Quote:The Oakland NAACP released a statement Thursday calling for state and local elected leaders to declare a "state of emergency" as a result of increasing violent crime in the California city.



The statement, written by Oakland NAACP president Cynthia Adams and Bishop Bob Jackson of Acts Full Gospel Church, blasted soft-on-crime local officials as well as left-wing activism for the surge in crime.


"Failed leadership, including the movement to defund the police, our District Attorney’s unwillingness to charge and prosecute people who murder and commit life threatening serious crimes, and the proliferation of anti-police rhetoric have created a heyday for Oakland criminals," Adams and Jackson wrote.


Adams and Jackson also said that African Americans were disproportionately affected by crime and criticized misguided attempts to alleviate racism by refusing to prosecute violent offenders.


"There is nothing compassionate or progressive about allowing criminal behavior to fester and rob Oakland residents of their basic rights to public safety. It is not racist or unkind to want to be safe from crime," the statement read.


Adams and Jackson called on city and state officials to devote additional resources, including police officers, to resolve the problem:


"We are in crisis and elected leaders must declare a state of emergency and bring resources together from the city, the county, and the state to end the crisis."

Quote:Price, who took office in January, ran on radical soft-on-crime "restorative justice" policies, including finding alternatives to incarceration. Multiple veteran prosecutors in Price's district have since resigned, citing her failed leadership.

One former Oakland prosecutor claimed that Price's policies prevented her from "fulfilling my legal and ethical duties," a sentiment echoed by several colleagues who also chose to walk away from their positions.


Earlier this month, a committee was launched, "Save Alameda for Everyone: Recall DA Price," to fundraise and gather signatures to remove Price from office.


Price responded to her critics last week by comparing them to "election deniers" and claiming that the DA's office "has really no impact on crime."



However, Price also admitted to KPIX-TV, "Anytime that we can divert someone from the criminal justice system, that is a goal because the criminal justice system has been shown to be racially biased."


Oakland's NAACP published a letter this week directly blaming "failed leadership" and the "proliferation of anti-police rhetoric" for the city's "intolerable" spike in crime "that overwhelmingly impacts minority communities."
"If there is no consequences for committing crime in Oakland, crime will continue to soar," the organization wrote. "We are in crisis and elected leaders must declare a state of emergency and bring resources together from the city, the county, and the state to end the crisis."


"Unfortunately, progressive policies and failed leadership have chased away or delayed significant blue collar job development in the city, the Port of Oakland, and the former Army Base," it added.


"We urge African Americans to speak out and demand improved public safety," the NAACP continued. "We also encourage Oakland's White, Asian, and Latino communities to speak out against crime and stop allowing themselves to be shamed into silence. There is nothing compassionate or progressive about allowing criminal behavior to fester and rob Oakland residents of their basic rights to public safety. It is not racist or unkind to want to be safe from crime."