[su_slider source=”media: 29038,29039,29040,29041,29042,29043,29044,29045,29046,29047,29048,29049″ limit=”25″ link=”image” target=”blank” width=”700″ height=”460″ autoplay=”0″ speed=”500″][su_menu][\/su_slider]<\/p>\n
In the wake of the highly publicized and controversial officer-involved shooting death of Mario Woods, tensions soared during a San Francisco Police Commission meeting on Jan. 20, as equal numbers of Justice 4 Mario Woods Coalition and Police Officers Association members filed into an auditorium in the Tenderloin.<\/p>\n
Uniformed police officers waited on the sidewalk outside and around the edges of basketball court in the Kroc Center on Turk Street, anticipating conflict over the Dec. 2 officer-involved shooting death of Woods.<\/p>\n
The large crowd remained quiet as Suzy Loftus, president of the commission, explained that since the meeting was not specifically about the Woods case, the commission would have to go through other agenda items before the public comment section.<\/p>\n
The commissioners sped through the agenda items to get to the public comment section, but protesters began to chant during a briefing about the Tenderloin Police Station.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me, ma’am, are we going to get a chance to speak?\u201d one man yelled.<\/p>\n
A member of San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr’s African American Community Advisory Forum spoke first during the public comments section.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat has happened in this town shouldn\u2019t have happened,\u201d said Rev. Amos Brown. \u201cI came tonight to say justice must be served with a proviso that the wheels of justice will not move slowly but with deliberate speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Brown ran over his two-minute speaking period, audience members made sarcastic comments about his ideas.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow\u2019s non-violence working out for you?\u201d one woman mocked.<\/p>\n
Members of the Justice 4 Mario Woods Coalition restated their demands, including that: Police Chief Suhr be fired; the officers involved be charged with murder; and that an independent investigation of the police department be conducted.<\/p>\n
As Bayview officer Shante Williams\u2014who administered CPR on Woods the day he was fatally shot\u2014began to speak, protesters jeered and crowded towards the front of the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder our current justice system we are innocent until proven guilty…,\u201d Williams began, before being drowned out by shouting protesters. The crowd only quieted after commission president Loftus threatened to end the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe SFPD are what you are, we are brothers, sisters, mothers,\u201d Williams continued, before the crowd noise rose again.<\/p>\n
SFPD Sgt. Tracy MeCray tried to placate the crowd.<\/p>\n
\u201cI joined the police department because I felt that I wanted to make a change,\u201d he said. \u201cI have worked with the officers that were there that day. To me, I want to learn all of the facts just like you.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a few of their members spoke, the POA filed out of the auditorium, while Suhr and the commissioners remained silent for most of the comments period.<\/p>\n
Loftus routinely spoke into her microphone when protesters began yelling over an unpopular opinion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are better than this,\u201d Loftus said. \u201cJust because you don\u2019t agree please give everyone their two minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three community input meetings on the police department\u2019s use of force are scheduled later in the week:<\/em><\/p>\n -Jan. 21 at Third Baptist Church, 1399 McAllister St., 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.<\/strong> [su_slider source=”media: 29038,29039,29040,29041,29042,29043,29044,29045,29046,29047,29048,29049″ limit=”25″ link=”image” target=”blank” width=”700″ height=”460″ autoplay=”0″ speed=”500″][su_menu][\/su_slider] In the wake of the highly publicized and controversial officer-involved shooting death of Mario Woods, tensions soared during a San Francisco Police Commission meeting on Jan. 20, as equal numbers of Justice 4 Mario Woods Coalition and Police Officers Association members filed into an auditorium […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":29046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[3589,7511,3593,7747],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-29036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-greg-suhr-en","tag-mario-woods-en","tag-sfpd-en","tag-suzy-loftus-en","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n-Jan. 26 at Bayview YMCA, 1601 Lane St., 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.<\/strong>
\n-Jan. 27 at Boeddeker Clubhouse, 246 Eddy St., 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"