Blowing off steam....in San Francisco
While the LAPD is trying to extricate itself from its consent decree with the Department of Justice by promising to equip its entire fleet of squad cars with video cameras, another law enforcement agency is trying to deal with a controversy that has erupted from the department's use of video equipment for entertainment purposes.
Over 30 San Francisco Police Department officers face suspensions for videos made while onduty, depicting stereotypes that city officials and community members have said are racist, sexist and homophobic.
Amazingly, or not, the only people who appear unsurprised by the content of these videos, are the community members of Bayview. But then again, the videos have just been depicting what they knew to be there all along. It may be(or not) news to the politicians, but not to them.
EXCERPTS
Mayor Gavin Newsome criticized the videos as being racist, sexist and homophobic. Not surprisingly, the predominantly African-American neighborhood of Bayview were outraged by them, including one scene where a Black homeless woman was run over by a squad car. Outraged, but again not surprised.
Bayview residents reacted angrily to the videos. Newsom has promised widespread department reforms.
On Friday, after learning that other insensitive videos had been made public, Newsom renewed his criticism of officers who, he says, "just fail to get it."
No, Mayor Newsom, it is you who doesn't "get it".
"A small group of officers made a video on city time when they should have been out fighting crime. They used city resources to make a parody they insist is benign, but which at worst is racist and sexist and outrageously offensive to this community.
--- Mayor Newsome
The police union president apologized for the scandal, abeit with the usual caveat attached: The neighborhood made us do it.
Gary Delagnes, president of the 2,200-member San Francisco Police Officers Assn., said the videos should never have been made. "It's an embarrassment to the department and the officers involved," he said. "We're wrong, and we have to take our medicine."
Before you get too excited by that "apology", here comes the caveat:
But Delagnes said that the videos were made by officers in stressful jobs who wanted to blow off steam.
"The precinct where they work is the Iraq of the city of San Francisco," he said. "They are outgunned and outmanned, and just a year ago one of their numbers was murdered.
"And so a bunch of officers, white, black, Asian, women and gay, got together and made a video they thought was going to be shown at their captain's retirement dinner. It was their way of dealing with the futility of their jobs."
By engaging in racist, sexist and homophobic stereotyping for entertainment purposes? The officers chose to engage in this behavior because of who they are, not what they do. After all, the majority of SFPD officers had nothing to do with making these particular videos.
The Bayview community's response:
On Friday, Milton Williams, head pastor at Bayview Baptist Church for 23 years, met at City Hall with other religious leaders to discuss how to handle rising anger over the videos. He said he was stumped about the sermon he would deliver Sunday.
"There is an incredible amount of anger out there," Williams said. "Some people are surprised and outraged. But I've heard from people who say, 'I'm not shocked at all. This is the kind of behavior I've seen for years.' "
At the meeting, which included priests, ministers, rabbis, Franciscan friars and Buddhist monks, one cleric said the city "cannot stomach a bunch of cops gone wild." Another called for the officers involved to be fired.
But Williams said he was going to call for calm from the pulpit. "We shouldn't be about pointing fingers."
San Francisco PD films videos to "blow off steam"
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Over 30 San Francisco Police Department officers face suspensions for videos made while onduty, depicting stereotypes that city officials and community members have said are racist, sexist and homophobic.
Amazingly, or not, the only people who appear unsurprised by the content of these videos, are the community members of Bayview. But then again, the videos have just been depicting what they knew to be there all along. It may be(or not) news to the politicians, but not to them.
EXCERPTS
Mayor Gavin Newsome criticized the videos as being racist, sexist and homophobic. Not surprisingly, the predominantly African-American neighborhood of Bayview were outraged by them, including one scene where a Black homeless woman was run over by a squad car. Outraged, but again not surprised.
Bayview residents reacted angrily to the videos. Newsom has promised widespread department reforms.
On Friday, after learning that other insensitive videos had been made public, Newsom renewed his criticism of officers who, he says, "just fail to get it."
No, Mayor Newsom, it is you who doesn't "get it".
"A small group of officers made a video on city time when they should have been out fighting crime. They used city resources to make a parody they insist is benign, but which at worst is racist and sexist and outrageously offensive to this community.
--- Mayor Newsome
The police union president apologized for the scandal, abeit with the usual caveat attached: The neighborhood made us do it.
Gary Delagnes, president of the 2,200-member San Francisco Police Officers Assn., said the videos should never have been made. "It's an embarrassment to the department and the officers involved," he said. "We're wrong, and we have to take our medicine."
Before you get too excited by that "apology", here comes the caveat:
But Delagnes said that the videos were made by officers in stressful jobs who wanted to blow off steam.
"The precinct where they work is the Iraq of the city of San Francisco," he said. "They are outgunned and outmanned, and just a year ago one of their numbers was murdered.
"And so a bunch of officers, white, black, Asian, women and gay, got together and made a video they thought was going to be shown at their captain's retirement dinner. It was their way of dealing with the futility of their jobs."
By engaging in racist, sexist and homophobic stereotyping for entertainment purposes? The officers chose to engage in this behavior because of who they are, not what they do. After all, the majority of SFPD officers had nothing to do with making these particular videos.
The Bayview community's response:
On Friday, Milton Williams, head pastor at Bayview Baptist Church for 23 years, met at City Hall with other religious leaders to discuss how to handle rising anger over the videos. He said he was stumped about the sermon he would deliver Sunday.
"There is an incredible amount of anger out there," Williams said. "Some people are surprised and outraged. But I've heard from people who say, 'I'm not shocked at all. This is the kind of behavior I've seen for years.' "
At the meeting, which included priests, ministers, rabbis, Franciscan friars and Buddhist monks, one cleric said the city "cannot stomach a bunch of cops gone wild." Another called for the officers involved to be fired.
But Williams said he was going to call for calm from the pulpit. "We shouldn't be about pointing fingers."
San Francisco PD films videos to "blow off steam"
***registered site***
posted by Five Before Midnight | 11:56 AM
14 Comments:
:) :) :) Thinking of you
Okay Mary, I don't like how you've seemed to let San Francisco PD take RPD's spot on the blogger. First off, when I do my video, it's going to consist of important issues. First, I'm going to have a contest to see what officer has the biggest afro...Now, of course, white officers are not excluded because that would be racist and I believe not in compliance with the consent decree or the Department's Pullitzer Prize winning Strategic Plan. Next, I would have a macaroni and cheese eating contest!Again, all officers allowed to participate-but I think we know who's favored to win both of these intense competitions. I can't think of a better video to make...Now, just have to figure out where to film it. I'd like to do it in roll-call. I mean, we have all that technology in that room with video cameras and wide-screens. I'll get back to you on this. But thanks for the motivation to make our own video. "Let's have a toast to the upcoming video!!!!"toasting with Koolaid of course"-It's Sandalou's favorite...
P.S. I'm thinking about entering the afro contest for I'm 6'5 with an afro 6'9...
Power to the People
Fletch
Hi Starsky:
First of all, I would like to congratulate the department on winning the coveted Pulitzer Prize for its Strategic Plan. Why was there not a press release issued when this tremendous honor was bestowed?
(With all the negative comments made about this Strategic Plan on this blog, this is definitely a step up and forward for that court-ordered document with the glossy pages.)
Second, the SFPD video debacle seemed to be an interesting topic. How are we in Riverside to know that the RPD has never done similar videos? There was references to a "Chief" video that was allegedly done some years back, in several depositions in relation to Offr. Sutton's law suit. Not much details about the content of that alleged video, however. Do you have any information on it? If it was actually made, it was probably during your time in the department.
What is it with you and macaroni and cheese? And afros? Is your video intended to attack racial stereotypes of African-Americans, or make fun of them by using these stereotypes? Some clarity on this issue would be beneficial.
As for motivation, it sounds like from the level of your enthusiasm that it was already there.
Have a nice day,
Hey Mary, Good Old RPD management aint real happy about its' RPD officers using your blog. Guess they don't like to see the truth!!HAHAHA!!!Keep up the good work Mary. However, I would like to see you resign your position as editor-n-chief of that comic book called the Black Voice...Them people are really hurting your reputation as a top notch investigative reporter...But remember, if you want the truth, you can always count on the boys in blue....
And Sandalou, your reference to SFPD makes me think that you could possibly be homophobic...Say it aint so girlfriend???!!!As an officer for the All American City, I will not tolerate such biggoted comments...
Happy Kwanza
Starsky
Mary,
saw you on TV today sporting the t-shirt from Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition Fall 1983 Collection........really didn't compliment your "tweaker-like" features...
Mr. Blackwell
Dear Starsky:
It's Kwanzaa, not Kwanza. You should know that. You should try it some time, learn more about the holiday, because then it might mean more than a joke used by a former sergeant seven years ago.
As for the truth, what is it? Obviously you do not care what management thinks. So what is the truth?
You seem to think in stereotypes quite a bit, I've noticed and stereotypes rarely have anything to do with the truth. Also, it's a bit contradictory to read about how someone knows the truth when they are posing as a fictional character(s).
As for the statement that criticizing the SFPD is eqivalent to being homophobic, what is the logic behind that comment? Do you believe that all SFPD officers are gays or lesbians? Do you believe that b/c San Francisco has a vibrant and well-known gay and lesbian community, that everyone falls in those groups? Do you label other communities in that way, based on this same system? I found your comment somewhat ambiguous.
As to the reference of the BVN being a comic book, I suppose that's different than the usual comments about the BVN being referred to as a "rag", "ebonics" and other assorted names.
btw, I'm not editor in chief. Why in a company where the majority of the people are African-American would you assume a White person had to be in charge? That seems odd. I'm proud of the people at this newspaper.
have a nice day,
Dear Mr. Blackwell:
Actually that shirt did not come from the Jesse Jackson Rainbow Coalition clothing collection. Where would you get an idea like that?
Your defamatory comment is duly noted as it always is. I'm used to that treatment from several of the officers in the RPD over the past several years. Thankfully, I've had other people including officers and community members come to me with malicious comments made by officers who worked in the patrol division, out of concern for me. While this behavior is unfortunate, sometimes it's a sign of progress. The third componant of Ghandi's quote.
I'm curious as to why you watched the meeting from home and didn't join your fellow brothers and sisters in blue who attended it in person. The department had a rather diverse representation there. Union representatives and management. Very interesting, more so in person than it probably looked on television.
You should come to these meetings in person some time.
Don't worry dear. Little busy but get ready for things to jump off 1st Ammendment style!!!!
Starsky
Hey Mary, has the police dept ordered you to stop posting messages..WOW!!!Figured you would be the last person to stop exercising your 1st Ammendment right...
Where can I get some of those home grown hemp panties?
Cagney
Does anyone else care that an innocent ten year old was murdered because people like Mary have used their oh so magnificent influence over the city of Riverside to prevent real policemen from being proactive in areas like Casa Blanca?
You see Mary, in order to keep gang banging parasites, like those found in Hillside and CB, from shooting up innocent people it is necessary for police to arrest them BEFORE they commit the most violent crimes.
This means that officers will make good arrests of violent criminals in CB, rather than tow unlicensed drivers and do "directed enforcement" on day laborers and ice cream vendors. But when police arrest bad, violent people it is very likely that the criminals will run, fight, shoot, etc. which will require officers to use force....and we all know that in your marijuana clouded, bloodshot eyes, no use of force by the police is ever justified (especially if its a white officer who uses the force)
So, the end result is that a little child is murdered before action is taken.
I'd bet you a forty of Steel Reserve that if a police officer would have pulled over the gunman who killed the ten year old on his way to do the shooting ...and a subsequent officer involved shooting took place (preventing an innocent death)...Mary and the CPRC would've been calling the officer a murderer the next day.
You see, if we assume you are somewhat intelligent then you must have at least a small grasp on the concept of crime prevention, which requires pro-active policing. But you don’t actually want cops to protect innocent people because there's no good press in that. Instead, you chose to sit around hot-boxing the volxwagon van, listening to sitar music with Scooby-doo on the tube, while you and your friends braid each others body hair. Is that really helping the citizens of Riverside?
I guess I’ll try not to lose sleep over it. If the city doesn’t care enough to support working police who could prevent violence then maybe I shouldn’t either. But the truth is that I can’t stop being a cop. And some day, when I see a parolee too dirty to pass up, and the stop is worth all of the hassle of jeopardizing my safety to turn on a recorder, and subjecting myself to a bogus complaint, and libel/slander from the Black Voice… I’m gonna try to pull him over, and if he doesn’t stop I will chase him. And if he points a gun at me and tries to kill me I will shoot him first. And the shooting will be justified, but the CPRC will say it isn’t. And someone will try to sue me and I’ll have to go to court. And I’ll eventually win, but only after my family is put through hell. And you’ll call me a murderer on your website.
And the best part is if I try to exercise my first amendment right to defend myself against lies on the internet….. my own department…the department who I work hours and hours of overtime for, the reason I haven’t spent a holiday with my family in half a decade….my department will try to take away my right of freedom of speech…
Not likely….. I want 1.67 million plus one dollar.
Be true to yourself,
Andy Sipowicz
Dear Mr. Sipowicz:
Hmmm..someone likes the NYPD a lot.
It is nice that you feel compelled to defend the behavior of your brethren, but that's why they call it the Blue Code. I've grown up knowing men and women in LE my whole life, but I had never seen behavior like I have seen here. I am also not surprised to see backup arriving onscene in this instance. Too bad the good officers in the department don't command these same acts of loyalty, but then again, maybe they were the "lazy" and "cowardly" ones as referenced here.
What is a "real" policeman in the RPD?
Is it people like you as opposed to other officers in the department? If you are "real", what are they? You are after all, posting under a fictional name.
Does anyone else care that an innocent ten year old was murdered because people like Mary have used their oh so magnificent influence over the city of Riverside to prevent real policemen from being proactive in areas like Casa Blanca?
I guess this is your attempt to rally the troops. Except for those who apparently reported your prior comments, who are no doubt considered traitors by "real" officers like yourself. Don't worry, I'm sure your supporters will show up in force.
I would respond to your attempt at emotional manipulation except I realize that I am not the true target of your considerable bitterness and anger. Your anger is at the stipulated agreement, the State AG's office, departmental management, the city leadership, all entities that actually exercise considerable power over your lives and livlihoods. Entities that pay very little attention to what city residents actually say, let alone are influenced by what is said by city residents. You are a bit higher on their list of concerns than civilians are, because your dues have financed the campaigns of a majority of the people now sitting on the city council. Yet if they don't listen to you, then why would they listen to me, or anyone else?
But instead of targetting your anger and resentment at these agencies and the changes they have forced you to participate in against your will for the past five years, it is far easier to target individual citizens. It is, after all, clearly not part of your nature to tackle anything that is bigger than yourself. If that weren't true, you would have posted under your own name and you would act under your own name to challenge the practices of the department that you perceive to be oppressing you.
After all, one of you did just that, a while back, post under his own name.
As a victim of violent crime, I would only hope that someone in a LE agency would never use my experience to further an argument that is basically made in defense of officers who have posted racist, sexist and homophobic content on that site. That young boy, now deceased, deserves that same respect. Of course, so did the alleged bank clerk, and she didn't get it. So did the man on the roof, but he didn't get it. They were just means to an end, to prove a point about race and gender in the RPD that it is the White male officers who suffer at the expense of other officers. Now, it's a young boy who's become a convenient tool to use to do the same thing. Wow.
Things have changed in this city and that is the real driving force for your emotions of resentment, bitterness, fear and anger. Your entire world as an officer in the RPD has changed in a relatively short period of time, which is why you and others of your ilk have lashed out at me on this site. You have no where else to go to do that. The reality is that your lot has improved a great deal, yet you long for the good old days even with all the benefits you have received from the stipulated agreement. It's been more beneficial to the officers than the public.
First of all, this ten-year-old kid died like others have before him because he was shot by another person. Shootings of young kids occurred more frequently in the "good old days" of the RPD which apparently involves any date before March 6, 2001.
The only difference is at least with this child, his parents did not have to wait up to an hour for police to arrive onscene. It wasn't always like that as you know. And given that pre-2001, Black and Hispanic children were not even viewed as being human at all, but by the acronym, NHI, I'm heartened to read a police officer actually refer to a Hispanic child as being, a child. That's progress.
Let me tell you a story about three other young children, two toddlers and a baby who had the misfortune to be shot in the "good old days" of the RPD. They were sitting around a dinner table, for supper and a gunman shot them through the window, hitting the parents and two of the three children. I was two buildings away, lying on the floor of my apartment as I did quite frequently in those "good old days", waiting for the shots to end so I could determine what happened. Neighbors called 9-11 and waited...and waited...waited... and then I decided to go look for an officer. Fortunately, one was cruising by and turned into the neighboring complex. I walked up to where he had parked, and told him what happened. It took some discussion before he decided I should get in his car and we'd go find the right apartment. He parked and he told me to stay behind the car and he called for back up and finally found the family, who were all injured and taken out by ambulance except for the baby, who was unharmed. It took 30-40 minutes to get an officer there. If the officer hadn't been driving by, it would have been longer.
These were Black adults and kids in this case. I don't believe they were considered human until at least 2001. And it is clear that with some of you, they probably wouldn't be considered human today which is very unfortunate, especially when more officers feel compelled to defend this behavior than criticize it. But real change comes in increments often over many years.
You see Mary, in order to keep gang banging parasites, like those found in Hillside and CB, from shooting up innocent people it is necessary for police to arrest them BEFORE they commit the most violent crimes.
This means that officers will make good arrests of violent criminals in CB, rather than tow unlicensed drivers and do "directed enforcement" on day laborers and ice cream vendors. But when police arrest bad, violent people it is very likely that the criminals will run, fight, shoot, etc. which will require officers to use force....and we all know that in your marijuana clouded, bloodshot eyes, no use of force by the police is ever justified (especially if its a white officer who uses the force)
Hmmm, it sounds like someone's judgment is clouded and it is not mine. I have never argued that use of force was never to be used and that arrests should never be made and you know that. Nor have I ever stated or said that your time should be spent towing cars and doing any action against day laborers or vendors. I don't believe I've ever discussed either day laborers or vendors at all. I don't work in Casa Blanca like you clearly do.
But you use these statements as the crux of your argument for one reason. Well, two reasons. The first, to defend racist and sexist comments made by your friends. The other reason is that for some of you, if you can't use all the force that you can exercise at a person that you want to even if it's beyond what's necessary, then it's the same as being told that you can use no force at all. In similar fashion, if you can not use all the force you can throw at a neighborhood, then you can not police in that neighborhood at all. All or nothing. It's indeed reminiscent of what was probably practiced in the "good old days": paramilitary style policing. Similar arguments have been used elsewhere to defend that model of policing that you have used here.
Last year it was the CPRC's fault that your hands were tied, so to speak. This year, it's my fault. Next year, we'll see...
The problem with this picture is that under the stipulated agreement, this department was to have implemented the community policing model, where communities and police officers worked together to solve the problems in their communities. Some officers and supervisors have worked hard in that area. Others, like most of what I've seen here, clearly opppose or deride that type of policing and officers who do that type of "proactive" policing.
Given some of the issues involving race and gender I've seen here, that's hardly surprising since it's predominantly minority neighborhoods involved.
All this aside, what does what you said have to do with officers who choose to make racist and sexist remarks? Do you believe that racism and sexism in your LE agency is necessary, even part and parcel of being a *real* or *proactive* police officer? If that is indeed true, then how do you explain the good police officers employed by the RPD who feel neither a desire to engage in similar behavior nor to defend it? What category are they placed in? Or are they the ones who are "lazy" and "cowardly"?
I'd bet you a forty of Steel Reserve that if a police officer would have pulled over the gunman who killed the ten year old on his way to do the shooting ...and a subsequent officer involved shooting took place (preventing an innocent death)...Mary and the CPRC would've been calling the officer a murderer the next day.
You see, if we assume you are somewhat intelligent then you must have at least a small grasp on the concept of crime prevention, which requires pro-active policing. But you don’t actually want cops to protect innocent people because there's no good press in that. Instead, you chose to sit around hot-boxing the volxwagon van, listening to sitar music with Scooby-doo on the tube, while you and your friends braid each others body hair. Is that really helping the citizens of Riverside?
Stereotypes are obviously your best friend. And your scenerio is flawed, because officers like most of us aren't psychic. That guy you pull over might be someone who might kill someone later, or he might be a city resident returning home after pulling a night shift at work. He could have committed a crime, or he could have gone to the market to pick up some milk to take home to his family. And this, combined with the virtually nil positive references to Black and Hispanic people I've seen here is a concern.
However, if you treat every person that you pull over on an infraction like they are going to shoot someone if you don't arrest them or shoot them first, then that does explain some of the problems which led to the stipulated agreement in the first place, including the requirement for annual traffic stop data studies. On your bright side, at least those studies have been discontinued by your department's management.
I guess I’ll try not to lose sleep over it. If the city doesn’t care enough to support working police who could prevent violence then maybe I shouldn’t either. But the truth is that I can’t stop being a cop. And some day, when I see a parolee too dirty to pass up, and the stop is worth all of the hassle of jeopardizing my safety to turn on a recorder, and subjecting myself to a bogus complaint, and libel/slander from the Black Voice… I’m gonna try to pull him over, and if he doesn’t stop I will chase him. And if he points a gun at me and tries to kill me I will shoot him first. And the shooting will be justified, but the CPRC will say it isn’t. And someone will try to sue me and I’ll have to go to court. And I’ll eventually win, but only after my family is put through hell. And you’ll call me a murderer on your website.
And the best part is if I try to exercise my first amendment right to defend myself against lies on the internet….. my own department…the department who I work hours and hours of overtime for, the reason I haven’t spent a holiday with my family in half a decade….my department will try to take away my right of freedom of speech…
Not likely….. I want 1.67 million plus one dollar.
Your right to free speech hasn't been taken away. You're here, aren't you?
And I'm not surprised at all that you don't consider the audio recorder your friend. You don't want anyone to know what you are doing.
And it's your city council, remember, financed with your salary that is set aside for PAC dues. If you don't like them, then have your PAC endorse and finance more suitable candidates at election time. All most of us in the city have, is our vote. We are powerless in comparison.
Be true to yourself
Oh, but you have been....right to the alias.
Good for you Mary!
hey sandalou, i want to thankyou for that last paragraph, for it brings back fond memories of my childhood and my favorite movie, "where the red furn grows."
woof woof
Clifford the Big Red Dog
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