ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) -- Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price says she has received death threats, racist attacks and hate-filled messages - all within the short time she has been in office.
These attacks come in the wake of criticism for the DA's criminal justice reform policies.
"Someone is suggesting that I should have a bullet in my forehead," Price said in an interview with KRON4.
Receiving less-than-flattering comments about your job performance comes with the territory for elected public officials. However, Price says the kind of messages she has received since being sworn into office back in January has raised concerns for her personal safety.
The hate-filled messages appeared to escalate after reports of the DA offering plea deals for murder suspects, removing enhancements, and the possibility of prosecutors going easy on the three men charged in the death case of Jasper Wu.
Wu was almost 2 years old when he was killed in a freeway shooting in November of 2021. Price said there will be no plea deals for Wu's alleged killers.
Most of the messages are too graphic for this story, but here is what KRON4 has decided to show.
"I pray for the men you keep letting free comes back and handles you personally."
"If that's where she lives at, find her and teach her a lesson."
"I'd love it if your child was killed by a stray bullet! Oh wait, maybe then you'd actually do your (expletive) job."
Price responded to the messages,
"You expect criticism. You expect people to have strong views, but we should not have a public conversation where racism, sexism and attacks that threaten my safety are tolerated," Price said. "I think we have a duty as public officials and as community residents to push back against that.
"We know that the level of hatred and vitriol directed towards me is very different and much more intense."
KRON4 asked Price, "When you came into the office they were already charged. Have you changed any of those?"
"No, we haven't changed any charges. Each of them is charged not only with homicide -- the murder of Jasper. A couple of them are charged with attempted murder of the third person," Price said. "They're all charged with shooting at an occupied vehicle. They're all charged with enhancements and special circumstances and special allegations."
KRON On is streaming news live now
Price hopes that information about what's actually happening in these court cases will lower the temperature in the community and stop those motivated to send violent messages.
"I don't have a reason to fear. I just look at it as how it affects our community," Price said. "We don't want hate to spread. We don't want it to become the norm when we threaten peoples' lives because we don't like their policies."
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/W2lhdXE
No comments:
Post a Comment