Ultimately, I sign off on every hire for the town, Chanis said. Emergency Operations Center The argument continued for a few more minutes, with both Blasi and Khalif raising their voices. As a community, we need to demand change in our public servants when it becomes clear their own unrecognized prejudices can no longer allow them to protect and serve all residents.. A Tiburon police spokesperson tells ABC7 News the town has hired an outside, independent attorney to conduct an investigation. FYI, we didnt realize that when he was circling the block he was calling for back up. The video which has been viewed more than 30,000 times on the stores Instagram page and shared more than 750 times on its Facebook page triggered an overwhelming community response of concern and outrage, including hundreds of comments on online neighborhood forum Nextdoor.com. The next day when I woke up, I was like, Holy s, what just happened?. The people in the store included co-owners Yema Khalif and Hawai Awash, the only Black store owners in town. The settlement was announced. We all want this to resolve in a positive way, she said, noting she hopes the incident sparks conversation about police reform and real policing that uses empathy to police our community.. Tiburon Town Hall | 1505 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, CA 94920 | Phone: 415-435-7373. It came from knowing that in one split second they could end someones life.. He did not comment on whether officers will face disciplinary actions pending the outcome of the investigation. Scott Adams faces consequence culture as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Rapid demise of Dilbert no surprise to some who were watching, Elon Musk tweets support for Dilbert creator Scott Adams after racist tirade. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Tracking the drought: Map shows conditions across SF Bay Area, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7, Tiburon police demand Black business owner prove who he is, Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF, Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. Second Lt. Caron Nazario, who is Black and Latino, is suing over the incident, claiming the two officers violated his rights guaranteed under the First and Fourth Amendments. Sgt. In the video, Khalif can be seen wearing a protective mask and engaging with the initially maskless police supervisor, identified as Michael Blasi, who repeatedly asked Khalif to prove his identity as the owner of the store. The video circulating on social media was recorded on Khalifs friends cellphone from inside the store and was posted to Yemas Instagram account, where it has been viewed nearly 45,000 times, and to its Facebook page, where it has been shared nearly 1,000 times, each garnering hundreds of comments. We do not need to prove to police that we deserve to be at our clothing store way past business hours.. DeSantis coming to CA as new poll shows him leading Trump, Ice flies off SUV, smashing windshield: 'You could kill somebody'. Mayor Alice Fredericks issued an apology on Saturday and went in person to talk to the store owners on Monday. Moments later, a neighbor awoken by the yelling can be heard telling police that Khalif was the store owner. ", Others responded with different views, saying that officers were just doing their job. VIDEO: Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF. If I tell you its my store, then what? Khalif asks in the video. Police Chief Michael Cronin declined to directly comment on the Aug. 21 incident until the investigation has concluded, but he confirmed Blasi and the other officers involved would continue coming to work through the investigation. About 6 minutes of cellphone footage of the encounter with the supervisor, Tiburon police Sgt. Pac-12 media rights: Our (final) predictions for the revenue, media partners, expansion decisions and more, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. It first operated from 80 Main Street before moving in the late 70s into surplus military housing near its present site. Khalif said despite previous negative encounters with police in town, he andAwash said they love Tiburon and the outpouring from the community, town manager and council members has given them hope. Khalif and Awash said Cronin had not reached out to them directly in the aftermath of the incident. CNN Pittsburgh has moved to fire five police officers after an internal investigation into the October death of a man involved in the suspected theft of a bicycle, officials said Wednesday. @shaunking @beyonce @chakabars @lauraharrier @buzzfeed @nowthisnews @aljazeeraenglish @cnn @bbcnews @latimes @nytimes @wsj @ava @shondarhimes @kuz @kingjames @oprah @voguemagazine @essence @adutakech @tiffanyhaddish, A post shared by YEMA (@yemacalif) on Aug 21, 2020 at 3:33pm PDT. Sgt. The town announced Blasis resignation on Tuesday. If you have a problem, you tell me . A video depicting Tiburon police officers in heated exchange with the owner of the town's only Black-owned business while working late in his downtown shop has sparked outrage in the. Tiburon chief Cronin also resigned effective September 13, in response to the alleged racial profiling incident at YEMA. Japanese Americans won redress for World War II interment camps, now they fight for Black reparations, Civil rights activist Roslyn Pope dies; her Appeal for Human Rights helped launch campaign of boycotts, sit-ins, Letters: Stone is wrong | Unnecessarily complex | Everymans EV | Coaching equity | No infrastructure. Awash also noted the tone of the officer, saying he came off a little bit aggressive and suspicious. She said he didnt identify himself or ask if they were working late. We are focused on how to prevent this from happening again, she said. Blasi] believes it would be difficult to continue being effective as a police officer in Tiburon. Cronin declined to directly comment on the Aug. 21 incident until the investigation has concluded, but he confirmed Blasi and the other officers involved would continue coming to work through the investigation. OK, thats fine. A statement agreed upon by all of the parties to the lawsuit said that investigations by the San Rafael Police Department and the FBI concluded that there was no criminal conduct and no criminal violation of Grimes civil rights by the sheriffs office. Blasi also receives a monthly pension of $3,224 for his time as a sheriffs deputy, said Jeff Wickham, the county pension board administrator. The finalists were interviewed in person at Town Hall on Jan. 26 by Scardina, Public Works Director Steve Palmer, Community Development Director Dina Tasini and Administrative Services Director Suzanne Creekmore. / CBS San Francisco. Also sacked were Sgt. He's hoping the recorded interaction will inspire a different conversation. "This street closes at 9 o'clock at night and there's never anybody in here. Reach her at 415-944-4627. By Ewan Palmer On 8/26/20 at 10:17 AM EDT. Investigators said the incident occurred inside the Tiburon Police Department (TPD) locker room at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Dec. 12, The Ark reported. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. While Tiburon Police Chief Michael Cronin and Town Manager Greg Chanis have ordered an independent investigation into the incident, the results of which will be reviewed by the Town Council, Cronin said neither Blasi nor the two other officers involved would be suspended or put on administrative leave amid the investigation. TIBURON, Calif. . First hired by the Belvedere Police Department in 2017, Blasi is considered a supervisor in Tiburon, where he earns an annual salary of $99,888 with a $20,324 benefits package. I cannot lie and say Im OK. Im traumatized and my wife is traumatized.. Michael Blasi, who resigned not long after he was videotaped confronting a Black business owner who was unloading inventory into his store at one in the morning, last August. Laurie is responsible for disaster preparedness, maintenance of the Emergency Operations Center and coordination of a wide range of related activities. Named among the state's & nation's best small weeklies, 2014, 2018-2021 California News Publishers Association &, Store owners: Late-night encounter with Tiburon cops was racially motivated, 2022 The Ark, AMMI Publishing Co. Inc. | 1550 Tiburon Blvd. He previously worked at The San Francisco Chronicle as a Bay Area news editor and the Oakland Tribune as a senior news editor. After another shop owner yelled at police, telling them the couple did own the store, the officers left. After Cronins exit, the town arranged for Undersheriff Jamie Scardina to run the police department on a part-time interim basis while a consulting firm recruited a new chief. One of the. She said she used to work for Frank Howard Allen Realtors when it had a storefront office in downtown Tiburon. Despite resigning, Blasi will cooperate with an independent investigation led by a lawyer the town retained, Chanis said. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Owner Yema Khalif said he was insulted by the officer's demand to prove he owned the store and feels Blasi would have behaved differently if he had been white. At least three large posters of Khalif and Awash modeling their clothes are visible on the rear wall throughout the footage. Simpson, who is familiar with Khalif, said he was concerned by the way the three officers were surrounding him, so he yelled down to confirm Khalif was the owner. Sept. 10, 2020 1:17 AM PT. I think the town owes the police an apology, Joyce Wells said. Blasi then can be heard asking Khalif why he is bringing race into the conversation. Thank you very much, thats all I need to know, Blasi said in the video and walked away toward Tiburon Boulevard. The Tiburon Police Department was established in 1972 following the town's incorporation by eight years. Why would the police believe some white guy yelling from his balcony and not the Black business owner stating he owned the business? she wrote. We are inside the store minding our business, All store lights are on and you can see us from outside because we have high windows all around the store. The newly-released bodycam video can be seen here. "Since becoming Police Chief in 2007, the impact of Mikes leadership has been significant for Tiburon," Chanis said. Chanis said 60 people provided public comment during the four-hour forum. Please enter valid email address to continue. Tiburon Town Manager Greg Chanis announced the resignation in a newsletter saying [Sgt. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- A Black business owner is speaking out after Tiburon police demanded proof he was the store's owner. Can you prove that its your store?, Khalif: I do not have to prove anything to you, its my store., Blasi: Oh my god, yes you do have to prove who you are., Khalif: I do not have to prove my existence to you.. Khalif insisted that if he acknowledged he was the owner, absent the officers explanation of a problem, evidence of a crime or reason to doubt him, he didnt need to explain why he was in his own store after hours. He opened the store this past February and says it's not unusual for them to work late into the night. Khalif said he, Awash and a friend were in the store doing inventory when he noticed a police vehicle circling the block. In an interview Aug. 24, Fredericks called the officers behavior unacceptable, and said the Police Department is in the process of hiring an attorney to conduct an independent investigation into the incident. On Aug. 21, Khalif issued a statement on the companys Facebook page explaining what had happened early that morning. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- On Thursday night, a four-hour, heated virtual community meeting took place over an incident that happened in the small North Bay city of Tiburon, California. In 2004, Blasi was one of the deputies involved in a wrongful death lawsuit after a 47-year-old man named Cary Grime was arrested and hogtied in Novato. I think right now everybody should get involved just because, whats going on in the country; the climate and everything. ORIGINAL STORY: Tiburon police demand Black business owner prove who he is, Two videos show an officer saying, "This street closes at 9 o'clock at night and there's never anybody in here. In the post, Khalif described seeing a lone police officer circle the block a number of times before stopping his patrol vehicle and knocking on the storefront door. In one response, Blasi explained that police are not able to detain a person without a lawful, articulable reason and compel them to identify themselves. Khalif and Awash said Chanis, the town manager, reached out to them after the incident, and the three met on Aug. 23. Khalif, who designs most of the companys clothing, grew up in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Blasi begins asking the same questions as the first officer, including what the three were doing there late at night. In it, the officers, who first note that Khalif is in the store at 1 a.m., past the typical 9 p.m. shut-down time for activity on the street, can be heard repeatedly demanding that Khalif prove his ownership of the business, either by showing identification or putting his key in the shops door. A percentage of all sales are donated to Road to Freedom Scholarships for the education of orphaned children in Ethiopia and Kenya, a program that was started by Danish actress and part-time Tiburon resident Connie Nielsen. Other people defended the police actions, denying that there was any racial motivation behind the interaction and saying Khalif was in the wrong. The Ark requested the body-camera footage, names of the involved officers and the full police report Aug. 24 and 25, but officials refused the request, saying they would not release any additional information until the conclusion of the investigation. Tiburon Town Manager Greg Chanis announced the resignation in a newsletter saying [Sgt. California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched an independent investigation Wednesday into the Torrance Police Department after evidence emerged that officers were sharing racist and homophobic . Khalif believes the best way Marin residents can express their solidarity is by not being bystanders to racist acts. All Rights Reserved. Accountability for our actions is something that everyone should want, doubly so from public servants whose job is to keep us safe, wrote Nate Lee, a Tiburon resident. "He and I have been discussing the timing of his retirement for some time, but he only recently chose the date that corresponds with his entry into public service 54 years ago," Chanis said in the press release. But this goes to show that when people come together good things can happen.. Before Khalif was able to show the three officers that he had a working key to the store, an unnamed local can be heard from afar verifying that Khalif was the owner. Awash began recording as Sgt. I opened the door for him then he proceeded to tell me his purpose for knocking on our door was to check what we were doing at the store that late. While the interaction with the first officer at the scene, who has not been identified, was not recorded, Khalif said the officer walked up to the door and immediately demanded to know what they were doing in the store at night. Critics of the officers handling of the incident note that Blasi did not de-escalate the encounter on his arrival. This isn't regular business hours, there's no customers in there. Michael Blasi was the supervising officer on Aug.. In 1999 the department moved into its current location at 1155 Tiburon Blvd. The couple met at Dominican University of California in San Rafael. Thats when we knew he had already called for back up. Your email address will not be published. "There's three Black people in the store, what's the problem?" Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? At the conclusion of the investigation the report will be provided to the Town Manager for review and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the investigator.". Lewis Powell, Detective Seneca Shields and Sgt. About 5 minutes into the footage, Blasi arrives on the scene, though Khalif notes that a third officer has also arrived a Belvedere patrol officer who is off screen but can be seen through the window in the separate video taken from inside the store and posted by Khalif to social media. This isnt regular business hours, theres no customers in here. I want to know what you're doing in the store at 1 o'clock in the morning.". How can policing be done better? He said he was surrounded by officers who told him they were responding to a call about a person touching peoples cars.. I sat in on these interviews, but did not participate, Chanis said. After a few minutes, Blasi and another officer arrived, which is when the interaction starts being recorded. said Yema Khalif in a video his friend took. Then show me that its your store, said the officer. The Police Department and Emergency Operations Center are also responsible for developing and maintaining the Emergency Operations Plan for the entire Tiburon Peninsula. To be fair, some more than others.. Wife of popular Wild 94.9 radio host JV says new information suggests he will not be coming back, Bay Area federal judge orders extradition of woman suspected of killing MSU student in hit-and-run, San Jose: Home raided as part of explosives and narcotics investigation. Khalif described seeing a lone police officer circle the block a number of times before stopping his patrol vehicle and knocking on the storefront door. Tiburon Mayor Alice Fredericks called their behavior unacceptable and issued a public apology, and she and Belvederes mayor each apologized personally to Khalif and Awash. In our 50th year serving Tiburon, Belvedere & Strawberry. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Tracking the drought: Map shows conditions across SF Bay Area, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7, Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF, Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues, Santa Clara University professor, her brother racially profiled by campus guards, Berkeley mom films confrontation with white man who ripped down Black Lives Matter signs. He was among 17 applicants for the position. Some days we have to work late. TIBURON, Calif. - A Tiburon couple who own a clothing store is accusing police of racially profiling them. NBCBLK 5 officers fired after Tyre Nichols' death were 'directly responsible' for his 'physical abuse,' police chief says Other officers remain under investigation in connection with a. How safe is your neighborhood? Marin resident Chelsea Ialeggio, who was raised in Tiburon, said she is disgusted by the incident. The store was well-lighted, and police reports show no alarm had sounded and no one had otherwise reported suspicious activity. Its nice to see how the community has come together, and that they are saying what they want to see going forward, Khalif said. It looked like they were harassing him and I thought, This has gone on for several minutes. It just felt like it was going to progress into something ugly., Khalif called the fact that the situation was diffused by a white neighbor yelling down to vouch for him the icing on the cake., A Black man cannot be in this space in this particular hour and say, Im OK, no need to be talking to you, move along. Just seconds later, the interaction ended abruptly when a neighbor who lives farther down Main Street yelled from his balcony to confirm Khalif was the owner. Michael Blasi, becoming more frustrated and confrontational with Khalif, who also appears exasperated with the interaction, as the minutes go by. Based on this belief, Sgt. The four fired men were Patrol Officer Juan Lugo Perez, Sgt. Reach him at 415-435-2652, on Twitter at @thearknewspaper and on Facebook at fb.me/thearknewspaper. Really? They were politely doing the job they were hired for and if the owner had cooperated right away there would not have been an issue.. 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Chief Cronin also resigned effective September 13, in response to the store at o'clock...
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