San Francisco supervisor jeered at community event
SAN FRANCISCO -- Politics is heating up in San Francisco.
A media event held by Supervisor Connie Chan to demand the mayor and the police chief send more resources to her district turned into a heated confrontation.
Mark Dietrich is trying to make his community safer one step at a time. He's seen too many of his neighbors call it quits in the Richmond District.
"Everybody is one incident away from, like, 'I've had it, I'm leaving San Francisco,'" Dietrich said. "When they leave, we lose what makes San Francisco amazing which is its people."
The issue of public safety and how to improve it is a contentious one and passions boiled over Friday at a media event held by S.F. supervisor Connie Chan.
"Public safety is a critical issue we are facing, not just in San Francisco," Supervisor Chan said.
Conor Johnston who attended the event then shouted "Then why did you say you wanted to dismantle SFPD?"
"Look at these people," Supervisor Chan responded. "They can't even let me talk because they're too afraid of if I actually start talking then I will be able to tell the truth about these people playing politics with public safety."
Supervisor Chan is running for reelection this November and public safety is the main focus. Chan, surrounded by business leaders, demanded more resources for her community from Mayor London Breed and Police Chief Bill Scott.
"Look, we have a lot of issues facing the Richmond and the issues that we face are very much the same as the rest of the city faces," she said. "At the end of the day, doesn't the buck actually stop with the mayor? So when we are pleading for resources and help for public safety again and again, the question is where is the mayor?"
Mayor Breed's office responded with this statement.
"Mayor Breed is working hard everyday to make all neighborhoods in San Francisco safer. Crime rates are improving but she will not let up because she wants everyone to feel and be safe.
The Mayor is working closely with DA Brooke Jenkins, Chief Bill Scott and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, state and federal law enforcement and neighborhood leaders to improve safety in neighborhoods, including the Richmond. This work includes implementing Prop E, which will allow for more technology like public safety cameras and drones to assist investigations and police responses and will help get more officers on the streets. Supervisor Chan opposed Prop E.
Chan has not asked for any meetings with Mayor Breed over the last several months to discuss public safety in the Richmond. It's not a long walk to get from her office to the mayor's office in City Hall. If she wants to work with the mayor tackling neighborhood issues, she could start by actually asking her to sit down and talk about ideas or solutions. That's the hard work that many of her colleagues do every day. The mayor will continue to work with Richmond District neighborhood leaders who want to see change on our streets."
Residents like Mark Dietrich are also questioning Supervisor Chan's leadership when it comes to crime. He says Chan has been missing from several community meetings, especially after the Richmond was shattered by the death of a store clerk who was brutally beaten with a bat last August.
"She's been in office for 4 years, 3 1/2 and she's been pretty much absent. And every time there's been an issue that has to do with public safety, she's been on the wrong side of it," Dietrich said.
Dietrich has created his own website to provide crime safety tips to his neighbors. He's also active on social media platforms to bring residents together but he says he needs help.
"We're left to defend our neighborhood and our homes and so that's what's so frustrating," he said. "We feel like 'Hey we live in the city. We elect these people. They should be doing the basic things that government is supposed to do."
