OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Museum of California is on a mission to recover more than 1,000 historic artifacts stolen from its collection earlier this week.
The artifacts, ranging from jewelry to Native American baskets and ivory pieces, were taken from an offsite storage facility. Lori Fogarty, CEO of the museum, emphasized the loss, saying, “This is our heritage.
This is our public trust, and the messages I’ve already received from the public or from members or the community members is they personally feel a sense of loss,” said Fogarty.
Fogarty believes the theft was a crime of opportunity rather than a targeted attack. The museum had been advised by law enforcement to delay announcing the theft to avoid jeopardizing the investigation.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee confirmed that the Oakland Police Department is collaborating with the FBI since stealing from a museum is a federal crime. She stated, “It’s a tragic unfortunate robbery, and we believe that those will be held accountable for what they have done,” said Lee.
The theft occurred in Oakland City Councilmember Charlene Wang’s district, who described the crime as deeply upsetting and likely linked to organized crime.
The museum is now focused on finding where the security breach occurred and reassessing the value of the stolen items.
Fogarty noted that almost everything in the collection is donated, making the theft not only a loss of artifacts but also a challenge to public trust in gifting to the museum.