In her first public comments since federal agents searched her home last week, the mayor of Oakland, California, expressed defiance and anger, insisting she has done nothing wrong and has no plans to step down from her position.
Mayor Sheng Thao read a prepared statement and did not take any questions on Monday. The FBI raid, which included searches of two other properties owned by another family, occurred just days after supporters of a recall effort against her were notified that they had gathered enough signatures to proceed, likely for a vote in November.
Critics of the mayor claim that public safety and the city’s economic health have deteriorated under her leadership, especially since she dismissed Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.
Sheng Thao talks to the media (Via Jeremy Williamson/Shutterstock)
Cynthia Adams, president of the Oakland NAACP chapter, emphasized the urgent need for effective leadership in the city during this challenging period. “Significantly, no other city officials have publicly supported the mayor, nor have they been seen communicating with her,” Adams stated in an email.
According to reports, Mayor Thao and her son were at home during the raid last Thursday. Her primary concern at the time, she stated, was ensuring their safety.
Thao, who took office in 2023, comes from a Hmong background and has shared that she grew up in poverty.
“My parents came to this country fleeing genocide, never imagining that their daughter would become mayor of Oakland one day,” she said. “I am living their greatest dream, and I am here as your mayor: Mayor Sheng Thao.”
