Marin 911: Another hate incident reported in Novato

MILL VALLEY

Bench Lady: A citizen told police that a 40-ish woman was living on a bench on Miller Avenue for the last several days. She talks to herself, otherwise doesn’t do much. Police monitoring. 

Staring Contest: A woman on Cottage Avenue reported her neighbor was being strange. She said she was in her driveway talking on the phone, when the man “stared” at her. She stared back. Then he pulled out a chair, pulled to the edge of the property line, and sat down to stare back. Police service provided.

Dog Fight: Two dogs got into it in the neighborhood park on Vista Linda Drive. One dog was heard in the distance loudly whimpering. Both parties left the scene.

Sewage: Raw sewage spewed out of a manhole on Tamalpais Avenue on Nov. 18. Public works notified.

Sleeper: A resident reported a man sleeping in a van on Miller Avenue. Police checked it out. No crime observed. 

Suspicious Man: A man was seen on Forrest Street on Nov. 17 walking around cars with a “car door opener.” Gone when the police arrived.

Leaf Blower: An illegal gas-powered leaf blower was reported on Bolsa Avenue on Nov. 17. Police were delayed enroute. No arrest made.

Aggressive: Two cars were involved in an accident on Blithedale Avenue. One of the drivers got out of the car and threatened to “key” the other driver’s car. Cooler heads prevailed. Driver information exchanged.

Tarp Man: A man put up a tarp and held a sign outside the Post Office on Blithedale Avenue. A citizen told police the man was either setting up a homeless encampment or protesting something. Police checked it out. Tarp Man was cooperative. No crime.

Homeless Dude: A homeless man sat in the ATM room at the bank on Blithedale Avenue drinking liquor. Police told him to knock it off and move along.

Shoplifting: A group of people hit a store on Blithedale Avenue, swiping “a large amount” of alcohol. Store providing video. 

Guitar Man: A homeless man with a guitar who often makes the cop log was reported wandering in traffic on Blithedale Avenue. Gone on arrival.

Harassment: A pharmacy employee on Blithedale Avenue told police that a former customer is harassing him outside of work. Advice provided.

SAUSALITO

Snug As A Bug: A homeless person on Nov. 14 was found “curled up in a blanket” in the entrance of a business on Bridgeway. Police woke the man moved him along.

Bathroom Man: A man who routinely breaks into the bathroom at the marina on Locust Street was at it again. Police were told he often leaves crack pipes and needles behind.

Dumpster Diving: A person was rummaging through the trash behind a restaurant on Bridgeway. Gone when the police arrived. 

Touching Himself: A “shaggy” looking man sat in the children’s room of the library and “touched himself.” He left the library and disappeared before police arrived.

NOVATO

Hate Incident: In the late morning on Nov. 15, the Novato PD received a report from a community member about the distribution of antisemitic flyers on vehicles parked on San Marin Drive. Additional flyers were later found on vehicles parked on Arthur Street. Officers responded to investigate and found that the flyers contained antisemitic hate speech.  Although not determined to be a violation of the law, the flyers were determined by police to be hate-motivated. A hate-motivated incident is an action or behavior motivated by hate but legally protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of expression. This can include the distribution of materials with hate messages.

To make it easier and more comfortable for victims to come forward and share information about hate activity, we offer an online resource to easily report activity and an informative pamphlet for community members.

You can report a hate incident directly to an officer by contacting our dispatch center at 415-897-4361. You can also visit our website and report a hate incident via our online reporting system at www.novato.org/hateincident.