Community Leaders Stand Up for Mayor Against Concerted Attacks

By Ken Epstein

If Mayor Sheng Thao’s enemies, who have been working since the day she was elected to unseat her and install a representative of the old regime, had hoped she was on the ropes and that her supporters would be silenced following an unannounced and unexplained but highly publicized FBI raid on her home last week, they learned this week they were wrong.

In a short, fiery speech, the mayor came out swinging, defiant. She made clear that she does not know any more than the public about what the FBI is investigating.

She questioned why the FBI felt it had to raid her home at dawn, the day after the announcement that a recall petition made the November ballot: “What probable cause does the FBI have that justifies the raiding of the home of a sitting mayor without the courtesy of conversation?”

“I am innocent: I have not been charged with a crime,” she said.

She stated forcefully that the attack on her was politically motivated: “I want you to know about the handful of billionaires from San Francisco and Piedmont who are hellbent on running me out of office.”

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She said the same people who are going after her are silent about current charges against a former elected official (Libby Schaaf) for political corruption.

“This couldn’t have gone down the way it did if I was rich, if I had gone to elite private schools, or if I had come from money,” she said.

“I am your mayor. The people who voted for me deserve to have their voices heard. I will not be bullied, and I will not be disparaged, and I will not be threatened out of this office.”

She promised to not allow the attacks to distract her from her duties.  She pledged to work with the City Council to approve a balanced budget amid the deep financial shortfall facing cities nationwide and to move ahead with the sale of the City’s half of the Oakland Coliseum to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, which some estimate is the largest sale of public land to African Americans in history.

Encouraged by Thao’s strong words, community leaders and activists are raising their voices to support her.

Walter Riley, Oakland civil rights attorney and leader of the John George Democratic Club, has been an outspoken opponent of local recall campaigns.

Riley, who saw the press conference, said, “I thought she made a strong statement and that the people who are calling for her to resign are not following the evidence and are ignoring due process. They are not behaving responsibly or showing any quality leadership when they make sensational accusations where they have no evidence to back up what they are saying.

“I do know that there is evidence that leaders of past city administrations and some of the leaders of the local recalls have committed serious violations,” he said.

David Weintraub released a statement on behalf of the Coordinating Committee of the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, the East Bay’s largest Democratic club.

“(We are) 100% supportive of the mayor and her progressive policies and the direction she has set for our City.

“We are 100% opposed to the recall funded by wealthy interests and which have not only targeted her but progressive leaders such as our progressive DA, Pamela Price, and the former DA of SF, Chesa Boudin.“The recall efforts of all these leaders were commenced practically before they took office, much less had any fair opportunity to implement the policies they ran on and because of which were elected.

“We join Mayor Thao in questioning why she has not been told the reasons for the raid nor given an opportunity to cooperate and all this within hours of the recall petition being certified.”

Said Pamela Drake, a longtime political and police accountability activist in the city: “Our mayor along with our progressive councilmembers have made some enemies with deep pockets – developers, corporate landlords, and lock-’em-up folks – and they have come after her.”

“Additionally, her style offends some older folks and people who have a vision of how Asian women should deport themselves,” said Drake. “They’re willing to bring chaos to our city government to turn back the clock, but we must resist their rumor-mongering and negativity and give her a full term as the voters intended.”

Mona Treviño, a parent activist who has fought school closings and is organizing for a Gaza cease-fire, wrote a strong statement on Facebook:

“It’s not just me that sees that the Mayor appears to have pissed off some powerful people who are now throwing her under the bus. At the end of the day, power at the top does not have a party, it’s about power and money. This is seeping into our local representation and cannot be accepted. If you know anything about the shark tank that is politics, you know that too many people are open to the highest bidder – like this joke of a lawyer.”

She continued: “Why would anyone want any replacement who is not willing to accept the outcome of our (elections)? These people running around pouring in millions for reactionary recalls – who is leading this in elections around the country?… Shame on the powers that be (who are) throwing a local mayor under the bus. We see you.”

Servant BK Woodson, pastor of Bay Area Christian Connection, said he was concerned about the timing of the recall announcement to coincide with the FBI raid. “I don’t think these things are a coincidence,” he said.

“The idea of democracy, that people can govern themselves without the guidance of the overlords, is at risk right now,” he said. “Recalls are a way for the rich and well-positioned to override the will of the people.”

“It’s easy to abandon someone when they are down; I’m not going to do that,” he said.  “She’s innocent until proven guilty. I think everyone needs to support her.”

Ken Epstien

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