Opinion By Mark Oliva
A proposal to fight crime by Oakland, Calif., police is raising a lot of noise and a satirical response from Babylon Bee – Fake News You Can Trust.
Oakland’s Police Department is telling residents that getting their hands on an air horn is their best defense against out-of-control crime. They’re adding that residents should consider adding bars to their doors and windows. A recent post on X, formerly known as Twitter, offered a few tips, including “Do not resist” and “Be a good witness and pay attention to the description of the individual or vehicle.”
In other words, “Be a good victim” armed with a really loud air horn. With bars on the residential doors and windows, it also begs the question of who the police are locking up. It’s not the criminals.
The Oakland Police Department is providing safety tips for our community members to minimize the risk of becoming a victim of a robbery. pic.twitter.com/ABUTp9QJu0
— Oakland Police Dept. (@oaklandpoliceca) August 5, 2023
Blowing Smoke
That’s because Oakland doesn’t have enough police and California politicians’ all-but-outlawed crime control and the ability of citizens to defend themselves. Oakland’s former Mayor Libby Schaaf admitted that calls to defund police by $20 million in 2021 “went too far and got convoluted.” Burglaries in the city jumped 41 percent “and robberies by more than 20 percent,” according to a CNN report. The Oakland Police Department has only 715 officers on duty for a city of 433,000. Barry Donelan, president of the Oakland Police Officers’ Association, pegs the number of officers needed at 1,200, based on the volume of calls and the size of the population.
At that rate, Oakland is going to be a cacophony of blasting air horns.
Telling residents to use air horns to fight crime isn’t new to Oakland. The Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce began passing out air horns to Chinatown citizens in 2021. Officials said then that the horns are a “simple and effective way to call for help and scare off an attacker.” Two years later, crime still rules Oakland and the advice hasn’t changed.
Some residents aren’t having it anymore. Kristin Cook is leaving Oakland, the city she’s lived in her whole life, for the safety of Texas, CNN reported.
“I love Oakland. … I can’t take it anymore,” she said. “I got to the point I was too scared to leave my house. I’m not looking for the perfect safe place. I’m looking for a place where the elderly, [and] women with children aren’t targeted. Right? I think we can all agree that that needs to change.”
Not My Job
NAACP Oakland Branch President Cynthia Adams and Oakland pastor Bishop Bob Jackson demanded action from elected leaders pointing out that the rampant crime has victimized the African-American community. They said in a letter that the city is an example of “failed leadership” and created “a heyday for Oakland criminals.”
That’s because California politicians adopted a soft-on-crime and harsh-on-rights approach. Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price directed her staff to seek lower prison sentences and probation terms for crimes. That’s earned her the ire of citizens and former prosecutors. The George Soros-backed DA Price even said her job has “no impact on crime.” There’s a recall effort underway to boot the first-year district attorney for her leniency with criminals. When it comes to respecting Second Amendment rights, DA Price is in lockstep with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s all-out assault against legally-owned firearms.
Her job, as she sees it, is to trample on the rights of law-abiding gun owners. She joined groups calling on state legislators to pass more gun control laws and even ban citizens from owning body armor.
The Stinger
Colt Releases New Airhorn Modification For AR-15 https://t.co/9MCraZlUEu pic.twitter.com/wQBloaHIS7
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) August 10, 2023
The idea that citizens should be quiet and subservient victims of crime, armed with only air horns, is laughable. Even the satire website Babylon Bee couldn’t resist.
“We just don’t have time for all these people calling 9-1-1 and screaming about being stabbed,” explained Mayor Thao, in the Bee’s humorous rejection of the city’s air horn advice. “From now on, we are asking all residents to please refrain from such theatrics and just announce your stabbing with one quick blast on an air horn.”
Babylon Bee followed up with another joking post;
“Colt Releases New Airhorn Modification For AR-15.” The site added, “The new AR attachment features 8 ounces of tactical compressed air and a tactical horn capable of unleashing up to 129 decibels of tactical noise directly into the ear canal of an assailant. They are available in both semi-automatic and automatic.
“The new product retails for $325 and has already been banned in California.”
The sad part is satire exposes the irony and stupidity of antigun and anti-police policies. Oakland residents are left with two choices. Leave the city or press hard while being a compliant victim.
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