Oakland city officials are putting together a plan in preparation for the possible deployment of National Guard troops to the city, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said Monday morning.
“We do not intend to welcome federal intervention and a military occupation,” Lee said, speaking on KQED’s Forum. “We certainly know how to police, and we certainly do not need federal intervention.”
Lee said the city is coordinating with Alameda County and California Attorney General Rob Bonta on the plan.
“We will be unveiling the full plan as soon as all of the pieces are in place,” she said.
After deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C. in August, President Trump has suggested for weeks that he could send troops to other cities as part of a crackdown on crime.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters that he planned to “clean up” major U.S. cities struggling with crime.
“We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities,” Trump said as he was leaving the White House.
The day before, he posted an image on social media of himself with the Chicago skyline in the background and references to the 1979 Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now, accompanied by the words: “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning …’ Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
Last month, Trump included Oakland on a list of cities he said were “so far gone” when it comes to crime.
While the city has struggled with crime in recent years, police data show violent crime is down 26% compared to this time last year.
“He has targeted certain cities, he has talked about certain cities, including Oakland, and so we have to be prepared, and that’s what we’re doing,” Lee said.
Some parts of the plan, she said, are already in place and on the city’s website.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office pointed to a web page on immigrant rights and resources in Oakland. The site includes details about Oakland’s policies as a sanctuary city and “know your rights” information.
The California Attorney General’s office declined to comment on, or even confirm, any discussions with Oakland officials, but said the office is “committed to holding President Trump and his administration accountable for overreaching their authority under the law and infringing on Californians’ constitutional rights. We’ll continue to monitor any federalization and deployment of National Guard troops closely.”
The Department of Homeland Security announced a new immigration enforcement operation on Monday in Chicago as part of the Trump administration’s effort to target sanctuary policies.
Lee said Oakland does not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and that the city will protect its immigrant communities.
“We have a unified effort, we’re going to make sure that we circle the wagons with our immigrant community,” Lee said.
Lee also urged residents who choose to protest to do so peacefully. Demonstrations that turn violent, Lee said, could give the federal government a pretext to intervene.
“They’re waiting for chaos as they did in Los Angeles, so then they can say it’s an emergency, we have to send the National Guard in,” Lee said. “We cannot allow Donald Trump to send in troops to provoke chaos. And that is part of his playbook, so then he can send in troops and conduct massive ICE raids.”
“Right now, we have to maintain our unified posture and make sure we protect everybody. Safe, secure, keep the peace and push back and resist what is taking place,” she said.
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