Social media users condemned an Oakland City Staffer after a handwritten note leaked referring to Black people as “tokens.”
Leigh Hanson, chief of staff to interim Oakland Mayor Kevin Jenkins, wrote the note last year. It was released as part of a FBI probe that resulted in the indictment of former mayor Sheng Thao. Hanson served under Thao’s administration as well, with the disgraced leader pleading not guilty to federal bribery charges.
As part of the investigation, Hanson gave binders of notes and all written communication to the FBI. The city released them to the public after the San Francisco Chronicle filed a public records request.
According to the publication, Hanson wrote the note while creating a strategy for Thao to fight the recall vote amid the allegations. It included a line that read “CM Fife can reach out to NAACP — use BP as tokens.” Hanson confirmed that “BP” was also used as a shorthand way to say Black people, with “CM Fife” referring to Oakland Council Member Carroll Fife. Fife is considered an ally of Thao’s.
News of Hanson’s offensive statement quickly made rounds on social media, with the apparent messaging marked as racist.
“The audacity Leigh Hanson has, and this is how she sees black people,” shared one X user.
Hanson says, however, that the note was taken out of content. She remembered writing it during an anti-recall planning meeting in March 2024 with Thao and their team. She claims that the line referred to their perceptions of recall effort’s quest to gain Black people’s support.
However, Hanson also shared that she was writing down comments made directly by Thao about the efforts. Thao wanted to inform Oaklanders that the recall was prompted by a white, wealthy billionaire, namely Philip Dreyfuss. Moreover, Thao sought to convince Black voters that they were being pawned into running an “astroturf campaign” to remove her from the elected position.
While Thao was removed by recall vote, Hanson continued serving in the interim mayor’s administration to help fix the Oakland’s city budget. Interim Mayor Jenkins is expected to reveal his budget proposal to help decrease its structural deficit by May 1. Despite the controversy, Hanson remains a part of the city staffing.
The NAACP plans to meet April 6 to discuss the note and its content.
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