Oakland community leaders won't back down to Trump's threats of sending in National Guard

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Oakland city and community leaders say they are united in sending a message to the Trump administration over this week's mention of possibly sending in the National Guard.

"Oakland does not back down. We are fighters here in Oakland. And we believe in protecting our city. Protecting our democracy!" says Pastor L.J. Jennings of Kingdom Builders Christian Fellowship.

Leading the charge is Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, who served in Congress during the first Trump administration.

"These are the cities that happen to be led by Black mayors. What is this about? What is this about? His motives are fear-mongering and diversionary," Lee said.

RELATED: Pres. Trump threatens to send National Guard to Oakland: Here's how city leaders are responding

On Wednesday, Trump said he is seeking a more permanent federal control of Washington, D.C. police in effort to ramp-up crime enforcement in the nation's capital.

"Trump made the statement that Oakland was so far gone," says Rowena Brown, Oakland councilmember-at-large. "This narrative draws from a long, harmful pattern where leaders distort the truth about majority Black communities to justify federal overreach, aggressive policing and the erosion of our civil liberties."

Oakland leaders are also pushing back by highlighting a recent drop in violent crime. Last week, Oakland published data that shows a 29% reduction in violent crime for the first six months of 2025 compared to same time last year. Homicides are down 21%, robberies decreased by 41% -- also during that same time period. Oakland police do acknowledge that crime may be under reported.

MORE: Oakland goes 25 days without a homicide in May, June as crime numbers drop

"Oakland is not in a crisis. We are in a transformation," said Danielle Motley-Lewis, president of the Oakland chapter of Black Women Organized for Political Action. "Oakland's success is all of our responsibility. And we are grateful for Mayor Lee's leadership."

City leaders point out that just the threat of sending in the National Guard further hurts Oakland's reputation in areas like investing and tourism. Lee says the city's legal team is analyzing the constitutionality of sending troops to Oakland, adding that work is also being done at the state and county level to keep the national guard out.

"This administration is looting and dismantling our safety net, it is shredding decades of progress," said Nikki Fortunato Bas, Alameda County Board Supervisor and former Oakland city councilmember. "And it is leaving local governments, just like our, to pick up the pieces as they strip away healthcare, as they stripe away food security and so much more."