The plain and simple fact is that the current City Council hasn’t learned a damned thing from the failures of their predecessors. Any way you cut it, they’re still tax-and-spenders, determined to tinker with their socialist schemes paid for by you, the hard-working people of Oakland.

One thing I wonder about all the time is why people in Oakland vote for the most woke, progressive candidates. It’s such a puzzle. Carroll Fife, Barbara Lee, Nikki Bas, Rebecca Kaplan and their type have driven Oakland into the ground, as any sentient being realizes. A walk downtown should be alarming enough to shock voters, with block after block of shuttered shops, nail parlors, smoke stores and convenience marts. If that doesn’t do the trick, how about the zombies wandering around, like extras from a horror movie? Or the corporations that leave Oakland on almost a daily basis. So why do people continue to vote for the idiots who got us into this mess?

This is a little premature, but I want to share a vision: to organize a Day of Appreciation for the Oakland Police Department. This would be a one-time event, perhaps at Frank Ogawa Plaza, in which people gather to demonstrate their support for OPD.

I think most people understand that drones are a powerful and effective tool for police departments in the never-ending fight against crime. Drone can be utilized as first responders, such as in 911 calls in situations where cops can’t get in.  Drones can help police assess a situation before they arrive. Drones equipped with thermal sensors can enable cops to find a suspect hiding in an apartment or in the woods. Drones with cameras can acquire evidence used in indictments and trials. Drones can overwatch large events, such as sideshows and including downtown protests that often turn violent. Drones can seek out suspects, even indoors. Drones can follow fleeing perps in their vehicles, without posing harm to cops or innocent bystanders. With the advent of AI, drones will become increasingly vital to law enforcement.

Here’s a name you probably don’t know, but should: Millie Cleveland. She’s one of the most vicious police haters Oakland has ever known, and a real behind-the-scenes power. She’s been making war against the Oakland Police Department since the 1970s, and continues her scourge today. Mayors and City Council members come and go, but Ms. Cleveland is always there, lurking somewhere in the shadows, spreading her cop hatred and thereby enabling pro-crime elements to thrive.