Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's home was vandalized early Tuesday with messages spray painted on the sidewalk, driveway and garage.
About a dozen people wearing masks drove up to the mayor's home, started yelling and lit off fireworks around 2 a.m., neighbors said.
"There was a real thick layer of smoke and a lot of noise," neighbor Desiree Alexander said.
Police are investigating the incident.
Justin Berton, a spokesperson for Schaaf, provided the following statement:
“An attack at the home of a publicly elected official does not advance democracy. Around 2 a.m. vandals shot projectiles at the Mayor’s home, set off fireworks, and graffitied her home with paint. This attack, designed to intimidate the Mayor and strike fear into her family, will not stop her from advocating for the policies she believes are in the best long-term interests of her beloved hometown. Like all Oaklanders, she supports passionate protest but does not support tactics meant to harm and terrorize others.”
The messages spray painted on Schaaf's home call for her to "DEFUND OPD! CANCEL RENT! HOMES FOR ALL!" Other messages include "TAKE RESPONSIBILITY" and "WAKE UP LIBBY."
In a neighborhood where nearly every other home has a Black Lives Matter sign showing, some neighbors think the vandals are outsiders who are exploiting the Black Lives Matter movement.
"That’s not Oakland," Alexander said. "No matter how mad people have been, this is not what they were doing. This is from out of town."
