Carroll Fife Stands up to racist and sexist attacks against her in front of city hall
By Leon Breckenridge
Oakland, Calif. - On a cold Monday morning, in early February, during a press conference, Oakland District 3 city Councilmember Carolle Fife defended herself against online racist and sexist attacks. The press conference was in response to a sludge of racist and sexist voicemail she had received. On Martin Luther King Day, she posted vile voicemails on Twitter for all to witness.
“I am not going to be emotional,” said Fife as she stood at the podium. “I am angry, but I also know the people who are sending these harassing texts, emails, and voicemails, they want a reaction.”
The press conference occurred in front of city hall. Fife was accompanied by other women politicians, community workers, community members, and representatives of other organizations, who all showed up to provide emotional and moral support.
Fife said the voicemails started around the time when Laronne Armstrong, former police chief of The Oakland Police Department, falsely stated the police department was going to be defunded.
“The original incident that cause people to flood my voicemail with threats of rape and murder was when our police chief went on Fox News and talk about how Oakland was defunded,” said Fife. “That was later debunked, but that set off a wildfire of harassment and death threats I have never experienced in my life. That's a different type of violence.”
She was also being harassed by citizens concerning the proposed Oakland A’s stadium in her district at the Howard Terminal. "When there are conversations in city hall about Howard terminal development,” said Fife. “The harassment towards me goes way up.”
“Rape or a particular avenue of violence is only reserved for those of us who are not cis-heterosexual men,” said California State Senator Aisha Washab.
California Assemblywoman Liz Ortega said that her daughter could not do her homework at home because of the threats made against her during the campaign. Cat Brooks described how a social media platform was used to threaten her.
”Someone saw fit to go on Nextdoor, that racist platform, and suggest they publicize my address and come to my house and bust out all my windows,” Brooks explained. “Because they don’t like what I have to say. They think it's okay to threaten my life; to threaten my home; to threaten my child.”
“It's far too many people in our society who cannot deal with women of color being in positions of power,” said Mayor of Oakland Sheng Thao. "These messengers of hate cannot deal with women of color being in leadership and demand for respect and inclusion.”
Fife thinks these attacks are from people who want to hinder the spread of Inclusive Democracy. Particularly, she thinks the increasing numbers of Black voters have sparked a backlash against pro-Democracy politicians.“This is about limiting democracy,” said Fife. “They are seeking to stall and stymie the voices of people who are transforming the very thing we called government in order to stop the change they know that is so desperately needed.”
Fife is trying to figure out how to keep herself and other women safe from the attacks. “I know State Assembly member Mia Bonta is working on some legislation,” said Fife. “We (Oakland City Council) are going to help her with that because I don’t feel like it’s necessary or should be required for the individuals experiencing harassment to use the money that they raised through campaigning and for community organizing to have to pay for our own security.”
Violent threats against Fife are not unique to her and other women politicians. According to a report by the Bridging the Divides Initiative in Princeton called Threats and Harassment against local officials dataset, women officials are targeted 3 times more than their male counterparts. The 2022 report also states, “Across issue areas, threats of death and gun violence are more than twice as common as any other form of threat, comprising 34% of all threats and 13% of all cases.” Fife also said this initiative has reached out to her regarding these incidents.
Even though Fife could name her attackers’, she chose not to.
“I am here to do this work,” she said. “There are smarter and stronger people than me who have experienced worse. I am here for it. I will not be silenced. We will not be silent, and we will continue to do the work.”