An elderly woman was brutally attacked without provocation in Oakland, just days after the city’s mayor announced a drop in crime.
In a shocking video circulating on social media, the victim is seen walking down the street behind another bystander with a bag and a piece of luggage.
The unidentified woman looks up at a man wearing a black Wild Boyz zip-up hoodie, a white shirt and black pants before receiving a hard blow to the head and falling to the ground.
After hitting the old woman, the maniac lunges at the bystander walking in front of her who is also carrying the suitcase.
While the suspect stole one of the elderly woman’s bags and a bystander’s suitcase, four men, who saw the fight, chased after the perpetrator.
Days after Oakland’s mayor announced a drop in crime, an elderly woman was attacked and robbed without provocation
In the video circulating on social media, the woman follows another bystander with a bag and a piece of luggage at her side. The woman looks up at the man, who is wearing a black zip-up hoodie, a white shirt and black pants, before she is then struck on the head and falls to the ground
The identities of the victims and the suspect have not yet been released. It is unclear whether the attacker has been arrested.
Days earlier, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, 38, had bragged about a drop in crime in the city, which has been plagued by violence in recent years.
“Oakland is seeing positive results from new public safety strategies,” the mayor said, claiming it is a “proven, data-driven strategy that focuses violence prevention efforts by directing law enforcement and community resources to individuals in Oakland who are most at risk for violence.”
Mayor Thao said that since the implementation of Operation Ceasefire, “violent crime and overall crime have declined significantly and sustainably.”
The mayor could not provide figures showing that crime has decreased in a meaningful way.
Sheng Thao will face a historic recall election in November amid anger over her failure to get the situation in Oakland under control
Thao, 38, faces a recall election She has been mayor for less than two years and the measure that could lead to her removal from office will go before voters in November.
Thao has been battling rising crime and budget problems since taking office in January 2023 after serving on the Oakland City Council.
Oakland voters angry about rising crime in the city in the Bay Area.
They say Thao’s progressive, soft-on-crime policies have emboldened criminals and scared away businesses. It’s a familiar story in many progressive, Democratic cities across the country.
Mayor Thao has previously criticized the rise in crime, saying it began in 2019, before she took office.
But it is lax bail reforms and a lack of successful prosecutions, even for minor offenses, that have led to Oakland’s continued decline.
In the case of Oakland, the city has been hit by violent crime, including murders, in recent months, with the number of homicides rising from 78 in 2019 to 126 last year.
Oakland has been hit by violent crime in recent months, including homicides that rose from 78 in 2019 to 126 last year. (Photo) Police investigate a multiple shooting and homicide at an Oakland gas station in January 2023
Total crime increased by 18 percent in 2023, with property crime increasing by 17 percent and violent crime by 21 percent.
And in the first four months of 2024, the number of home robberies increased by 118 percent compared to the same period last year.
It is astonishing that in 2023 one car was stolen for every 30 residents.
The situation has led to several large companies pulling out of the city, fearing for the safety of their staff and the serious consequences of shoplifting.
The progressive Democratic lawmaker is the first mayor in the city’s history to face impeachment after a campaign to oust her garnered more than 40,000 signatures.
Public support for Thao is waning as former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong has called for her to resign.
“What is really challenging is not only the absence of the mayor, but the absence of other city leaders stepping up right now to make sure that residents and people in the city of Oakland know that there is leadership and that they are working to solve some of these problems,” said LeRonne Armstrong, a former police chief who was fired by Thao.
Last month, federal authorities raided her home. Thao was defiant and angry, insisting she had done nothing wrong and had no plans to step down.
Last month, federal authorities raided her home. Thao was defiant and angry, insisting she had done nothing wrong and had no plans to step down.
Mayor Sheng Thao read from a prepared statement and took no questions, four days after FBI agents removed boxes from the home where she lives with her son and partner, part of an investigation that also included searching two other homes belonging to another family.
Retired Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, who is leading the recall campaign, is calling on Thao to resign.
“She should do the honorable thing and resign. The FBI raid is going to be a distraction no matter how you look at it. Even if she’s not charged, it’s going to be a distraction from trying to lead this investigation and lead a city,” Harbin-Forte said.
