Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said Monday that she’ll seek to quickly hire more police officers, and reverse plans to divert funding from police to social services, in a bid to stem a recent spate of violent crime and homicides. “When those messages and services are not effective… the consequences must be swift and certain,” Schaaf said. “There is nothing progressive about unbridled gun violence.”
Three people died in homicides over the weekend, including Kevin Nishita, a retired cop turned bodyguard for local outlet KRON4. He was shot by armed robbers while protecting a news crew reporting on a different robbery. His death came during an “extremely violent week,” police said, Nishita “dedicated his life to keeping others safe, as well as supporting a free press, which is a cornerstone to a healthy democracy,” Schaaf said, according to KRON4. A 1-year-old boy was also killed by a stray bullet as his mom was driving on Saturday.
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