Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley announced this week that she will not be running for another term next year, as she faces a possible recall.
O’Malley received criticism earlier this year after she announced her office would not file charges against former BART Police officer Anthony Pirone in the death of Oscar Grant.
Pirone put his knee on Grant’s neck before another officer shot Grant in the back.
Abdul Muhammad with the Justice for Oscar Grant Coalition said a recall was the next step towards achieving justice.
“We have no alternative but to punish those who stand in the way of the people's justice.”
O'Malley has not given a reason for her decision to step away from the role, but tells KCBS Radio her office has been confronting the issue of implicit bias in law enforcement.
“We’ve been tackling the racial disparities that exist in the criminal justice system and I hope the next person will take that over the next year and a half and continue working on it,” she said. “So if people do come into the justice system, we’re able to help them get jobs or get their education. And that I hope will be taken to a higher level than what we're able to do right now.”
O'Malley will retire after her current term, which runs through the beginning of 2023.
She is the first woman elected district attorney in Alameda County.
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