By Bryan Miller
OAKLAND, CA – The “Protect The Win” campaign, which supports sitting Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price, said at a news conference this week it wanted to “highlight what we believe to be widespread instances of signature gathering fraud.”
The campaign called for U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey to look into the investigation of signature fraud, after repeated calls for action to Attorney General Rob Bonta, the campaign said, have gone unanswered.
The “Protect The Win” campaign gathered with what it called “community leaders and supporters” to present evidence showing “fraudulent activities” which it alleges occurred “during the signature collection phase aimed at removing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price from her position,” according to their press release.
The campaign stated, “Despite our appeal to Attorney General Bonta for an investigation, conveyed in a letter sent on Feb. 28, 2024, we are yet to receive any response.”
In this letter the campaign claims it has “observed numerous instances of fraud and deception in recent months,” and, “These instances point to a coordinated effort aimed at misleading individuals into signing the petition under false pretenses.”
The campaign added, it is “escalating our actions and calling on the U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey to investigate these allegations thoroughly because every signature matters.”
Civil rights attorney Walter Riley said, “There are people in various parts of our community that are trying to turn back the clocks to make it an easier community for them to make profits, an easier way to target people, an easier way to generalize about folks and right now they are generalizing Black folks and they are making Black people in Alameda County the target for stronger criminal prosecutions, more incarceration and more time in jail.”
Pecolia Manigo of Oakland Rising Action added, “We can’t ignore the many forces in Alameda County that do not want criminal justice reform. We’re in a time when elected officials didn’t make the investments in our communities necessary to improve public safety.”
Stewart Chen, President of Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, noted, “I have looked into her policies and practices. DA Pamela Price ran on a platform for reform. Whether you like it or not she was elected. She ran on a platform of accountability, she was duly elected and it’s time to let her do her job.”
George Galvis of Dream Beyond Bars said, “My fear is we’ll go back to a system that’s devastated our communities. Crime went up under the previous DA, we didn’t not see these players who use the language of law and order when crime went up under the previous DA. Yet from when we elected DA Price there was almost immediately an effort to recall her. This is not about public safety.” 
