FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 23, 2021
Press Contact:
Brandon Harami, Council Aide
bharami@Oaklanca.gov
Oakland, California - This morning, Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao scheduled a report for making gun violence a top law enforcement priority for the City of Oakland to the Special City Council Meeting on December 7th. This report was previously scheduled for the December 14th Public Safety Committee Meeting, but was rescheduled to provide more opportunity for participation with residents of Oakland, city leadership and the Police Chief.
Using the City Council procedure allowing for urgent scheduling, Councilmember Thao used her role in council leadership to schedule a discussion and recommendations from the Administration on what the City can do to lower the amount of illegal guns, increase gun tracing, improve response times to shooting notifications, and prioritize gun crimes.
“The crime and gun violence in Oakland is egregious, and has been for too long. Oaklanders are scared to leave their homes when they are already reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever people need to feel like it’s safe to go outside. And Oaklanders don’t feel that way right now.”
Councilmember Thao said she is eager to hear what the Administration is doing to reduce the levels of violent crimes, and particularly gun crimes, that have plagued Oakland for more than a year.
“Oaklanders agree with the Council directive that the police should be spending their time responding to violent crimes and solving violent crimes once they’ve occurred, including taking guns off the street”, said Thao. “The Administration should focus on proven strategies like gun tracing and sending officers to promptly respond to shooting notifications in order to achieve these goals. If we can focus on getting guns off the street, Oaklanders will start to breathe a little easier.”
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