A city council candidate seeking to solve Oakland's crime and homelessness problems was left on his own after a homeless woman stole a $1,000 donation from him after a campaign event.
Charlene Wang lost her campaign funds Sunday in the embattled California city after a gunman took her donation bag and refused to give it back.
video Acquired by KGO The video shows 33-year-old Wang and staff trying to persuade the woman, who appears to be mentally unstable.
“I tried hard to have an easing conversation to persuade her to hand over the bag,” Wang told the station.
“I tried offering them hot meals at the grocery store and giving them money in exchange for bags, but it didn't work.”
Wang's staff initially called homeless organizations, but they were unable to respond after the suspect “became agitated” and began throwing food.
As the woman became more and more angry, she began threatening staff, who then called the police, but they were no help as officers never showed up, Wang said.
“They said they had 250 calls ahead of us and then they would actually come and take the report,” Wang told KGO on Monday. “They haven't come yet and nothing has happened yet.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, Wang, who worked in the Department of Transportation under Biden, slammed what he said was a lack of support from mental health and police services.
“Police and mental health responders should have worked together to provide a quicker response,” said Wang, who now works for the EPA.
“Long 911 wait times are what motivated me to run for office. I am a victim of domestic violence and a police officer saved my life. I am committed to ensuring our police department is fully staffed because I know what happens when there are delayed responses.”
The woman who stole the bag should have been offered real services, such as a place to stay and a hot meal, she added.
“We need to help people before they suffer on the streets and their situation gets worse,” Wang said.
The Post has reached out to Oakland police for comment.
The city council candidate has pledged to curb a “crime boom” and tackle the area's out-of-control homelessness problem. She is one of 10 candidates running for city council in November. According to the Mercury News.
“I can only imagine the trauma she is going through being forced to live on the streets,” Wang said of the homeless woman, according to KGO.
“I'm not angry with her but I think this is another example of poor service from the paramedics. Essentially I was left to fend for myself.”
