Article Media
OAKLAND — Today, the ACLU of Northern California announced its strong opposition to the recall of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, the first Black woman DA in the county’s history.
People who live in Alameda County have valid concerns about public safety. We understand the anger and frustration. But we also know that holding a recall election just 11 months after Price assumed office, is a rash move by recall supporters that will fix nothing.
To blame DA Price for crime problems that have been decades in the making is blatantly dishonest. We urge voters to educate themselves on the issues and reject the politics of fear which are a cynical effort to roll back criminal justice reforms.
Price was decisively elected on a platform that challenged the status quo by promising meaningful and compassionate public safety solutions that are consistent with the values of civil liberties and civil rights that Alameda County residents voted for and the ACLU supports.
During her short time in office, she has held individuals who commit serious crimes accountable. Yet at the same time, Price has acknowledged the baked in racism within the criminal legal system and advocated for policies that would reduce mass incarceration. Price has also made it a priority to prosecute rogue cops, finally holding police accountable to the public they have sworn to protect.
That’s why we urge Alameda County Residents to Oppose the Recall. Do not sign the petition to recall Pamela Price.
We have been down this road before. Let’s remember what happened in San Francisco. Voters were misled into believing that recalling District Attorney Chesa Boudin would make the city safer.
But since Boudin was recalled and replaced with a prosecutor who claimed she was going to be ‘tough on crime,’ crime rates have gone up.
“A recall in Alameda County will likewise not make our community safer," said Yoel Haile, director of the criminal justice program at the ACLU of Northern California. The campaign to recall Pamela Price is a cynical attempt to slam the door on progress and undermine the will of voters.”
Recall supporters have raised more than $500,000 in their undemocratic quest.
This recall effort is part of a broader strategy to remove progressive, pro-reform elected officials because of their work to advance civil liberties.
“If these types of recalls are successful, especially in this case of arguably one of the most progressive DAs in the state and country, it will have a chilling effect, said Abdi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California. “It would impact the ability of elected officials with strong civil liberties values to act courageously due to fears that they could suffer the same fate.”
The ACLU of Northern California urges Alameda County Residents to Oppose the Recall. Do not sign the petition to recall Pamela Price.
DISCLAIMER: The ACLU of Northern California does not take positions for or against candidates for office, but when a recall is about the civil liberties record of an elected official, we can speak out. And we do so now, for only the second time in a local recall.
