ABC7 News was first made aware of the allegations at Monday's "Justice for Jasper" rally in Oakland. A member of the DA's office said one of Pam Price's chief assistant district attorneys, the number two person in charge, made comments about a Samoan victim saying that "Samoans fight. They like to get drunk and high and they fight in a minute."
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Families of murdered loved ones, such as Virginia Nishita, wife of Kevin Nishita who was killed while protecting a TV news crew, and Barbara Nguyen whose brother, David, was killed in a freeway shooting last year, spoke about the need for proper punishment and fears of possible changes to enhancement charges from District Attorney Pamela Price.
But what came as a bit of a surprise: Alameda County prosecutor Butch Ford, who said he was put on paid administrative leave by Price, taking to the podium.
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He explained a bit about his background.
"I'm half Pacific Islander and I was raised by a strong Pacific Islander woman who taught me what it meant to take responsibility for your actions," Ford said. "I am also half African American, influenced by the first African American female judge in Alameda history, Judge Judith Ford."
Ford shared an anecdote of a seemingly racist incident a young female DA said she experienced last month, within the Price administration.
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Lim obtained a copy of the email complaint that female DA made from an Alameda County Prosecutors Association Union member and former supervisor.
In it, she says Chief Assistant District Attorney Otis Bruce criticized the victim of her case, who is AAPI.
The complaint was sent to her direct supervisor and the Teamsters Union.
Ford commented on this at Monday's rally.
"It was his way of attacking the victim of a violent crime and justify what most surely be a very low sentence, our young AAPI sister was so shocked she went to her office and broke down," Ford said.
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Lim reached out to Bruce along with the DA's office asking for comment on Tuesday, and followed up, but have yet to get a response.
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Ford told Lim on Monday, the purpose of the rally and sharing what happened to the young female DA was not about race.
"It's about doing what's right and protecting victims," Ford said.
When Lim asked Matt Finnegan, the representative and staff attorney for the Teamsters 856 Union, about any response from the Otis or Price in regards to this matter, he said no.
The allegation comes after emails Lim reported on last week, which DA Price sent to some members of the Asian American Community, calling them misinformed about a case.
The Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association denounced those emails, calling them "offensive."