May 8 - The news this morning that Mayor Libby Schaaf presented a budget that largely protects funding for the Oakland Police Department was greeted with relief and gratitude by a majority of Oaklanders, who are worried about the city’s skyrocketing crime.
But, predictably, the cop-haters were outraged. Their demands for defunding the police, or “reimagining” as they now call it, have been publicly rejected by the mayor, and they don’t like it one bit. They know they’re in a distinct minority. They understand that the people of Oakland like and trust the police, who are the “thin blue line” separating society from chaos. But this gives the cop-haters all the more reason to shout and scream in front of microphones, to seize control of public meetings, and to utter ridiculous phrases like “the people demand that OPD’s budget be cut in half” when exactly the opposite is true: what the people (especially in communities of color) demand is more cops on the street.
Sadly, it’s as hard for the defund-the-police crowd to tell the truth as it is for Trumpers to admit their guy lost the election. This is why the Coalition for a Better Oakland exists. Somebody has to stand up to the bullies on the City Council and the Anti-Police Terror Project and tell them to stop the lies. They have to cease impugning and smearing Oakland’s men and women who put on the uniform every day, risking their lives to protect all of us. This is why we, at the Coalition, salute Mayor Schaaf. We’ve had our differences with her in the past, but in standing up to the bullies, she has shown real political leadership.
However, the City Council will oppose Schaaf’s budget with all of its irrational might, and Schaaf might not have the strength to withstand the assault. What can you do? Call Mayor Schaaf’s office to say you support her budget. Then call your City Councilmember and tell him or her that you support full funding for OPD.