In November 2022, Pamela Price was elected into office as the District Attorney of Alameda County to much aplomb. She would be the first black woman to reach this highly esteemed position. However, that alone wasn’t the primary reason why her election and subsequent victory drew so much attention.

Price distinguished herself from the competition by campaigning primarily on the reformist platform. Among many other things, she promised the good people of Alameda County that she would take decisive strides to reduce the considerable racial disparities that presented themselves so heavily in the criminal legal system of the region. She also swore to give minors accused of crimes a better platform on which they could change their ways and become a better, more functional part of the community. Price also gave her word to charge cases that had sufficient evidence to court as well as offer her unbridled support to the victims of these crimes.

All of this was supposed to be a welcome change from the notoriously tough-on-crime stance of the previous District Attorney, Nancy O’Malley. Perhaps because there was such a sharp contrast between what these two individuals represented and sought to offer, it was fairly easy for 53 percent of the voters to buy into what the new and novel candidate was selling.

Not up to a year after she was sworn into office, many denizens of Alameda will say that Price has kept her word, for the most part. Now, let’s take a quick look at how the county has fared in that time.

Today, what we have on our hands is a DA who had to be dragged and prodded extensively from all quarters before she would be bothered to do her due diligence with the perpetrators of the murder of a 23-month-old child, Jasper Wu. She resisted at every turn, doing everything that she could to ensure that enhancements were not introduced to the case of the two suspects.

For the uninitiated, enhancements are essentially a sort of additional criminal charge that can be added to specific crimes like homicide and assault. When enhancements are introduced into a case, it becomes possible to prosecute for the longest jail term possible.

This raises the question; Where else would an enhancement be useful (if not outrightly necessary) than in the murder of a young child in a gang-related shootout?

Yet, Price was still willing to go as far as protecting the offenders and ensuring that they got the shortest sentences possible.

But the fun and games with Price’s twisted policies and ideologies don’t end there. If anything, that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

If you’re in doubt, consider that as of July 2023, the police have already logged more than 10, 000 cases of burglaries! This is a marked 15 percent increase compared to the 7, 000 that we had at the exact same time last year.

As bad as that is, the sad truth is that this isn’t even the worst part. What’s truly awful about all of this is that Price’s weakly thought-through and ill-refined policies aren’t only not stopping crimes but have actively even begun to encourage them.

For those in need of evidence to corroborate that statement, you need look no further than the fact that, since she took office, there has been a massive spike in the number of crimes, particularly violent robberies, committed by minors. Many of these violent crimes have been specifically targeted at women, leading to severe injuries for the victims of these assaults.

One particular incident that gave arguably the clearest representation of just how bad things have gotten in this regard is the fact that in May 2022, nine kids, the youngest 12 and the oldest 17, were arrested. These youths were arrested on the suspicion that they had committed 35 different robberies. What makes this situation indescribably worse is the fact that many of these individuals were released without charges.

Of course, the question is this; Just what message is Price sending with her stance on this incident?

Essentially, she’s sending the message that committing crime pays. Because you could even get caught and nothing would happen to you!

In the spirit of honesty, the fact remains that, as Price rightly points out, criminal justice owes a certain debt to the perpetrators of crimes. While the system is indeed there to punish them, the ultimate aim of that punishment is supposed to be reformation.

However, the fact remains that, even if her motives are right, her execution is deeply flawed.

It’s been made askew because, in trying to do right by the perpetrators, Price has gone on to severely harm the victims, people who were already suffering, to begin with.

She’s taking away the closure and succor that victims have come to expect and demand from the legal system. But even more than that, she has weakened the rule of law and, through this, the very fabric of society with her lop-sided policies.

And, if after so long, she has refused to come to her senses and do the right thing, then the simple fact is that she has to be recalled. But not only that, the sooner she’s removed from office, the better. Because only God knows where her penchant for defending the perpetrator and spiting the victim will lead Alameda County.

Pamela Price has to go!

Pamela Price has to go today!