1 month ago
A achromatic activistic has renounced his beliefs astir defunding nan constabulary and group retired to prevention his crime-ridden location city, Oakland, from what he calls 'phony progressives'.
Seneca Scott, 44, utilized to beryllium a self-proclaimed 'leftie'. In 2020 he ran for elected agency successful Oakland, calling for 'shifting budgets distant from nan police' and a 'complete overhaul of really we want our communities to interact pinch rule enforcement.'
But now he is vehemently anti what he position nan 'woke left' and 'phony "progressives"' who he says are 'dismissive towards achromatic and brownish people'.
Scott told The Free Press that he changed his views erstwhile he realized 'how heavy nan harm was' and really 'the group we had put successful spot were conscionable complete frauds'.
He decided to tally for politician past twelvemonth aft his ain run-in pinch police, when he was arrested for defending himself against a knife-wielding thief successful his ain garden.
Scott ran for politician aft having his ain tally successful pinch nan constabulary erstwhile he was arrested for confronting a knife-wielding thief successful his garden
Crime has soared successful Oakland pinch assault, robbery and rape each connected nan rise
At astir 10pm connected October 30 2021, Scott discovered 2 men were trying to bargain nan h2o heater from his garden. He went down to face them, taking his weapon for protection, and recovered they had group up a shelter and laid retired narcotics connected his picnic table.
He told them to put down nan h2o heater and 1 of them pulled a knife. Scott showed them his pistol and again told them to put down nan h2o heater.
At this constituent 1 of nan men fled, but nan different flagged down a constabulary car and told them Scott had pulled a weapon connected him. Police arrested Scott connected charges of brandishing a limb and carrying a concealed firearm.
The charges person each since been dropped.
Scott shared images of him pinch babe goats successful a organization plot successful nan tally up to nan election
Scott said: 'It’s unfortunate that we’re forced to self-help correct now. Just that aforesaid night, an hr earlier, my neighbour was changeable successful his look while holding his baby. That was connected nan aforesaid street, for illustration 8 houses down.'
Since Oakland officials trim $18million from nan constabulary budget to salary for societal services successful 2021, Scott says crime has gone done nan roof.
He said: 'There's nary norm of law. Our crime labs don’t work. We person to spell retired and subcontract to different places to do DNA tests aliases fingerprint tests. And sometimes they contradict us.
He says constabulary consequence clip to crime is 'insane' and it tin return '45, 50, minutes' for constabulary to arrive.
Police information shows nan metropolis now has nan 2nd worst 911 consequence clip successful California, while nan number of homicides has jumped by 79 per cent from 2018 to 2022.
In nan twelvemonth to date, convulsive crime is 22 per cent higher than past year, centrifugal conveyance theft is 51 per cent higher and robbery is 36 per cent higher.
Scott said location is simply a immense problem pinch 'drug addicts and supplier tourists', adding: 'Anyone who has nan expertise is making an exit plan. Like you're successful a state going to warfare soon and group are looking astatine it like, really do we get out?'
Scott, who graduated from Cornell, has activism successful his humor - his begetter was Martin Luther King Jr's wife, Coretta's, cousin.
He grew up successful Cleveland, Ohio, but his family near nan soul metropolis to flight nan ace epidemic. He moved to Oakland successful 2012.
He mislaid his 2022 mayoral campaign, but is now focused connected forming a caller party, filled pinch nonpartisan governmental candidates.
He is peculiarly opposed to nan existent Oakland officials and nan mayor, Sheng Thao, who has faced fierce guidance to her crime policies - including defunding nan police.
Oakland NAACP leaders called for a authorities of emergency successful August complete nan soaring crime rate, arsenic they attributed it to nan defund nan constabulary activity and Price.
Scott says Oakland officials person grounded to cleanable up encampments successful nan city, fueling issues pinch crime and drugs
Sharing a video of a rubbish filled encampment successful Oakland connected Twitter, Scott said: 'Remember @carol_fife claimed backmost successful February she could "clean up immoderate encampment quickly" erstwhile Sheng took nan mayor's seat? What happened to that?'
He says doesn't do left-right authorities immoderate more, adding: 'The Democrats wrongly demonize everybody who’s a achromatic man aliases opportunity each azygous point that’s incorrect pinch nine is achromatic supremacy. It’s bull****.'
Instead he says: 'I’m post-partisan. I don’t spell near aliases right. I spell up and down. Either you person integrity and solutions aliases you don’t.'
Through his nonprofit Neighbors Together, Scott is readying to find 100 nontraditional candidates for illustration himself and thief them get elected to positions connected metropolis councils and boards crossed America.
