A group of roughly 20 community activists congregated outside Oakland City Hall on Sunday to demand the resignation of Mayor Sheng Thao amid criticism of her handling of the city's budget and public safety and following an FBI raid on her home, East Bay Times reported. Protesters, including those from Coalitions for Community Engagement and #AsiansUnite voiced their dissatisfaction, chanting phrases such as "Where is Sheng?" and "Sheng Thao Resign!" and Edward Escobar, one of the organizers, noted that Thao has been "conspicuously absent on the budget crisis" and equated her performance to a fireable offense.
Last week's raid was not limited to Thao's Lincoln Highlands residence but also included three properties connected to the Duong family and their business, California Waste Solutions. This comes as the city is still reeling from a mass shooting at Lake Merritt that left 15 wounded. However, Thao has yet to make a public appearance or comment since these incidents, raising concerns among residents and local leaders, with some saying that if they committed such failure, they would be fired immediately, the mayor's behavior deemed not acceptable by the participants of the demonstration.
Mayor Thao's attorney, Tony Brass, has emphasized that the U.S. Attorney's Office has not indicated Thao as the target of their investigation and stated that she will cooperate fully and issue a statement soon, according to East Bay Times. With the tension mounting, organizers of a recall effort have cited a looming budget crisis as a further reason for Oakland's voters to consider the removal of Thao from office, notably after around 40,000 residents signed a petition triggering the recall's qualification for a November ballot.
The call for Thao's resignation was echoed by Tuan Ngo from Asians Unite who, in a statement obtained by ABC7 News, spoke to the mayor's absence post-raid and demanded direct communication with the community, insisting that the mayor should not "hide behind lawyers", with this sentiment reflected by Oakland resident Tricia Hernandez urging Thao to let the city know "you have our back" not to hide and Larry Sosa, another resident, called for openness from their public official.
Amidst claims of decreasing crime rates in Oakland, with a reported 33% drop compared to the previous year, residents like Francisco Acosta have expressed their dissatisfaction and ongoing concerns about personal safety when traversing the city, particularly when showing homes as realtors. He mentioned that the danger seems ever-present, and with budget cuts, the situation is only predicted to get worse, casting doubt on the city's direction under Thao’s leadership despite the statistical downturn reported in crime rates.
