Our community needs to come together and find real ways to train our police officers to police with empathy and love., Marin police face-off with Black merchant fuels, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Tiburon police face-off with Black merchant fuels outrage, probe, Draymond Green explains his issue with Black History Month: Why do we get the shortest month?. I want to know what you're doing in the store at 1 o'clock in the morning," says the supervisor. 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. In August 2020, Yema Khalif and his wife Hawi Awash both Black were in their store in Tiburon when white police officers approached them demanding that the couple show proof that they owned the store. "When I feel harassed and I feel targeted, I say it, and I say it as I see it, and that's what that was," says business owner Yema Khalif, who was with his wife and another person inside his business when he was approached by officers. Khalif said he, Awash and a friend were in the store doing inventory when he noticed a police vehicle circling the block. Tiburon police sergeant resigns amid racial, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Tiburon police sergeant resigns amid racial profiling claims, Letters: Plethora of problems | Creating AL | Provenance of woke | Teen girls | Public bank. Khalif said he was wearing the same outfit as the mannequin he was standing next to while talking to police from the doorway. Khalif and Awash said Chanis, the town manager, reached out to them after the incident, and the three met on Aug. 23. "My pictures are plastered all over the store, huge pictures," says Khalif. She said that included conversations about how police officers can re-examine their implicit biases and eliminate their own fear on the job. Named among the state's & nation's best small weeklies, 2014, 2018-2021 California News Publishers Association &, Store owners: Late-night encounter with Tiburon cops was racially motivated, 2022 The Ark, AMMI Publishing Co. Inc. | 1550 Tiburon Blvd. They opened the athletic apparel boutique in February. Police Chief Michael Cronin said the town has engaged the services of an independent attorney to conduct an investigation into the incident. Another protest is planned at the Tiburon Police Department on Saturday. I think of all of the very late nights I have worked in those offices and never once did the police come by to see who was there as I sat at my desk clearly visible in the window, she wrote in an citizen complaint to Cronin that was shared with The Ark. This is around 1AM. Blasi then can be heard asking Khalif why he is bringing race into the conversation. Henry Ty McGowan. "He and I have been discussing the timing of his retirement for some time, but he only recently chose the date that corresponds with his entry into public service 54 years ago," Chanis said in the press release. Khalif refused. 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. In 1999 the department moved into its current location at 1155 Tiburon Blvd. If I tell you its my store, then what? Khalif asks in the video. Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. It was fear. Michael Blasi, becoming more frustrated and confrontational with Khalif, who also appears exasperated with the interaction, as the minutes go by. today at a #BlackLivesMatter rally in response to a standoff in which Sgt. "There's three Black people in the store, what's the problem?" A virtual Tiburon town meeting was held Thursday night to discuss an interaction that took place over the weekend between police officers and the only Black store owners in the town. Michael Blasi, resigned in the aftermath. TIBURON, Calif. . What is it that theyre fearing?. Laurie is responsible for disaster preparedness, maintenance of the Emergency Operations Center and coordination of a wide range of related activities. NBCBLK 5 officers fired after Tyre Nichols' death were 'directly responsible' for his 'physical abuse,' police chief says Other officers remain under investigation in connection with a. Madfes says there isnt, but that hes never seen anyone in the store so late. The neighbor, Ken Simpson, lives in his Main Street apartment part-time and said hes also accustomed to hearing noise from patrons and employees of downtown restaurants late at night, but the yelling that woke him up about 1:15 a.m. Aug. 21 sounded like it was escalating quickly. 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. Im like, wait, did this happen in Tiburon? Khalif, who has lived in Tiburon for nearly 10 years, and Awash are well-known in the Tiburon business community. A Tiburon police sergeant was found dead at the department's headquarters of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, the agency said Tuesday. Khalif described seeing a lone police officer circle the block a number of times before stopping his patrol vehicle and knocking on the storefront door. We saw him drive around the block like 3 times. Where do you live? Madfes says. Khalif replies, No, just doing our thing and asks if theres a problem. Chanis said neither Cronin nor Blasi are able to comment due to the pending investigation. Another said, "I am incensed! 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. Khalif posted the video to Instagram. 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.. In the footage, Madfes is seen walking through Fountain Plaza toward the store and can be heard reporting one BMA, one BFA one Black male adult and one Black female adult which he corrects to three people, two Black males, as he gets closer. Ive not been feeling the reality of it. A Change.org petition, signed by nearly 500 people by The Arks press deadline, called for the immediate suspension of Blasi and an investigation into the officers involved. Comment at the meeting, or in advance by emailing comments@townoftiburon.org. Blasi begins asking the same questions as the first officer, including what the three were doing there late at night. Michael Blasi, was posted by Khalif to social media later Aug. 21. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Michael Blasi was the supervising officer on Aug. 21 during the incident at Yema, a clothing store on Main Street. 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. 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. While K-9 officer Larry Holladay, Patrol Officer Patrick. At least three large posters of Khalif and Awash modeling their clothes are visible on the rear wall throughout the footage. Khalif and Awash say they had already seen the car circle the block three to four times before it stopped outside the shop, where they say it sat for about 15 minutes before the start of the town-released body-cam footage and that they had anticipated what was about to happen next. According to Khalif, the officer sat in his parked vehicle for about 20 minutes before approaching Khalif, asking him to identify himself, explain why they were inside the store, and informing them that backup was on the way. Scott Adams faces consequence culture as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Rapid demise of Dilbert no surprise to some who were watching, Elon Musk tweets support for Dilbert creator Scott Adams after racist tirade. Next time, just walk and the audio and video cut out. All the applicants expressed an understanding of the events that have transpired in Tiburon in the last eight months, Chanis said. They opened the athletic apparel boutique in February. Cronin denies his departure is linked to the incident. Yema Khalif and Hawi Awash, owners of the Yema clothing shop. Blasi] believes it would be difficult to continue being effective as a police officer in Tiburon. 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. TAKE ACTION: Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. Ryan Monaghan, who has worked at the San Mateo department for 27 years, will start the new job on April 5. At 1 a.m. Saturday morning, Tiburon police officers saw three people inside the clothing store Yema on Main Street and decided to check it out. Tiburon police sergeant shoots self in police station Amy Larson 12/14/2022 TIBURON, Calif. (KRON) A Tiburon Police Department sergeant fatally shot himself inside the police. Also sacked were Sgt. Named among the state's & nation's best small weeklies, 2014, 2018-2021 California News Publishers Association &, Tiburon releases body-cam footage of police questioning Black merchant, About 6 minutes of cellphone footage of the encounter with the supervisor, Tiburon police Sgt. 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. Other downtown business owners rallied around the couple, saying theyve never been questioned by police while working late into the evening, past closing time, including Chelsea Ialeggio, a real-estate agent who said she has had offices in town with both Frank Howard Allen and now at Vanguard Properties. Ste. 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. The supervisor demanded Khalif put his key in the door to prove ownership when a neighbor shouted at police identifying him. In another post, Blasi is asked what kind of behavior can get someone in trouble with the police, to which he responded, resisting a detention or arrest and failing to identify yourself or providing ID when directed by an officer., He also says he wouldnt recommend anyone become a police officer in todays environment, citing media and social-media scrutiny, internet armchair quarterbacks evaluating every real-time decision (and) unqualified and incompetent civilian-oversight committees that are usually someones bulls political agenda.. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were fired on Jan. 20 after an administrative investigation found they had violated department policy on the. How safe is your neighborhood? Where people know me? I have been stopped for taking a walk to my house. It does not matter. The Tiburon Police Department was established in 1972 following the town's incorporation by eight years. That's all we want to know. 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