By Carla Thomas

Bearing “Defend Democracy” signs on the steps of Oakland’s City Hall, about 40 people convened Tuesday in support of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.

The group responded in opposition to a growing movement to recall her.

The mayor has been under considerable scrutiny after firing the city’s police chief, LeRonne Armstrong, and forfeiting millions of dollars in grant funding for the city by missing deadlines in 2023.

Thao is also being blamed for the rise in theft and vandalism plaguing small businesses, leading many business owners to flee Oakland for safer locations or closing all together.

The recall is projected to cost the City of Oakland $4.5 million, an amount many feel would impact the city’s ability to fund much needed services.

Saabir Lockett, executive director of Pathways to Peace says $4.5 million “to recall the mayor is absurd — $4.5 million should be reinvested in our people.

“We are in a budget crisis already,” Lockett continued. “We need to continue the work that has been done; public safety support, enhancements to the 911 system, and tech investments.”

According to him, the recall efforts against Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price will cost the region $10 million. “We are going to lose money. This is ridiculous. This takes money and resources away from the people that really need it,” Lockett said.

Lockett also led rally supporters in chanting, “Stop using our pain for political gain.”

According to one Thao supporter, the mayor inherited many of the issues Oakland faces from the previous administration and she should not be held to unrealistic expectations. “A lot of these issues were here before she was elected,” said C.C. Wall Street, executive director of the Oakland community venue, Third Eye Oakland.

“The public should give her a chance to do her job,” he said. “There’s so much we can do beyond the political turmoil plaguing the city. I don’t think the mayor has been given a fair shake. No one is perfect. She is being scapegoated and not given the support she requires to do this job successfully.”

Wall Street called on everyone to step up and be solution oriented. “I’m also the new founder of FEEL Inc., Financial Empowerment Emotional Literacy. We can all make a difference.”

Kenzie Smith, who serves on Oakland’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, says he ran for City Council and understands the challenges of the city. “If we work together, we can continue the good work this administration has done. I, for one, have felt supported and know of many programs supported by this administration.”

Smith is also the sibling of local community icon, Mistah F.A.B., owner of DOPE Era Academy and Dope Era Museum at Jack London Square, and the company’s flagship Dope Era retail store on Broadway. “The mayor has been really supportive of us and our events,” he said.

Oakland civil rights attorney Walter Riley accused the movement to recall the mayor of Oakland of being disruptive and deliberately undermining the current administration.

“This action of recall is weaponizing our democracy against itself,” said Riley, a seasoned civil rights activist. “This administration is making up for decades of political savagery by fixing things. We should continue the pathway that we are on. The attacks on the City Council, the school board, and the mayor will not be tolerated.”

Other community attendees at the rally included Ray Bobbitt, the founder and managing member of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG); Joyce Gordon, founder of the Joyce Gordon Gallery at the center of Oakland’s Cultural Arts District on 14th Street, and Oakland Private Industry Council president Pastor Raymond Lankford.

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