Another protest is planned at the Tiburon Police Department on Saturday. Khalif and Awash said Chanis, the town manager, reached out to them after the incident, and the three met on Aug. 23. My whole body was shaking and I could not make it stop. After Cronins exit, the town arranged for Undersheriff Jamie Scardina to run the police department on a part-time interim basis while a consulting firm recruited a new chief. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? This isnt regular business hours, theres no customers in here. We all want this to resolve in a positive way, she said, noting she hopes the incident sparks conversation about police reform and real policing that uses empathy to police our community.. What is it that theyre fearing?. Blasi stepped in and was recorded arguing with Khalif while the patrol officer and a Belvedere officer stood by. Theyre the ones with the guns, theyre the ones with the badge, theyre the ones with the authority, she said. That's all we want to know. Ste. Tiburon officials have released body-camera footage from the first officer at the scene of a late-night confrontation between police and Black business owner Yema Khalif, who asserts he was racially profiled when questioned at his downtown shop. Thank you very much, thats all I need to know, Blasi said in the video and walked away toward Tiburon Boulevard. Put your key in the door and were out of here. All the applicants expressed an understanding of the events that have transpired in Tiburon in the last eight months, Chanis said. He did not comment on whether officers will face disciplinary actions pending the outcome of the investigation. Meanwhile, Awash estimated she has been stopped in her car three to five times over the past year and a half by the same police officer. According to Khalif, the officer responded that he had already called for backup before Khalif made the request. VIDEO: Berkeley mom films confrontation with white man who ripped down Black Lives Matter signs, Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, FL Gov. The encounter escalated when the supervising sergeant arrived on scene. His tone not very like-able. Police Chief Michael Cronin declined to directly comment on the Aug. 21 incident until the investigation has concluded, but he confirmed Blasi and the other officers involved would continue coming to work through the investigation. I opened our balcony door to Main Street, and I heard one of the officers saying, If this is your store, put your key in the door and prove it.. At no point during the 11-minute exchange did either Tiburon officer assert any potential criminal or suspicious activity was occurring beyond their mere presence in the building at that hour. TAKE ACTION: Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. Many speakers provided meaningful suggestions and identified specific actions the councils could consider to ensure our communities are safe and welcoming to all, Chanis said. Awash began recording as Sgt. About 6 minutes of cellphone footage of the encounter with the supervisor, Tiburon police Sgt. Khalif says he wasnt angry, just putting his foot down. We welcome and encourage your thoughts and comments. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The couple was working late with a friend and business associate from Washington, D.C., Awash said, adding that its not uncommon for them to work late into the night setting up displays and doing inventory. At the conclusion of the investigation the report will be provided to the Town Manager for review and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the investigator, Cronin said. First hired by the Belvedere Police Department in 2017, Blasi is considered a supervisor in Tiburon, where he earns an annual salary of $99,888 with a $20,324 benefits package. In a year marked by the killings of Black people at the hands of law enforcement, leading to protests nationwide calling for police reform, the conduct of the Tiburon officers is particularly tone . There are three Black people in the store whats the problem with that?, Watch the video on Instagram at instagram.com/p/CEKwyUrJIdl. An autopsy found cocaine, alcohol, morphine, codeine and a Valium equivalent in his system, as well as signs of coronary disease that could have helped trigger heart failure, a pathologist said. There's video of the interaction and an investigation underway. Its unfortunate but I think good will come of this, Awash said. How safe is your neighborhood? I, kindly, explained that we didnt have to prove anything and asked for a supervisor. In response to public outcry, Blasi offered his resignation from the Tiburon Police department, which went into effect September 1. I have a problem with you guys being here so late and you not telling me why, Madfes says. She said she used to work for Frank Howard Allen Realtors when it had a storefront office in downtown Tiburon. Were here because we love Tiburon, and we know that Tiburon loves us back, Awash said. I cannot fathom how that could happen. 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Community members pointed out Cronin had only issued a warning for the protest in Marin City, which is 61 percent non-white, including 38 percent Black, and had issued no such warnings for similar peaceful protests in other nearby predominantly white communities, including Mill Valley. It looked like they were harassing him and I thought, This has gone on for several minutes. It just felt like it was going to progress into something ugly., Khalif called the fact that the situation was diffused by a white neighbor yelling down to vouch for him the icing on the cake., A Black man cannot be in this space in this particular hour and say, Im OK, no need to be talking to you, move along. While K-9 officer Larry Holladay, Patrol Officer Patrick. The situation started getting out of hand so our friend from DC started recording the exchange (Video below). Khalif started the brand with his wife when they were in college. After Floyds death and ahead of a peaceful June 2 protest in Marin City, Cronin sparked outrage among the community after he issued a statement warning residents to be wary should the demonstration become violent or lead to looting on the Tiburon Peninsula neither of which happened. On August 21, a recording of three officers, including Blasi, went viral on Instagram where they can be heard questioning Yema Khalif, the owner of YEMA, which is the only Black-owned clothing store in Tiburon. D, Tiburon, CA 94920 |. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? By Ewan Palmer On 8/26/20 at 10:17 AM EDT. Marin resident Chelsea Ialeggio, who was raised in Tiburon, said she is disgusted by the incident. Tiburon officials have selected a San Mateo police lieutenant as the towns next police chief, filling a post that had been vacant for six months. Ste. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Owner Yema Khalif said he was insulted by the officer's demand to prove he owned the store and feels Blasi would have behaved differently if he had been white. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Tracking the drought: Map shows conditions across SF Bay Area, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7, Tiburon police demand Black business owner prove who he is, Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF, Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. The newly released footage begins about 6 minutes before that video begins, when Madfes is already parked on Tiburon Boulevard at Main Street and is getting out of his squad car. It is clear that did not occur in this instance.. Thats all we want to know, Blasi says. Madfes, however, again asks Khalif to put the key in the door, but this time Khalif declines: Thats your supervisor, he say you walk away, walk away.. Laurie Nilsen is the Emergency Services Coordinator for both towns. During the arrest, Grime fell unconscious and died in the hospital two days later. Why would the police believe some white guy yelling from his balcony and not the Black business owner stating he owned the business? she wrote. I do not have any intention of removing them at this time, Cronin said. Khalif said he, Awash and a friend were in the store doing inventory when he noticed a police vehicle circling the block. The finalists were interviewed in person at Town Hall on Jan. 26 by Scardina, Public Works Director Steve Palmer, Community Development Director Dina Tasini and Administrative Services Director Suzanne Creekmore. Simpson, who is familiar with Khalif, said he was concerned by the way the three officers were surrounding him, so he yelled down to confirm Khalif was the owner. In it, the officers, who first note that Khalif is in the store at 1 a.m., past the typical 9 p.m. shut-down time for activity on the street, can be heard repeatedly demanding that Khalif prove his ownership of the business, either by showing identification or putting his key in the shops door. Matthew Tom is a Homepage Editor at SFGATE. The former chief, Michael Cronin, retired in September after a public backlash over an incident involving two Black store owners. Once she found out about Blasis past, she said she felt lucky the situation did not end with violence. today at a #BlackLivesMatter rally in response to a standoff in which Sgt. Ryan Monaghan, who has worked at the San Mateo department for 27 years, will start the new job on April 5. The town announced Blasis resignation on Tuesday. Maybe because I am a blonde Caucasian, there was no reason that they cared to check on why I was there or felt the need to make me get out my key to prove I belonged there.. Some days we have to work late. Michael Blasi demanded Khalif and 2 other Black ppl prove they were allowed to be in the store. Khalif said he was racially profiled in February while searching for business license documents in his car in the Town Hall parking lot. First published on September 8, 2020 / 7:45 PM. As Madfes walks away and catches up to Blasi, Blasi can be heard saying, He says its his store, thats good enough for me. In the incident, which was recorded on video, two Tiburon officers and a Belvedere officer pressed Yema Khalif and Hawai Awash to identify themselves after seeing them in their clothing shop at 1 a.m. Khalif claimed racial profiling, which the officers denied. How can policing be done with empathy," said Khalif. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A sixth Memphis officer was fired . Khalif was also a speaker at the 2018 Belvedere-Tiburon Librarys Pop-Up 94920 series. 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