A candidate for the Oakland City Council is out $1,000 after her donation bag was stolen by a woman outside her campaign kickoff event Sunday.
Charlene Wang says the bag was snatched by a homeless woman at Clinton Square Park at around 4 p.m.
"I very much tried to have a de-escalatory conversation with her to convince her to hand over the bag," Wang said. "Offer her a warm meal at the grocery store, even give her money in exchange for the bag but that did not work out.”
Apparently, the $1,000 was more enticing. The woman refused to return the bag and got angry. At one point, she “started throwing food.”
Wang’s team first called homeless outreach services, but they were told outreach wasn’t available on weekends. Then they called police. According to Wang, the police never came.
"I was left to fend for myself in an essence,” said Wang, who is running on a platform that includes improving public safety.
Read more at ABC News.