San Francisco officials gathered on the steps of City Hall this afternoon to announce new enforcement and community-minded measures designed to deter hate crimes around the city. The announcement comes after last week's defiant Board of Supervisors resolution, which reaffirmed the city's values of "inclusivity, respect, and dignity" in the wake of Donald Trump's election.
“City officials and our community partners are united and determined to root out any prejudice in our great city," said Mayor Lee in a press release, issued ahead of this afternoon's event. "We will remain a city that embraces the values of inclusiveness, compassion for another, and diversity."
The announcement comes amid fears of racially motived harassment following the election Trump, whose hardline stance on immigration was a signature facet of his campaign. Isolated incidents, such as last week's arrest of a man charged with painting a racist epithet on a Bayview business, and assault on a Hispanic woman at Fort Mason, have been reported recently in San Francisco. However, SFPD officials have said that reports of hate crimes have not seen a notable increase following the Nov. 8th election.
Nonetheless, Interim Chief of Police Toney Chaplin stated today that “San Francisco police officers will be proactive in addressing prejudice based crimes and will vigorously investigate hate crimes with the goal of arresting suspects and bringing justice and support services to victims.”
Here are the specifics, per today's press release:
In addition to investigating hate crimes, SFPD will deploy a new proactive operation using crime data to place plainclothes officers in areas where hate crimes have been previously reported. Officers will be stationed in various neighborhoods in an effort to deter prejudiced based crimes and, should a crime occur, to make a swift arrest.
.@sfpd @SFPDChief stands today w/@mayoredlee & @GeorgeGascon against acts of hate & are providing resources to report hate crimes. pic.twitter.com/hFgyqwoK7i
— SFPDCares (@SFPDCares) November 23, 2016
Today's announcement also noted ongoing community-based initiatives stemming from The Human Rights Commission's partnership with local nonprofits. "Services aimed at helping to solve issues of prejudice and intolerance end-to-end" include educational campaigns, discussion forums, events designed to raise awareness, and anonymous hotlines that are "particularly important for communities that are forced to live in the shadows, are worried about immigration status, or persecution from family members, among other reasons."
The Mayor's Office has recommended the following hotlines as resources in the event of crime or discrimination:
- SF Human Rights Commission (415) 252-2500
- SF District Attorney Hate Crimes Hotline (415) 551-9595
- SF Police Dept. Hate Crimes Division (415) 553-1133
- California Dept. of Fair Employment & Housing (800) 884-1684
- To report a crime in progress or life-threatening emergency, please call 911.
