Yesterday’s rally on behalf of Chief LeRonne Armstrong was a great success. Called at very short notice, it attracted a good crowd at City Hall. Organization was by the NAACP and Seneca Scott; Loren Taylor also was there. The media showed up in force, and this morning, it’s a lead story in all the local news.
From the many speakers, all Black, it’s clear that the community is hurt and upset by what Thao did. One speaker said something that resonates: “She’s only been in office for a few weeks, and she’s already made a major mistake.” Everyone cheered. The crowd’s passion was palpable. A feeling that Thao has betrayed people of color swept everyone. There were chants of “Recall.” If someone can harness this energy and lead it, it will have legs. Sheng Thao must and will be held to account.
I found the rally reassuring. This fight is just getting started. We have the Black churches on our side, or I should say, we’re on theirs. In all my years of political organizing, I’ve never seen this level of galvanization on the part of police supporters and against the woke mob that seized power last election. Many speakers testified to Chief Armstrong’s personal qualities of courage, compassion and leadership, and how he brought Oakland together during his two years. They spoke also of their fear that Thao, with her vengeful anti-police ideology, is leading Oakland into an unprecedented period of violence and divisiveness. Ten police chiefs in ten years, because the woke mob, which includes Thao and Fife as well as Orrick and Warshaw, will never be satisfied until OPD is crushed and prostrate.
This is a link to Loren Taylor’s press release on the subject. It’s a brilliant piece of writing, expressing our sentiments precisely, and I hope it indicates that Loren isn’t leaving Oakland politics.
Another, bigger rally is planned for Monday, Feb. 20, which is President’s Day. It begins at 10 a.m. at City Hall. I’ll be there. I encourage everyone to get involved in this struggle. This could be a tipping point. I realize that the struggle against the cop-haters can seem like an uphill battle that may not be winnable. After all, the wokes have entire control of our city, as well as the District Attorney’s office, where an out-of-control Pamela Price wants to close the prisons and free the prisoners. They also have the media, where foolishly naive young white “reporters” find racism behind every tree. Make no mistake, we have formidable opposition. Yet this opposition is untenable, because it’s based on lies, especially the Big Lie: that the police are corrupt and criminals merely victims of white supremacy. What rubbish! Oakland, almost alone among American cities, is in the rearguard of woke dumbness. It can’t last. This battle for Chief Armstrong may represent the straw on the camel’s back that brings the whole rotten woke structure tumbling down. Stay involved!
Steve Heimoff