Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao defends firing police chief; Armstrong files appeal
OAKLAND -- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on Thursday spoke out in defense of her recent decision to fire LeRonne Armstrong as the city's police chief, just hours before he officially filed an appeal over his dismissal.
Thao fired Armstrong from his job last Wednesday after a recent report detailing the chief's actions in connection with a hit-and-run collision involving a police sergeant and the alleged obstruction of the investigation. Armstrong was suspended on January 19 in connection with the report that concluded he had signed off on the findings without reviewing them or even fully discussing the incident.
Armstrong has repeatedly disputed the report, blaming the federal monitor overseeing police reform for suspension and eventual firing.
While she has received some support for her decision, there has also been a lot of backlash from Armstrong supporters since last week's move.
KPIX anchor Ryan Yamamoto spoke with the mayor about the firing. When he asked her if she was surprised at the backlash from Oakland's black leaders, particularly the NAACP, Mayor Thao replied, "I know that LeRonne was born and raised here. But at the end of the day, what we do, how we move forward as a city, that is always going to be my north star -- the city of Oakland, the residents, the businesses here -- and ensuring that we get out from over the federal oversight is incredibly important."
"Moving forward, I do feel strongly that is the right move; that we have to change course and be able to move forward in a way where we can actually address the cultural issues," she added.
She also said she wants to have someone who can make changes for the police department.
"We have to ensure that we do find the people who are going to be leading...in a way where we are changing the cultural norms in the department, but also in a way where we're actually making sure that these are systemic changes," said the mayor." And it starts at the top. So that's why it's important to find the right person
On Thursday afternoon, Armstrong filed an official appeal of what he termed his "retaliatory and wrongful termination," according a statement issued by his attorney Will Edelman.
Edelman sent a letter to the city late Wednesday initiating the administrative appeal process to dispute Armstrong's firing. The process, handled by the city, will direct a hearing officer to review Armstrong's case and the evidence. It will then make a recommendation to the city about whether to uphold his firing or not.
"This action is the first step towards litigation by Chief Armstrong and his attorneys against the City of Oakland for his retaliatory and wrong termination by Mayor Sheng Thao. It should come as no surprise to the public that when Chief Armstrong came within inches of removing federal oversight that Federal Monitor Robert Warshaw concocted false and misleading allegations to keep his lucrative contract in place," said Sam Singer, a spokesman for Chief Armstrong.
Armstrong's team has said he is also planning to take legal action.
