In the midst of a skyrocketing surge of crimes occurring across Oakland, California, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce President Carl Chan urged Governor Gavin Newsom to deploy California Highway Patrol officers to the city and declare a local state of emergency to address the violence.
At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Chan and other officials called for additional measures to address the crime surge across the city, including the installation of more surveillance cameras and the deployment of additional law enforcement officers, according to KPIX.
"Governor Newsom, we want you to declare a state of emergency for the city of Oakland. We want you to bring in the California Highway Patrol," said Chan of a letter sent to Newsom. "I'm not only asking you for Chinatown. I'm asking you to send the police, the CHP, to the city of Oakland; all areas. We need your help."
Chan pushed for more law enforcement officers to be placed on the streets. In June, the city voted to slash the police budget, straining the police force with limited resources and manpower.
According to Chan, 77 homicides have happened in Oakland so far in 2021. The city experienced 102 homicides in all of 2020, marking the highest total in eight years, according to KTVU.
In addition to the alarming number of homicides, residents in Oakland's Chinatown, especially older residents, have been repeatedly targeted in violent strong-arm robberies.
"The rash of shootings, carjacking, assaults and robberies hold the city of Oakland hostage," said Chan. "Citizens are living in the continuous state of fear for our safety, well-being, livelihoods and future."
While Chan blamed the rise in violent crimes in part on the "defund the police" movement, he noted that criminals were less cautious "because the state's justice system and unnamed district attorneys that he said are too lenient with repeat offenders."
Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong agreed with Chan's comments and acknowledged that his department is being stretched thin across the city.
"Well, I think they're right in the sense that this department needs more resources and more help," Armstrong said.
According to Armstrong, his department is accepting help from the ATF and the FBI to clear open cases, helping to take at least some of the load off his overwhelmed force, adding that he would attempt to make adjustments within his force to attempt to cover the rise in crime.
"So, as the chief, we will continue to deploy every resource that we have available," he said. "We will continue to move resources around in order to address the spikes in crime. But we are facing challenging times in the city of Oakland."
Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor acknowledged the limitations placed on the city's police, adding that while violence prevention strategies would provide long-term solutions, immediate answers are needed.
"I also hear the voices of deep East Oakland residents when they tell me that the long response time for 911 is not acceptable; that it doesn't give them confidence that the system — the government — will look out for them and protect them in their time of need," Taylor said.
At the press event, Taylor acknowledged that he did not sign Chan's letter. The office of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said that they were sympathetic to Chan's expressed concerns about crime, but did not issue a comment in endorsement of Chan's letter.
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