The Coalition for a Better Oakland is proud to announce that former Chief of Police LeRonne Armstrong, who was unjustly fired by Sheng Thao, is our person of the year, for his inspirational leadership of OPD during his tenure.
Chief Armstrong is the third recipient of this award. The first was Vincent Williams III, founder and CEO of the Urban Compassion Project. The second was Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce.
Here’s the formal announcement of the award written by uber-publicist Sam Singer, who represents Chief Armstrong. We’re looking forward to hearing a lot more from the Chief in the future.
Former OPD Chief LeRonne Armstrong Awarded
Person of the Year by Coalition for a Better Oakland
Award Recognizes Chief Armstrong for Role in Tackling Crime
Oakland, Calif. – The Coalition for a Better Oakland (CBO) has announced that the organization selected former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong as its “Person of the Year.”
The community group is a non-partisan group of Oakland citizens working together to implement compassionate and responsible policies for crime and homelessness. They recognized the former chief’s leadership and service in tackling rampant crime in the City, which has only skyrocketed since the City and Mayor Sheng Thao wrongfully terminated him from office.
“I would like to thank the Coalition for Better Oakland (CBO) for recognizing me as the Person of the Year,” said Armstrong. “The organization’s grassroots efforts are vital for holding our elected leaders accountable for turning Oakland around when it comes to keeping our community safe.”
Steve Heimoff, CBO president, wrote on the organization’s website that “No one has done a better job of trying to rescue Oakland from the blight of crime than former Chief Armstrong.”
Chief Armstrong’s past leadership in OPD resulted in tremendous progress, both in reducing crime and increasing the OPD’s relationships within the community.
In 1999, Oakland native LeRonne Armstrong embarked on his career with the Oakland Police Department as a police officer. Over the span of 22 years, he held numerous roles within the department before ascending to the position of Chief of Police in 2021. Throughout his tenure, Chief Armstrong assumed various leadership positions, including roles as a Watch Commander, Commander of the Youth and School Safety Section, Special Resource Commander, Area Commander, and Commanding Officer of the Special Operations Division.
Chief Armstrong stands as one of the pioneering officers tasked with implementing the Oakland Ceasefire Strategy, a pivotal initiative credited with slashing violent crime rates by over 50% since 2012. Notably, he served as the Co-Chair of the Ceasefire Steering Committee, further solidifying his commitment to community safety.
In addition to his leadership in Ceasefire, Chief Armstrong spearheaded OPD's Stop-Data Collection Project, a nationally recognized endeavor. Through innovative strategies, this project significantly curtailed OPD traffic stops by an impressive 60% since 2016, with stops involving Black residents reduced by over 50%. These achievements underscore Chief Armstrong's dedication to fostering trust, equity, and accountability within the Oakland Police Department and the broader community.
Despite these accomplishments, in 2023, Chief Armstrong was unjustly and wrongly fired by Mayor Sheng Thao, who falsely claimed that he failed to properly discipline officers for misconduct and later stated she fired Chief Armstrong because he spoke out and criticized a federal monitor overseeing the Oakland Police Department. A neutral, retired Court of Appeal Justice found accusations that Armstrong violated policies were unsupported and recommended the City reverse the discipline and consider reinstatement.
Respected community organizations rallied to support Chief Armstrong. In October of 2023, the NAACP and East Bay Faith Leaders organized a protest to demand his immediate reinstatement. "We are not here just because he's a Black man,” said Rev. Joseph Simmons from the Greater St. Paul Baptist Church. “We're here because he's a good man and a good cop."
Mayor Thao promised to meet with the NAACP and other organizations before making a decision on the Chief’s firing. The meeting never happened. "She took a whole lot of our heart on Black History Month, she did a modern day lynch, in our face. I feel like it's a slap in our face, she went on to deal with what she felt like she needed to do,” said NAACP President Cynthia Adams.
Despite his vindication, the City and Mayor Thao defied the Judge’s recommendation by refusing to consider reinstating him, falsely claiming “there was no recommendation that I reverse my decision to move the department forward under new leadership.”
In a stunning about face, Mayor Thao has left Oakland without a permanent chief for nearly a year. Thao recently rejected three candidates recommended by the Police Commission, including Armstrong, pushing the selection timeline to March. Thao earlier promised that if the process extended past December, she would expedite the process and declare a state of emergency. She has not fulfilled either promise.
Despite being one of seven candidates initially recommended by the Commission, Chief Armstrong was not even considered by the Mayor’s office, despite his track record of success.
Heimoff says that the Mayor’s “corrupt, craven and cowardly” actions to remove Armstrong is the reason why the organization is pursuing efforts to recall the Mayor in the 2024 General Election. A coalition of local leaders and organizations, including CBO, filed a recall petition in early January, arguing that despite staggering increases in crime, Thao is “systematically dismantling the police department.”
In the months following the Chief’s termination, violent crime spiked dramatically, soaring into double-digit increases. According to a report published by the City of Oakland, violent crime increased by 21% from 2022-2023. Homicides increased by a staggering Robberies increased by 38%, motor vehicle theft increased by 45%, and assaults with a firearm increased 12% over the same time period. Perhaps most troubling, the number of homicides tripled.
These trends have resulted in a mass exodus of businesses from a City that actively undermines the safety of customers and employees. A survey conducted by the Koreatown Northgate Community Benefit District (KONO) revealed that 59% of small businesses within the District are actively considering relocating or closing their businesses. 94% reported that their businesses were targeted by crime, and 50% lost staff due to concerns over safety. Many businesses reported a 50% drop in revenue of 50%.
In September of 2023, over 200 small business owners organized a strike, shutting down their businesses to call attention to the extreme lack of public safety.
Despite these trends, the Mayor has refused to take action to keep residents, visitors, and businesses safe. The City left millions of dollars on the table when it missed a deadline to apply for state funding to strengthen local police departments. San Francisco received $17.3M in grant funding through the program while Oakland did not receive a penny.
She has refused to properly staff the Oakland Police Department. As of 2022, there were 45 vacancies in police officer positions. Even if the department was fully staffed, OPD says it still needs hundreds more officers. Oakland only employs 12 foot patrol officers to serve its nearly 420,000 residents.
Even though the Chief no longer holds his post, he remains committed to leading the charge to reverse these horrifying trends and restore public safety in the City of Oakland. For this reason, Heimoff says, Chief Armstrong was “the obvious choice” for the Person of the Year.
Contact:
Steve Heimoff
or
Sam Singer