Oakland perspective: Gung-ho decarceration isn't compassionate; it's dangerous

Steve Heimoff of Coalition for a Better Oakland addresses the enduring myth of “Care not Cages” (to nod to Supe Ellenberg): the idea that quickly releasing criminals back into society, coupled with reform programs, is a more humane approach for the community. On the contrary, says Heimoff, making public spaces unsafe for local families (and devaluing and failing to prevent tragic losses) isn't kind to anybody.

By 2030, we aim to end youth incarceration in California. Every young person is sacred and every young person is a gift. But too many are silenced and disempowered by the impacts of the criminal, immigration, foster care, police, and education systems. We work for transformation and liberation through a combination of individual and collective healing and significant shifts in policy.”

This statement is from an Oakland organization that calls itself Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, which aims to excuse young criminals no matter how violent their crimes. I heard of them through this story on KTVU News, which was about Sheng Thao promising to crack down on crime, lol. Never mind that she never worried about crime while she was on the City Council. She only became aware of crime when, under her watch, it exploded in Oakland, imperiling her own political future and infuriating her base voters who were beginning to wonder why they had voted for her. Suddenly, Sheng Thao wanted to be admired as the crime-busting Mayor issuing stirring rhetoric: “We are not going to allow for our residents and our businesses to feel unsafe in our communities.”

What a joke. For all of her political career, Thao has belittled the Oakland Police Department and tried to siphon money from it. She has offered no solutions for criminal behavior. Solidly aligned with other cop haters, like Carroll Fife, Nikki Bas and Cat Brooks, Thao actually voted against funding a desperately-needed police academy in June, 2021. Although she later flip-flopped on that—the San Francisco Chronicle noted that “Thao’s changing position signals a shift among some city leaders as public safety becomes a top issue”—she did so only under intense public pressure. She continues to believe that we ought to throw more money at addressing the “root causes” of crime rather than in strengthening OPD....

What I want is for [the nine young men and women, aged 12-17, whom OPD just arrested for strongarm robberies] to be detained and dealt with, without possibility of being freed, until we’re convinced they no longer pose a danger to the rest of us.

This article originally appeared in Coalition for a Better Oakland. Read the whole thing here.

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