Sick moment supporters of progressive Oakland DA taunt parents of murder victims at recall rally – telling them to ‘raise their children’ who’ve died
Supporters of progressive Oakland District Attorney Pamela Price taunted parents of murder victims at a rally calling for her recall.
The counter-protesters chanted “raise your children” at those demanding a recall of Price in the November election.
Price was elected on a platform of justice reform, but many say her policies are aimed at putting violent criminals back on the streets.
The June 8 demonstration took an ugly turn when the two groups of activists clashed outside the Alameda courthouse.
‘I’m really upset, I just had a Pamela Price supporter tell me to ‘raise my child’. “I wish I could, I wish he was here so I could raise him,” said a mother who lost her son to gun violence KPIX.
Supporters of progressive Oakland District Attorney Pamela Price (pictured) taunted parents of murder victims during a rally calling for her recall
Price opponents recently succeeded in putting her recall back on the ballot.
They are dissatisfied with her decision not to pursue special sentencing improvements, which would lengthen prison sentences.
The mother of five-year-old Eliyanah Crisostomo, who was struck and killed by a bullet on the highway, says Price refuses to consider charges against the suspects.
“These criminals are going to go out and hurt another child,” she said. “You’re gambling with the lives of our children.”
But those who support Price say sentencing should not be based on the emotions of victims and that such enhancements are disproportionately used against people of color.
The counter-protesters chanted “raise your children” at those demanding a recall of Price in the November election
Price is facing a recall election just a year into her tenure as the county’s first Black woman to hold the position of district attorney.
Recall campaigners have submitted more than 123,000 petition signatures to the province’s voter registry.
One of the controversies during his tenure was the release of a memo written by Price advocating that probation be the “presumptive offer” during plea negotiations.
It said low prison sentences should be offered in cases that do not qualify for probation — even though almost every crime in the California penal code is eligible for probation.
The policy allows exceptions in “extraordinary” circumstances, including human trafficking, hate crimes, child or elder abuse, and crimes that cause “extensive” bodily harm.
Price said: “This guidance reduces the reliance on sentencing enhancements and charges as an effort to rebalance sentencing and reduce recidivism.”
The directive became especially controversial because Price refused to confirm that she would support sentence enhancements for three gang members charged with the murder of two-year-old Jasper Wu, who was killed by a stray bullet.