The public’s anger and frustration hit the fan last week in Oakland, California. Citizens lined up and filled the Montclair Presbyterian Church to capacity—with many more left outside because there was no more room—to hear what Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price and the police department planned to do about the exploding crime rate. The answer was, basically, to love on juvenile criminals a little more.
Let’s just say the public was not satisfied with the DA’s response.
The local CBS affiliate reported, “The crowd inside was eager to talk about violent crime and started interjecting as District Attorney Pamela Price tried to deliver a presentation about criminal justice.”
The story continues, “Price told the crowd, ‘Some people want to hear it.’ [i.e., her presentation] That drew shouts from the audience ‘No! address the issue!’"
At least two reasons emerged as to why crime has increased so dramatically—one relating to a national trend in progressive states and the other relating to a personal trend among progressive elected officials.
“Price talked about a movement in California to decriminalize kids, a movement that she identifies with,” according to CBS. That’s the first problem.
Then she added, “One of my goals is that I will give young people hope. Because I was doing some things that I shouldn't have been doing but, because some people believed in me, they helped me find another way.”
And there you have it. Pamila Price wants to be a social worker, not a DA.
Social workers try to help people with various types of struggles and challenges overcome those issues so they can lead full and productive lives. It’s important work, but that is not the job description of a district attorney.
What is a DA’s job? According to the National District Attorneys Association, “The District Attorney (DA), also known as a prosecutor, plays a critical role in our criminal justice system. They represent the government in criminal cases and are responsible for ensuring that justice is served by prosecuting individuals accused of committing crimes.”
And that’s exactly the job Oakland citizens don’t think Price is doing. “Many concerned residents wanted to hear more about how criminals are punished. One woman said, ‘I just have to say, there has to be consequences and I just feel there are no consequences for these children.’”
It may be that before there are “consequences for these children,” county voters will have to impose consequences for the DA.
August 1, 2023