Transcripts For SFGTV Commission On The Environment 20240712

San franciscans and our city safe. I also want to thank our city, our coordinating pardtners and organizations who continued to protect our businesses and community as a whole. Finally, i want to remind everyone that we do continue to be in a significant and very Serious Public Health emergency response, and so therefore, we urge everyone to continue to practice the mitigations and safe practices to protect yourselves and others, and this includes Wearing Masks and maintaining distance whenever possible. Finally, i am going to introduce our chief of police, bill scott. I want to thank chief scott for his leadership and for the leadership and work of his his officers and the department over the last few days to help maintain safety and calm in our city. Chief scott . Thank you, mary ellen. I am chief scott of the San Francisco Police Department, and i, too, want to thank mayor breed for her leadership in doing this during a time that weve endured over the past couple of months. To go and continue to be in a Global Pandemic and then the civil unrest that weve seen as a country is unbelievable, and i commend mayor breed for her leadership. Second, id like to commend Mary Ellen Carol for her leadership at the department of Emergency Management. Director carroll and her team are responsible for coordinated a coordinating all of the resources. The Community Resources that have taken their time and energy to help take care of the challenges in this city, and that takes a lot of work, so thank you, director carol, for yo director carroll, for your leadership. Im going to start off with a reminder of why we are here in the first place. You know, to see the loss of life as weve seen it, of mr. Floyd, has caused an enormous and now worldwide response in terms of what were feeling, and expressing our frustrations and anger. I think many of us, including me and ill speak for myself share those emotions. And we know theres a lot of work to be done in policing in our country, and reform and change is needed, and its a very, very important topic. When those changes occur, it wont bring back the lives that have been lost. It wont bring back the people lost at the hands of Law Enforcement, but what it will do is provide hope for the future. And as your chief and the chief of the San Francisco Police Department, i want you all to know that we are committed to those changes. Our Collaborative Reform Initiative and the things that were doing i know we have a lot of work to do, but we have really just began to move the needle on change, but we know that work has to be done, and were committed to do that. Constitutional policing, respect for all, providing safety with respect, those are the things that you demand of the San Francisco Police Department, and we intend to deliver, and that is the commitment that i will make to you as your chief of police. The last few days have been very trying. Saturday night, as was reported, we had looting, we had massive vandalism, damage in our city. The downtown area, union square, the westfield mall, Stores Across the city were looted, and it was a trying time. We didnt have enough resources. Officers felt overwhelmed. I went out saturday night and talked to officers, and it was pretty sobering because we were overwhelmed. Yet, we did all we could, and we were able to do some things successfully. We didnt have any great fires thanks to the Fire Department, and you will hear from chief nicholson shortly, but we lost a lot. Businesses were destroyed, and businesses were lost, and many people have spent their lives building their livelihood, and theyve taken another hit on top of what theyve taken due to covid. It causes a lot of anxiety, causes a lot of people wanting to go out and express themselves. We have had criminal activity to occur. We have had people that have come or have been in these protests that were there to create chaos, that were there to destroy, that were there to take advantage, and those are the people that we have to make sure that we hold accountable. Saturday night, my report yesterday, i reported that we made ten felony arrests for looting, and after we finished processing the reports, there were 33 arrests. Of them, 19 have been presented to the District Attorneys Office for charging, and at this point, i think we have 19 that the District Attorneys Office have or is in the process of filing those cases. Because of the urgency of this civil unrest, our mayor asked the state of california and governor newso Governor Newsom for additional resources, and they had additional officers sent to San Francisco yesterday, and we deployed those officers yesterday, and that was a tremendous help. I told you saturday night, it was just a feeling of being overwhelmed. Last night, the officers had a spark wi sparkle in their eyes because they were given the resources and given the support by the mayors curfew order to do what was needed to keep our city safe. Now were only talking about one day. We have a long way to go, and theres still a lot going on, but yesterday was a good day. In terms of the curfew enforcement, 8 00 p. M. To 5 00 a. M. If you are not one of the exempted categories, which are basically emergency workers, such as Police Officers, hospital workers, firefighters, and people who provide Emergency Services, you cannot be outside of your homes after 8 00. We had peaceful protests of 5,000 to 6,000 people yesterday. They started at the hall of justice, and they moved throughout the city, but even from the beginning, there were incidents. Two individuals were arrested. Throughout the evening, we saw other incidents of vandalism that we were able to quickly address. We saw an attempted loot of a business. We were able to quickly arrest those individuals, and we saw a lot of people who we believe were there for the sole purpose to commit criminal acts. Because of the assistance that the mayor got for our city, because of those 200plus Law Enforcement officers, we were able to prevent that from happening. At 8 00 p. M. , there was a protest still going in front of civic center. Our captain, who was in charge of that particular protest or monitoring that protest, captain joe engler, read a disbursal order shortly after 8 00 p. M. Based on what was outlined in the curfew order. We gave those individuals who were there protesting an opportunity to leave and gave them ample time to leave. We immediately saw hostility objects being thrown at the officers, fires being lit. The officers negotiated the situation, but ultimately, they arrested 34 people for violation of the curfew order from that group. That continued for about an hour, and other groups continued to assemble. When all was said and done, 87 people were arrested last night for violation of the curfew order. Among those people, we recovered a loaded firearm, we recovered a backpack full of fireworks and explosives, and we recovered other items that i believe were there for the sole purpose of being used as either weapons or being used to vandalize or destroy property. Heres the point that i want everybody to hear we embrace peaceful protest. We embrace, in the city of San Francisco, people to express themselves. We will not embrace violence against anyone. Against other protesters, against Police Officers, against property. We will not accept that. Weve been given a job, and the curfew is another tool. This is almost unprecedented in this city, but this is something that we have to do to keep order in this city at these current times. In addition to the 87 arrests that i had mentioned, there were also 33 other arrests for citations in the area of civic center, and there were also arrests in other parts of the city for criminal activity during this period yesterday. Overall, though, yesterday was a very good day, particularly compared to saturday. There was sporadic vandalism. There were attempts to loot, but with the effort of our sheriff, paul miramoto that youll hear from shortly, and the additional troops that the mayor was able to get us, we were okay. These events are very fluid. What i will ask and remind everybody is two things that we need you to remember. We are still in the midst of a Global Pandemic, first and foremost. Second thing is we cannot get back to normal until we restore and maintain order in our city. The Police Department is only a small part of that solution. We have 800 to 1. 5 Million People day in and day out in this city when you talk about the daytime population. We need compliance by voluntarily willingness to do the right thing. Thats the fabric that this nation depends on. Law abiding people to follow the laws and understand that the Police Officers that are sworn to protect and serve are doing the work of the will of the people. And believe me, i understand we have to do that in a fair and just manner. I understand what got us here, believe me. And many of our colleagues, including our sheriff, understand that, as well, but we need the public to do the right thing. Stay inside. Please abide by the curfew order so we can get back to normal, so the mayor can make the decision to lift the restrictions, when businesses can enjoy their livelihood and conducting their business without having to board up the windows, and that will not happen until we have some order in our city. So for the people that want to express themselves, we welcome you to San Francisco, but we need you to do it peacefully. With all the anger aimed at my life profession, policing, i understand, and i accept it; but i will ask also this of you if you know a police officer, you have one in your family, you have one that youre friends with, or even if you dont know them, we need your support. We really need your support. If you know somebody in this profession, let them know that you support them. And with that, ill turn it over to our sheriff, sheriff paul miamoto. Thank you. Thank you, chief scott. I want to thank mayor breed for her fortitude in making decisions to ensure that everybody is safe as they express their feelings and show their feelings in the community over the recent events that have happened nationwide. As the chief mentioned, as well, we stand ready to ensure that people are safe as they express these feelings through the many protests, both planned and unplanned, and the many actions taken to share those feelings with the rest of the community. The curfew thats still in effect has been important in maintaining safety for all. It has been challenging the last few days, and i want to, at this time, thank everybody in Public Safety who has been out there dealing with the many challenges that have faced all of us as a community. More importantly, i want to make sure we thank all of the different agencies that have come here. The mutual order request for aid that was sent out led to the ability for all of us to make sure that everybody was safe as we enforce the curfew and also looking to make sure that everyone remains safe during the covid pandemic. The challenges that we faced collectively over the past weekend were met with the strength and resolve of the members of Public Safety who exercised discretion and restraint in making sure that we protected those who were out there, both peacefully, and to also ensure that those that were out there with malice intent were controlled and taken care of. We want to, at this time, also, make sure that everyone is aware as we stand on duty and protect the public, we kneel with regard to the many issues that we have, and we hold those collectively mia motor o currently, 23 individuals at our intake and release center. Our jail count right now has risen and increased somewhat due to the many recent events. We still stand at 50 capacity in the jails, and we still work to ensure that there is social distancing and ability to meet the challenges of ensuring that there is not a covid pandemic outbreak in the jail system with our justice involved community population. I also would like to thank the staff who have been doing a wonderful job in the Sheriffs Office for their commitment to everybodys safety. Both our in custody staff and those who have been out on the street. The protection of the public buildings and locations which have been targeted in other areas and other cities, for the most part, have been maintained as we facilitate other protests and demonstrations throughout the course of this week. We hope to continue to work with the leadership of these groups and organizations to ensure peaceful protests. I want to personally thank the organizers for yesterdays event that was announced in front of city hall to ensure that there would be compliance, cou to ensure that people, after voicing their concerns, would be going home. The vast majority of people attending did adhere to that, and the people that remained were people that had intentions of committing other acts. Our staff is on hand and ready to deal with everything. The courts and the many courtrooms that we have at the ha hall of justice and the Civic Center Courthouse at the hall of justice remain open today. The Civic Center Courthouse is closed today, and we wait to hear from the courts as to when they will open today. I want to close by before i introduce chief Jeanine Nicholson from San Francisco Fire Department, i want to close by saying again that all of us stand ready, again, here as members of Public Safety to ensure that people are able to express their feelings, to ensure that we have the ability to exercise our First Amendment rights in a peaceful environment, free of any concerns of the many things that we have witnessed in other areas of the country. Please understand that the challenges that we face together are what will bring us together as a community, and the foundation that we have in regards to how weve dealt with the covid pandemic over the months and how weve come together as a community should translate into how we also deal with the many issues that we face now in light of the call for making sure we hope people accountable in our profession as Law Enforcement professionals, in making sure that we support and work towards creating a better system in regarding to social justice, a better system in regards to some of the criminal justice reforms that have been asked for. And i, like the chief, pledge and commit that the Sheriffs Office will be a part of the growth and the change that people would like to see. At this time, id like to introduce chief nicholson. Good morning, everyone. San francisco fire chief Jeanine Nicholson. I can say that im very proud to stand here and say that i work for mayor london breed, and im very proud to work with my Public Safety partners here, mary ellen carroll, chief bill scott, and sheriff paul miyamoto. Im also extremely proud of the San Francisco Fire Department, our Fire Department e. M. T. S and paramedics. As always, they respond when called, when they did an outstanding job this weekend of keeping people safe and keeping themselves safe. During the curfew, just a couple of numbers. During the curfew hours last night, we had 140 e. M. S. Calls, which is a little higher than normal at night. We had 50 fire related calls and approximately 20 fires that we extinguished. For a saturday night, it was much higher than that. Last night was not our Public Safety partners were able really bring some order to the streets. So what we know is there is a need for continued efforts as it comes to race and equity and social justice, and there needs to be a lot of growth and healing. The civil unrest and protest didnt come out of nowhere, and we as a city family are well aware of that. What i want to say to people is please remember during this time there is still a covid pandemic out there, so please wear your masks, practice social distancing, and take care of yourself and one anothers. Thank you for your continued support and for heeding the curfew, and as always, the San Francisco Fire Department is here for you. Thank you. The questions for todays press conference are for San Francisco police chief bill scott. Okay. Chief, your first question is from mel baker, San Francisco press. Our officers encountered people not Wearing Masks our people encountered officers not Wearing Masks. What is the protocol during the pandemic . I will say that the protocol for our officers is to wear masks. During an incident, its very important when youre giving directions in tense situations that direction giving is clear and articulable. I know sometimes when im talking to people, and im wearing my face covering, my mask, i have to take it off partially. So our policy is officers are required to wear masks. Policin