediately established, and all tents be relocated to those sites. This can be done now. The problem is that city leaders lack the will to do what they know is right. Intimidated by pro-homeless radicals, they remain driftless and irresolute, kicking the can down the road and hoping to be re-elected.
What can you do? You can join us, by Subscribing or by Volunteering or both (you’ll find buttons to sign up at the home page). You can monitor your City Council member’s activities and let him or her know that you expect her to protect our cops and clean up our streets. You can vote. You can talk to your neighbors; you can get involved. After all, Oakland is your city. If you don’t love and protect it, who will?
We, the Coalition for a Better Oakland, love Oakland. We want our city to be better. We know it can be. But it will take hard work turning things around. It’s useless to write long editorials on nextdoor.com or Facebook. That accomplishes precisely nothing. What matters is action. So, as I said earlier, welcome. We hope you’ll join us in the noble work of rescuing Oakland.