Community Leaders Respond to the Firing of Chief LeRonne Armstrong: MAYOR SHENG THAO IS WRONG

By Carla Thomas

The Oakland NAACP and Community leaders are livid about Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s dismissal of Chief of Police LeRonne Armstrong. In a press conference just hours before the Police Commission could announce a report of their own, Thao stated she had lost confidence in the chief on February 15, Wednesday afternoon. Armstrong who was placed on leave three weeks ago has been left in limbo over a police officer’s misconduct last year involving an accident in a police car and discharging a weapon in an elevator at headquarters.  A report accuses Armstrong of not holding the officer accountable. Armstrong has reiterated that he was unaware of the report and by policy the incident is investigated independently.

A partial statement released by the City of Oakland Police Commission reads: “The Commission voted for a Discipline Committee to explore these issues and in particular the allegations against the Chief…the Commission was not informed of the Mayor’s decision to release the Chief before her press conference…We are sorry those an effective reform-minded Chief who led the OPD into compliance in the 51 out of 52 tasks of the Negotiated Settlement Agreement ”

Federal Monitor Robert Warshaw, who has overseen the Oakland Police Department for 2 decades, has amassed a small fortune at $100,000 a month of the city’s budget. With the Department just months away from having the federal oversight removed, and 51 of the 52 points within the NSA (Negotiated Settlement Agreement) complete, city leaders are now questioning how a police chief that has a track record of building community bridges and healing a city bruised by violence, could be disparaged and fired when he did nothing wrong.

Hosting a meeting in the Madeline Senegal Fellowship meeting room at his church, Acts Full Gospel Church of God in Christ’s. Bishop Bob Jackson recalled how he sent a letter representing over 30 organizations to the then mayor supporting Armstrong’s appointment to police chief two years ago.

“This is an injustice and the community has to rise up against this,” said Jackson.

“This is all unfair and we will continue to fight for our chief,” said Oakland NAACP president Cynthia Adams.

The NAACP is calling on everyone to join a rally at city hall at noon on Monday, February 20 to protest the mayor’s decision. By their standards, the chief should be exonerated, the confidential reports that were leaked should be investigated, the federal monitor who has been fired as a monitor in cities such as Detroit should be investigated, and the Police Commissions investigative reports should have had a complete due  process that demonstrated again that Armstrong was not at fault. Armstrong thanks the community and city leaders for their support. “I really appreciate all of this support and your prayers. It’s keeping my family and I strong,” he said.

Leaders of the Chinese, Latino, church, business and Black community communities along with Oakland City councilmember Noel Gallo, former councilmember Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor among others, have come together again with story after story of how Armstrong was ever present in the community and a game changer who has transformed the community and police relations for the better.

“I’ve spoken about federal monitor Warshaw on a national level and have been told Warshaw should have never had the job and that he should be fired,” said Gallo.

Pastor Phyllis Scott, president of The Pastors of Oakland, spoke of a graduation in the community where Armstrong signed everyone’s diploma. “He has done tremendous work in East Oakland,” she said.

At noon on Thursday, small group of community members expressed their dismay of Armstrong’s firing outside City Hall at Oscar Grant Plaza. Oscar Grant’s mother, Wanda Jones, CEO of the Oscar Grant Foundation questioned why there are so many chief’s fired under the federal monitor. “Every time we get a new mayor, the police chief is gotten rid of and that’s unacceptable,” said Jones. “We know that mayor’s bring in their own staff, but the way the mayor’s gone about doing this is wrong. The chief should not have been fired.”

Community elder and historic Black Panther member, Rosalind Charlotte Patton said saw the chief’s firing on the news the night before and rushed to the rally with a sign in support of Armstrong. She said she wanted her voice heard even if she wasn’t a speaker bearing a sign stating: ” Mayor Sheng Thao you are dead wrong, the community supports Chief LeRonne Armstrong.”

Community leaders Seneca Scott, Loren Taylor, Brenda Grisham, Jorge Flores, and Antoine Towers also spoke at the rally in support of Armstrong.

Scott echoed the NAACP and community leaders is demanding the chief be exonerated, that the investigative reports that were leaked be investigated, and the federal monitor be investigated.

“We will continue to fight this,” he said.

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