Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, who is currently facing a recall effort due to her controversial criminal justice policies, responded to her critics by asserting that her role "has really no impact on crime."
A political committee called Save Alameda for Everyone was formed last week with the aim of removing Price from office. Critics argue that her soft-on-crime policies have led to a rise in criminal activity and caused several prosecutors to resign during her short seven months in office.
Oakland, in particular, has experienced a 14% increase in robberies since last year.
Price, who campaigned on "restorative justice" policies, defended her approach in an interview with KPIX-TV this week. She stated, "Anytime that we can divert someone from the criminal justice system, that is a goal because the criminal justice system has been shown to be racially biased."
When questioned about whether her policies prioritize perpetrators over victims, Price responded, "What studies have shown and is proven in Alameda County, many times people who are perpetrators, or labeled as perpetrators, were actually victims."
During the interview, Price's public relations officer interrupted, urging the reporter to ask about the accomplishments of her administration. Price highlighted that her team had made improvements to the office's outdated technology and reporting methods. "We're beginning to create a baseline for the data that we have. Unfortunately, we got here, and the technology is pretty much outdated," she explained.
The interview, which was cut short by Price's team, concluded with KPIX reporter Betty Yu expressing hope for more access to the district attorney in the future. Price responded with skepticism, stating, "I doubt it, quite frankly."
Last month, Carl Chan, an advocate for Oakland's Chinatown community, criticized Price for her handling of a case involving two men accused of killing a toddler named Jasper Wu. Price removed a special circumstances charge, which would have prevented the men from facing the possibility of life without parole. Chan argued that this decision failed to send a strong message about the consequences of crime.
In response to the case, Price addressed the concerns in an interview with KTVU on Sunday. She expressed compassion for the victims' families, stating, "For the folks who have lost loved ones in this community, both the family of Jasper Wu as well as the family of anyone who has lost a loved one. We take that very seriously, and I'm very compassionate for the victims. The amount of grief and pain that one experiences when you lose a loved one is not anything that I would wish on anybody. We have to follow the law. The legislature has been very clear around the use of enhancements in special circumstances and how a district attorney's office is expected to apply those."
Price referred to her critics as "election deniers" for supporting the recall effort against her. She argued that she had won the election by an overwhelming majority and that overturning the will of the voters would be akin to the events of the January 6th insurrection.
The recall effort against Price continues to gain momentum as critics and supporters clash over her approach to criminal justice.
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