In the wake of the tragic shooting of Kathryn "Kate" Steinle on SoMa on Pier 14 on July 1st, one SoMa neighbor has decided to issue a call to political leaders to make changes to San Francisco's sanctuary city laws.
Jamie Whitaker of Rincon Hill has created a MoveOn.org petition titled, "San Francisco's Sanctuary City Policy Should Not Harbor Felons." It's in response to the fact that Steinle's suspected shooter, Francisco Sanchez, was an undocumented immigrant and convicted felon who was in the city after being deported back to Mexico five times. The city and county are prohibited from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) except if an individual was convicted of a violent felony in the past seven years or there is "probable cause to believe the individual is guilty of a Violent Felony," according to administrative code 12i.
"My reading of the administrative code 12i says no city resources can be used to help the federal immigration agency unless they meet that kind of limited criteria," Whitaker said. "Let’s tweak this a little bit so that the notification is complied with so we cooperate with the federal government on the notification. That’s really all it is."
Sanchez, according to reports, did not meet the criteria for being detained. But he did have a long list of convictions, mostly for drug offenses. "If you’ve been convicted of any felony, you’re probably not here to try to improve your economic condition; to help your children and family do better," Whitaker said. "Your intentions are probably kind of bad at the outset." He added, "I totally support the sanctuary city policy that is intended for people who are here to better themselves economically and make a better life for themselves obeying our laws."
Photo: Courtesy of Jamie Whitaker
Whitaker, for those who don't know him, is a well-known community advocate who runs the RinconHillSF.org blog. He is a staunch liberal Democrat who champions environmental causes, more green space, safer streets and waterfront height limits, among other things. He's the kind of person who wants to take action. "It’s one of those impulsive urges to cut through all of the hyperbole and baloney from various corners and try to figure out, OK, locally, what could we maybe do better?," he said. "That was the basis for the petition. It’s not an issue I’ve been involved in or know much about, but it struck me as common sense."
Whitaker added, "I agree with what’s written as far as the detention goes. It doesn’t seem lawful to detain someone just because of a request from ICE." But if ICE requests a phone call, he said, it doesn't seem out of line or as if the city would be liable for a lawsuit over constitutional rights.
As of the morning of July 9th, the petition had nearly 90 signatures. Each time a person signs, an email is sent to a list of lawmakers including Mayor Ed Lee, the Board of Supervisors, Assembly Members David Chiu and Phil Ting, State Senator Mark Leno and Gov. Jerry Brown. Whitaker didn't personally know Steinle, although she lived across the street from him, but he walks the Embarcadero daily. "You read about this event and think, 'This could happen to me or any of my friends,'" he said. "It’s frightening."
