Sherman R. FrederickMarinscope
COVID-19 may have dominated our daily lives in 2020, but the death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis, brought large nationwide protests for police reform as well as additional scrutiny on local policing.
Four police chiefs in Marin announced their retirements in 2020. While not directly related to Black Lives Matter criticism, the quickly changing expectations on what good law enforcement means post-George Floyd appeared to play a role.
In the rich, white town of Tiburon, for example, a black storekeeper encountered officers in the wee hours of the morning as he worked in his store. The police said they were simply checking on the unusual night activity in the store. The storekeeper said it felt like racial profiling and that he shouldn’t have to prove anything to officers in his own store. Video of the incident went viral. One of the officers involved resigned and Tiburon’s longtime police chief soon thereafter announced his retirement. Town leaders held community-wide meetings about the incident.
In Mill Valley, protesters spoke at a City Council meeting and asked the council to make this national concern a Mill Valley concern by addressing it at that meeting, something that rarely happens due to Open Meeting law constraints. Mayor Sashi McEntee, rebuffed the request saying the council doesn’t break protocol unless it is of urgent local concern.
That phrasing sparked the ire of many who said the Black Lives Matter movement was of urgent local concern. The mayor subsequently became a target of the Black Lives Movement in Marin, even though she is the first person of color to be mayor of the town. She later apologized for her words that day and put the issue forward as an important Mill Valley concern.
“In reading the many thoughtful letters I have received from the community,” she said, “I want to respond further.
“First, I deeply apologize for my choice of words at the council meeting. This is a sensitive moment, and I didn’t acknowledge the community’s deep sense of hurt and anger. For that I am truly sorry.
“I stand with the protesters and those calling for justice for the Floyd family.”
Mill Valley then formed a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force which released a full report on how the town can do better. A 93-page report included recommendations from economic opportunity, housing, education and policing.
This kind of response has been adopted by other towns in Marin.
On an issue related to the Black Lives Matter concerns, Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle found himself in the spotlight several times in 2020.
A requested budget increase for the department was cut by County Supervisors as BLM supporters cried to “defund the police.” The cut of an increase did not actually cut the real funding to the sheriff, or change how that money was spent.
Also, critics remain unsatisfied with how the sheriff interacts with federal law enforcement agencies in regards to undocumented immigrants held in the county jail. Some of the groups refused to participate in a public meeting on that topic. They said that the County Supervisors and the Sheriff are not doing enough.
The sheriff has rebuffed critics. He has told the supervisors that he only turns over to ICE criminals convicted of serious crimes, or people alleged to have committed serious crimes and thereby present a danger to the Marin community.
The issue remained unresolved as 2020 drew to a closed.
Meanwhile, 2021 promises to revive the law enforcement issues raised in the George Floyd case.
Officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on cellphone video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, faces a charge of second-degree of murder. Three other former Minneapolis officers — Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and Alexander Kueng — face charges of aiding and abetting murder in the killing of Floyd.
The trial is scheduled for March.
(You can reach the writer at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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