Back in June, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong responded emotionally to the severe $17 million budget cutbacks, courtesy of Defund the Police supporters on Oakland’s City Council.
He said it was easy for politicians to minimize lives lost to statistics. Meanwhile, law enforcement officers had to see first-hand the terrible implications of prominent public figures playing “woke politics.” At the same time, people were killed in the streets.
He stated on Saturday night, he walked out to a young guy who died, and a lady cried out the window, “Do something about it.”
Without resources, making Oakland safe becomes difficult, and more families face trauma. Armstrong hopes we can put politics aside and prioritize public safety and value human life over political ambitions.
Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong speaks about rising crime in his city and the city council cutting millions away from his department’s budget:
“Today, we find ourselves in a crisis…Crime is out of control in the city of Oakland.”pic.twitter.com/lcZ9kbNUFN
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 28, 2021
Armstrong warned about budget cuts and poor leadership from the municipality, as criminal activity has risen in recent months.
It may have appeared nobody was listening at the time, but someone was. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff is pressuring city council members to change their policy to defund the police partially.
Schaff Being the Voice of Reason
In a CNN interview on Monday, Schaff addressed the savage death of retired cop Kevin Nishita, who was protecting a local TV team from a previous hit and grab looting event.
Schaff claimed the city needs more cops, praised them, and said the budget rhetoric affects the capacity to recruit and retain new members.
Oakland Democrat Mayor Libby Schaff: The far-left defund the police movement is hurting cities, we need more police. pic.twitter.com/RkEAUdGHU0
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) November 30, 2021
She blamed the epidemic on staffing and training issues.
Schaff said everything should be reviewed, including contentious bail structural reforms backed by Democrats. This is something many have blamed for the terrible Waukesha, Wisconsin car plowing atrocity that killed six people.
Schaff said they are examining the impact of new bail regulations on the whole criminal justice system, including the courts.
It’s all on the agenda as they seek a comprehensive solution to the rising violence. She also requested state and federal funding to assist local law enforcement in combating recently organized and coordinated criminal operations.
Defunding the Police Will Never Be a Good Idea
Schaff previously opposed moves to defund the police, while supporting efforts to reinvent policing by deploying social workers, rather than cops, in some cases. This looks to be her first full-court attack on the city council since their June move to withdraw millions.
Given the council’s ecstatic reaction to the partial defunding decision, it’s unclear if Schaff’s tactics to humiliate members will succeed. It only demonstrates in these Democrat-run communities, mayors are the final line of protection between sanity and anarchy.
It’s not just in Buffalo. The “Defund the Police” campaign has been disastrous and fatal in places where it has been tried.
It’s unsettling to have to depend on Democrat politicians to be the voice of reason on this subject, but you have to play the card you’re given. Keep the pressure on your mayor as the defund talk heats up, since they may be the lone sane voices when all the cards are down.
