Pamela Price’s Asian Problem
New DA's comments lately toward Asian Americans have a decidedly condescending tone. Plus, why Supervisor Miley was labor's only vote at last week's supervisorial appointment
COUNTY NEWS
ALAMEDA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
—PRICE CUTS—Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price has many fires going on in her own office, along with a few at the county judiciary, so she probably doesn’t need a third front.
—The reaction to Price’s house-cleaning at the DA’s office and controversial criminal justice reforms have been loud and clear, suggesting the pushback is much more than just former employees griping to the press and natural growing pains under Price’s command.
—During the first three months of Price’s leadership, a number of prosecutors have condemned her new directives, which essentially seeks leniency in charging violent crimes.
—Several dismissed prosecutors have gone public and specifically labeled Price’s leadership as unethical and appearing to show more remorse for suspects rather than victims and their families.
—Perhaps, most telling is opposition to Price’s reforms are also coming from outside the DA’s office, and inside courtrooms. Two weeks ago, an Alameda County Superior Court judge rejected a plea deal involving a defendant accused of being a part of killing three people because he deemed it too lenient.
—But here’s an overlooked and long-simmering third front of opposition to Price—her strained relationship with Asian Americans.
—Remember this clip?
—Price made these comments at a candidate forum last August, during the run up to November General Election. Her answer was in response to a question about the successful recall of former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Keep in mind this candidate forum was hosted by an Asian American Democratic club.
—“In San Francisco, it would appear that the Asian community votes as a bloc and if you alienate one significant player or one prominent person in that area you may well end up, I think, as Chesa did, on the wrong side of the community.”
—Prescient words?
—The tragic case of Jasper Wu, a 23-month-old, who was killed by a stray bullet on Interstate 880, is increasingly looking like the platform in which Price places herself on the wrong side of her own community in Alameda County.
—Last month, Jasper Wu’s family expressed fear that Price’s new directives might not be commensurate with the crime that took the life of their baby.
—Last week, ABC7’s Dan Noyes reported on a letter Price penned in response to the growing rancor about the case within local Asian American communities. Price wrote “certain vocal members of the local Chinese community and the media have misled the public about our process”
—It gets worse. ABC7’s Dion Lim reported on a letter that was forwarded to Price through Alameda County Supervisor Lena Tam that urges the supervisor to reached out to the DA. Price’s response again criticizes unnamed members of the Chinese community for misleading the public, but calls out Lim by name.
—Price then condescendingly notes that “every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” and hoped Supervisor Tam, a “well-respected member of the Asian community,” could pass this information to her constituents. Price would also being interested in holding a community forum, along with Tam, to further discuss the issue.
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