An Oakland City Council candidate who is focused on addressing the city’s crime and homelessness issues found herself in a challenging situation when a homeless woman stole $1,000 in campaign donations following an event.
Charlene Wang lost the donation money when the thief took off with a bag of donations and refused to return it during an incident in Oakland, California.
Video obtained by KGO showed Wang, 33, and her team trying to reason with the woman, who seemed to be in distress.
“I tried to have a de-escalating conversation with her to persuade her to give back the bag,” Wang explained to the station.
“We tried offering her a warm meal at the grocery store, even giving her money in exchange for the bag, but it didn’t work out,” Wang added.
The situation escalated as the suspect became agitated and started throwing food, prompting Wang’s team to reach out to homeless outreach services, which were unavailable at the time.
With the woman becoming more hostile and making threats, Wang’s team called the police for assistance, but they never arrived, leaving the candidate feeling abandoned.
“They said there were 250 calls ahead of us and they said they would actually come by to take a report afterwards,” Wang told KGO on Monday. “They still have not come by, and it still hasn’t happened yet.”
Wang, who previously worked for the Department of Transportation under the Biden administration, told Fox News Digital that the lack of response from mental health and police services was unacceptable.
The Post has reached out to Oakland police and the Wang campaign for comment.
The council candidate’s platform focuses on addressing the rising crime rates and homelessness crisis in the area. She is one of ten candidates vying for a city council at-large seat in the upcoming November elections, as reported by the Mercury News.
“I can only imagine the trauma she is going through having to live on the streets,” Wang empathized with the homeless woman, as reported by KGO.
“I am not angry at her or anything like that, however, I think this is yet another example of first responder service. I was left to fend for myself in essence.”
