California city experiencing 'perfect storm' of crime and scandal: 'Vacuum of leadership'
Another Oakland resident said, 'we need divine intervention at this point'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Residents of Oakland, California have been grappling with the "perfect storm" of crime and scandal, as Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, who is facing a recall effort, just had her home raided by the FBI.
"In the movie ‘The Perfect Storm,’ two storms were colliding. This would be the perfect storm times three — it’s multiple crises all happening at one time," Jim Ross, a Democratic political consultant based in Oakland, told the Washington Post. "For the city, I can’t think of a tougher time."
While the homicide rate has come down in the city, robberies and car thefts have doubled and tripled respectively, compared to before what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, the outlet reported. Oakland's murder rate is higher than the U.S. average rate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bishop Bob Jackson told the Post that there's been more "lawlessness" in Oakland than he's ever seen and added, "We need divine intervention at this point."
FBI RAIDS HOME CONNECTED TO OAKLAND MAYOR SHENG THAO DAY AFTER RECALL EFFORT QUALIFIES FOR BALLOT
FBI agents get in their unmarked vehicles after a raid at a home associated with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)
"I think we need, from top to bottom, a brand-new slate of leaders for the city," Jackson said. "We need a brand-new city council, a brand-new mayor, brand-new, brand-new, brand-new."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Oakland has also experienced widespread homelessness and high housing costs, as the effort to recall Thao has garnered enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
Soon after the recall campaign to oust her from office qualified for the November ballot, the FBI raided her home. Thao's attorney also abruptly quit, and her chief spokesperson resigned.
"The reality is there is a vacuum of leadership right now," Justin Berton, former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's director of communications, told the Washington Post. "As residents, we’re not hearing from anyone. It’s leaving this unsettling feeling across the city that no one is driving the car."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Thao's office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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Oakland, California residents are seeing a "perfect storm" of scandal and crime, as Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, who faces a recall effort, had her home raided by the FBI. (Left: (Photo by Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images), Right: (Photo by Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images))
Retired Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, who spearheaded the recall effort against Thao, told local media that she had "blood on her hands" amid rising crime, grand theft auto and instances of people being robbed on the street.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Businesses were not leaving Oakland at this pace before she came into office," Harbin-Forte told a local ABC affiliate in January.
After the FBI raided one of her homes, Thao forcefully denied any wrongdoing.
"Mayor Thao is ready, willing and able to cooperate fully with federal investigators. She has nothing to hide," her attorney, Tony Brass, said.
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Fox News' Joshua Nelson contributed to this report.