Alameda County, Ca., District Attorney Pamela Price is facing backlash as some crime categories are rising in Oakland, Politico reports. At an Oakland town hall, people asked her about subjects like carjackings and assaults, while some of her supporters said she was being unjustly maligned. “I voted for you, but I don’t feel safe here,” said a woman who described being pulled out of her car, at gunpoint, on a recent morning. This could preview a recall effort like the one that happened to former District Attorney Chesa Boudin in nearby San Francisco. Critics see the backlash as proof that progressive prosecutors are forcing unpopular and dangerous policies that national Republicans have used to hammer reformers and their Democratic allies. Reformers see entrenched law enforcement interests defending a broken system.
Price argued that the recall push was “consistent with the history of fighting against racial oppression in this country. Racism is real, and it does not evaporate just because we won the election.” The local NAACP chapter has criticized Price. “There’s too many citizens coming forward that are just fed up with all the crime,” said Oakland NAACP member Darren White. Price’s supporters note that crime did not abate in San Francisco after voters replaced Boudin with a more hardline district attorney. Price could be dogged by several high-profile charging decisions, including a plea deal she offered a man who had faced multiple homicide charges. Her office also received heat for her handling of the fatal 2022 freeway shooting of 23-month-old Jasper Wu. Price has also been under scrutiny for staffing decisions. It is not clear whether the recall effort will go to voters. Supporters have yet to file formal paperwork and have not disclosed how much money they’ve raised.
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