The Oakland chapter of the NAACP has been accused of “leaving a stain on the rich tapestry of progress” after advocating for tougher policing in the crime-ridden California city.
Justin Phillips, who is black and writes a weekly column in the San Francisco Chronicle about race and inequality, llaunched a scathing attack on the NAACP on Thursday.
Phillips strongly rejected this a July 27 letter from the Oakland NAACP in which they condemned their city’s “progressive policies and failed leadership,” demanded harsher sentences, more police officers on the streets, and criticized the Soros-backed district attorney, Pamela Price.
Phillips said the letter was a betrayal of the city’s NAACP values.
Justin Phillips, who writes a weekly column for the San Francisco Chronicle about race and inequality, condemned the Oakland NAACP on Thursday
Cynthia Adams is the president of the NAACP in Oakland
“From the revolutionary spirit of the Black Panthers to the impactful Black Lives Matter protests, Oakland’s legacy is steeped in black resistance against oppressive systems,” Phillips wrote.
“The recent actions of the Oakland NAACP are a stain on the rich tapestry of progress woven by generations of the city’s sons and daughters.”
He called for the removal of Oakland NAACP President Cynthia Adams, who said in the letter that Oakland needed to declare a state of emergency to deal with rising crime.
“It is time for the Black community in Oakland to allow new voices to speak on its behalf, who are truly committed to dismantling systemic racism and advocating for true liberation,” Phillips wrote.
“The Oakland NAACP is not up to the task, and the stakes are far too high to continue to gamble on their misguided leadership.”
Adams and the Oakland NAACP did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
In her July letter, Adams painted a damning picture of Oakland, home to 434,000 people.
“Oakland residents are fed up with our unbearable safety crisis, which is overwhelmingly impacting minority communities,” she wrote.
“Murders, shootings, violent armed robberies, home burglaries, car burglaries, sideshows and freeway shootings have become a ubiquitous part of life in Oakland.
“We call on all elected leaders to unite and declare a state of emergency and marshal vast resources to address our public safety crisis.”
Since Adams’ letter, the situation has only worsened.
In the week ending September 24all violent crimes increased by 21 percent year-on-year, and the number of shootings by 6 percent.
Motor vehicle theft has soared, up 51 percent, while burglaries are up 39 percent and armed robberies are up 38 percent.
However, the number of murders has fallen by 2 percent.
Adams argued that black residents “are disproportionately hit hardest by crime in East Oakland and other parts of the city.”
She continues: ‘But residents from all parts of the city report that they do not feel safe.
Adams, a retired teacher who joined the NAACP as an activist in 2006, said the “anti-police rhetoric” had made the city less safe.
“Failed leadership, including the movement to defund the police, the unwillingness of our district attorney to charge and prosecute people who commit murder and life-threatening serious crimes, and the spread of anti-police rhetoric have created a heyday for the criminals from Oakland,” she said.
“If there are no consequences for committing crimes in Oakland, crime will continue to rise.”
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price was elected in November 2022 and took office in January of this year.
Pamela Price took over as Oakland’s district attorney in January, with her campaign getting a major boost from George Soros’ Justice PAC, which works to elect progressive prosecutors
A civil rights attorney with no experience as a prosecutor, she supported the Soros-founded California Justice PAC and ran on a platform that emphasized bail reform and fairer treatment of blacks and Latinos in the criminal justice system.
She has faced criticism in her handling of high-profile cases, including the murder of toddler Jasper Wu and the killing of Home Depot Loss Prevention employee Blake Mohs, who died while trying to stop a theft.
A recall campaign is gaining momentum, attempting to oust Price.
“Save Alameda For Everyone,” or SAFE, announced Thursday that its recall petition had been approved by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.
The group said it has 160 days to collect 73,195 valid signatures from Alameda County voters to qualify for the ballot.
Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and a proponent of the recall, said in a statement obtained by CBS News: “District Attorney Pamela Price has absolutely failed the people of Alameda County. Crime is getting out of hand. It is time to stand up for crime victims and their families so that justice can return to Alameda County.”