Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is once again pushing back against the Trump administration’s portrayal of her city, even as Oakland confronts another wave of gun violence that has thrust it into the national spotlight.

Lee says the city had been working hard, alongside community groups and local leaders, to counter what officials call an unfair narrative of lawlessness. 

But that message was overshadowed last week after two shootings shocked the community.

In the most devastating incident, Laney College's athletic director was shot and killed in broad daylight as he entered a building on the school’s athletic field. 

His death came just one day after a student was shot and wounded at a nearby high school, heightening concerns across the region.

Mayor Lee, now six months into her first term, told the Associated Press that Oakland has made “real, measurable gains” in reducing violent crime, cleaning up blight, and improving neighborhood safety. 

But she acknowledged that the recent violence has reignited calls for tougher penalties for gun-related offenses, even as she continues her high-profile clashes with the Trump administration on issues ranging from public safety to federal intervention in local matters.

For now, Lee says her administration remains focused on stabilizing neighborhoods, supporting grieving families, and reinforcing that Oakland’s story is larger than the tragedies dominating headlines.