☆ Oakland pol analyst: Residents undergoing “psychological turnaround” on Defund the Police, finally “adding 1+1”

Steve Heimoff, Coalition for a Better Oakland's president, exclusively chats with Opp Now to unpack the rising public outcry against crime-lax city governance. Residents are observing how Woke policies actually play out, says Heimoff—and we've reached the “tipping point.”

Opportunity Now: Oakland's crime landscape is only getting worse as 2023 continues (up by 28% just from 2022), yet some folks are only beginning to catch wind of how dire the situation is. It seems that each new day sees more and more gut-wrenching stories in local media—even sites typically more favorable to “Woke” criminal justice ideology.

Steve Heimoff: At my organization, we've all noticed the same phenomenon. At the risk of saying “I told you so,” we've been saying for years now that at some point, there will be a tipping point: that good people of Oakland will realize “Defund the Police” is a disaster. Truly, it's probably the most catastrophic political slogan in recent history. The movement has been thoroughly repudiated by the American public in a plethora of cities in which it's collapsed (as, let's be honest, most of us predicted it would).

ON: So is “Defund the Police” a disappearing sentiment?

SH: Well, the extreme Left is very adept at this: Whenever they lose a battle, they reframe or resurrect it under a different name. Hardly anyone is calling it “Defund the Police” anymore, but it's going by new names like “social equity” and “social justice.”

They've definitely lost the battle here. I live in one of America's most progressive cities, and rampant anti-police sentiment gets reflected in city council decisions to consistently underfund the Oakland Police Department. It's no secret that they're suffering from attrition and are unable to recruit enough cops because the salaries are too low.

I've been in Oakland for about 40 years, and there's been an explosion of crime, including murder, in my own neighborhood. Just this week, a company of Latino construction workers were employed on a neighbor's roof. Their truck—parked in broad daylight on the street—was started by a group of kids, who drove it off with a squeal of tires before they could do anything. These poor workers are subcontracted. They own their own equipment and don't have insurance. Needless to say, they were completely freaked out.

When people in Oakland elect leaders who openly hate police—people like Cat Brooks, Carroll Fife, and, yes, Pamela Price—this is what happens. I don't blame or fault Oakland PD at all; our police force has good, dedicated, honest officers who want to do their job and keep Oakland safe.

ON: Which is harder when politicians frame this issue—the radical idea of wanting safer streets and ensuring crime has legal consequences—as a Party divide.

SH: People like Pamela Price and Nikki Bas consistently refer to people like me as right-wing Republicans. But I'm a lifelong liberal and Democrat: I was raised in a Democratic household and have always supported Democratic candidates at every level. There's no way I'd ever be a Republican. So a lot of my fight here is trying to rescue the Democratic Party from itself, purge the Party of the Woke fever it's currently experiencing. It's funny, I often find myself having to defend my own Party against people in my coalition who feel Democrats are just too Woke. I tell them: That's not the true Democratic Party. Defund the Police is not a true Democratic platform.

ON: So why now? What's changed in Oakland that people are starting to wake up and question crime-permissive law enforcement?

SH: I look back three years ago, at the height of Defund the Police, and I remember walking down the street to Whole Foods. I passed a young man of around 23 years old. We started talking. I asked what he thought about all the crime in Oakland, and he said, “It's reached the point where I don't let my girlfriend go out on her own at night anymore.” I remember this because even three years ago, even that younger demographic (which mostly considers themselves progressive and voted in people like Carroll Fife) was beginning to feel the encroaching threat to all of our safety here in Oakland. Of course, with Pamela Price, things today are much worse.

I would say I have my finger on the pulse of the streets of Oakland. Everything from Oakland's NAACP chapter supporting the Price recall to that young man I met (along with many, many others over the years) leads me to believe: There's really been a psychological turnaround for people in Oakland. People are paying attention; realizing the threat of Defund the Police; adding 1 + 1 and realizing that these crime upsurges don't just happen automatically, but because they're permitted and encouraged by our leaders. That's why I can't wait for this recall of Pamela Price; I think it'll send a message across America that things are turning around.

ON: Your optimism is refreshing. It's been a chaotic few years for Oakland.

SH: When you run a community organization like I do with Coalition for a Better Oakland, you have to be positive—not just for yourself but all those other people praying for change. So even in the moments when I don't feel very optimistic, I still have that responsibility. I can't let our readers down.

Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity

Image by Wikimedia Commons

Opp Now enthusiastically welcomes smart, thoughtful, fair-minded, well-written comments from our readers. But be advised: we have zero interest in posting rants, ad hominems, poorly-argued screeds, transparently partisan yack, or the hateful name-calling often seen on other local websites. So if you've got a great idea that will add to the conversation, please send it in. If you're trolling or shilling for a candidate or initiative, forget it.