Organizers of effort to recall Alameda County DA push ahead

OAKLAND, Calif. - Organizers of an effort to recall Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price were out in force on Sunday gathering signatures. Some of the signatures were obtained by going door to door in the County, and others through a sign-up station manned in West Oakland.

"I’ve been seeing and experiencing the crime wave in Oakland, and I do believe that it’s directly related to the D.A. and her policies on restorative justice," said Evelyn Gibbe, who signed the recall petition on Sunday.

Gibbe was among a number of signees who told KTVU that Price's handling of criminal cases had motivated them to come out.

"I’ve lived in Oakland for 30 years, and it’s never been as bad as it is now," said Robert Madera, part of a steady stream of county residents signing the petition.

"Frankly, I’m just afraid to come over into Oakland, I’m afraid to come over, and I’m a marine," said Willie Wood, who lives in Alameda.

Price, who was elected with 53 percent of the vote last year after campaigning on a platform of criminal justice reform, continued to defend her record this week.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Alameda County district attorney recall effort officially gets underway

"The people of Alameda County elected me to do this work, and we’re doing it," said Price.

Price made the comment this week as she joined county lawmakers in discussing their plans for State grant money allocated to tackle organized retail theft.

Last month Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan helped spearhead a strike by city business owners frustrated about crime. Chan is part of a group that has been leading the Price Recall effort.

"Many of us seniors are afraid to walk down the street, and again, carjackings, businesses are closing, all due to crime," said Chan.

Also leading the effort is the family of Jarin Purvis, a man who was killed in the Castro Valley in 2020. The person charged with his death is now out of jail.

"Until Pamela Price came into office he was up on murder charges. Now he’s been released on involuntary manslaughter after serving two and a half years at Santa Rita [Jail]," said Patricia Harris, the mother of Jarin Purvis.

Police records show her son and the man who shot him were both playing with guns when the weapon accidentally went off. 

KTVU reached out to Price's communications team for a comment on Sunday's recall signature effort and was re-directed to her campaign staff. 

KTVU had not heard back at the time of this report.

Organizers say 73,195 signatures are needed by March 5 to get the recall on the ballot. Chan says they are aiming for 90,000 just to be safe.