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. Tiburons Hank Easom was locally renowned sailor, After earthquakes, Tiburon resident seeks aid for native Turkey, Six vying for interim seat on Tiburon Town Council, Former mayor and longtime volunteer named Belvedere Citizen of the Year, Study details threat of water from below in combatting sea rise, Residents sound off, urge action at Belvedere coyote forum, Angel Island ferry to be states first all-electric short-run ferry, Angel Island honored for effort to turn historic hospital into museum, 2022 The Ark, AMMI Publishing Co. Inc. | 1550 Tiburon Blvd. The video which has been viewed more than 30,000 times on the stores Instagram page and shared more than 750 times on its Facebook page triggered an overwhelming community response of concern and outrage, including hundreds of comments on online neighborhood forum Nextdoor.com. Also sacked were Sgt. Michael Blasi arrived and an officer asked her husband to take his hands out of his pockets. A patrol officer saw people in the store at 1 a.m. and questioned why they were there. The situation started getting out of hand so our friend from DC started recording the exchange (Video below). Thursday the City of Tiburon and City of Belvedere held a joint virtual community meeting about an incident where officers questioned a Black business owner, who was working late in his store last week. This isnt regular business hours, theres no customers in here. The Los Angeles Times broke the story about former officers charged with conspiracy and vandalism in connection to a swastika spray-painting on a citizen's car. The Aug. 21 incident is the second time in recent months the Tiburon Police Department has come under public scrutiny for its response to racial issues in the wake of the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd and ensuing Black Lives Matter protests across the country, including several in Tiburon. I want to know what you're doing in the store at 1 o'clock in the morning," says the supervisor. ", In the video you can hear the supervisor say, "You should be grateful that we're being as diligent as we are to look out for the street, that's all we do.". Is it your store? Maegan Hall, the female officer at the center of the scandal, has been fired, city officials said. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? Despite resigning, Blasi will cooperate with an independent investigation led by a lawyer the town retained, Chanis said. Is it your store? Cronin's announcement comes one week after Sgt. "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. Wife of popular Wild 94.9 radio host JV says new information suggests he will not be coming back, Bay Area federal judge orders extradition of woman suspected of killing MSU student in hit-and-run, San Jose: Home raided as part of explosives and narcotics investigation. Reporter Hannah Weikel covers the city of Belvedere, as well as crime, courts and public safety issues on the Tiburon Peninsula. As the recorded interaction passes the 5-minute mark, a neighbor farther down Main Street came out onto his balcony and yelled at the officers that Khalif was the owner of the store. Matthew Tom is a Homepage Editor at SFGATE. The newly released body-cam footage appears to highlight this further, with clearer audio than the cellphone footage that also shows a stark contrast between Blasis demeanor and that of Madfes, who speaks calmly throughout the first half of the video while Blasi then frequently shouts over Khalif and tells him he should be grateful. Other business owners have come forward to say that on the rare occasions they work late into the night, they've never been stopped and questioned at all, while Khalif was not only interrogated, Madfes had already called for backup before he first knocked on the door. Khalif, a resident for nearly 10 years, says hes been stopped while walking home and had to prove that he lives in Tiburon. videotaped confronting a Black business owner, Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. Update: Tiburon Town Council & Belvedere City Council Virtual Town Hall & Community Forum 6:30 p.m. Aug. 27. https://zoom.us/j/95644043303 or 669-900-6833, meeting ID 956 4404 3303. Grime, 47, was placed in a hobbling device, binding his handcuffs to ankle restraints behind his back. Thank you sir, thats all I needed to know. Tiburon Town Hall | 1505 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, CA 94920 | Phone: 415-435-7373. A statement agreed upon by all of the parties to the lawsuit said that investigations by the San Rafael Police Department and the FBI concluded that there was no criminal conduct and no criminal violation of Grimes civil rights by the sheriffs office. Then he insisted that he wanted us to prove who we are and to explain what we were doing at the store that late. Tiburon Mayor Alice Fredericks told the Marin IJ she was not surprised by the announcement, but it came "a few weeks earlier than expected. Before Khalif was able to show the three officers that he had a working key to the store, an unnamed local can be heard from afar verifying that Khalif was the owner. How they dont know Yema is beyond me, he said. While Tiburon Police Chief Michael Cronin and Town Manager Greg Chanis have ordered an independent investigation into the incident, the results of which will be reviewed by the Town Council, Cronin said neither Blasi nor the two other officers involved would be suspended or put on administrative leave amid the investigation. TIBURON, Calif. - A Tiburon couple who own a clothing store is accusing police of racially profiling them. YEMA is the only black owned clothing store in Tiburon, California so many people in our community know who we are. DeSantis coming to CA as new poll shows him leading Trump, Ice flies off SUV, smashing windshield: 'You could kill somebody'. Still, other locals questioned Khalifs reaction to the police, and said he should have proved ownership when asked. It was saddening to see that there wasnt any recognition from the police involved that this was a situation where they made a mistake.. 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, Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF, Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues, Santa Clara University professor, her brother racially profiled by campus guards, Berkeley mom films confrontation with white man who ripped down Black Lives Matter signs. Nearly all the comments expressed outrage with Tiburon police with calls to hold the officers accountable. A Black business owner is speaking out after Tiburon police demanded proof he was the store's owner. The town announced Blasis resignation on Tuesday. A video showing three Tiburon Peninsula police officers repeatedly questioning the identity of a Black business owner working in his Fountain Plaza clothing store about 1 a.m. Aug. 21 has sparked widespread outrage within the community and prompted town officials to order an independent investigation into the conduct of two of the officers. 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.. You can contact staff from the Police Department and get information about their divisions: Tiburon Town Hall | 1505 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, CA 94920 | Phone: 415-435-7373 Hours: Administration: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Planning: 8 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Building: 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Public Works: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.Town Hall is closed on Fridays. Japanese Americans won redress for World War II interment camps, now they fight for Black reparations, Civil rights activist Roslyn Pope dies; her Appeal for Human Rights helped launch campaign of boycotts, sit-ins, Letters: Stone is wrong | Unnecessarily complex | Everymans EV | Coaching equity | No infrastructure. Tiburon police records show that no one called police about suspicious activity at the store, and no alarms had been set off. TIRURON, Calif. (KRON) Tiburon police sergeant Michael Blasi has resigned after video of the encounter between Tiburon police officers and a Black store owner raised concerns, according. After another shop owner yelled at police, telling them the couple did own the store, the officers left. Cronin denies his departure is linked to the incident. We received new inventory during the day so we went back to our store, on Main street Tiburon California, to work late. A video depicting Tiburon police officers in heated exchange with the owner of the town's only Black-owned business while working late in his downtown shop has sparked outrage in the. D, Tiburon, CA 94920 |. He opened the store this past February and says it's not unusual for them to work late into the night. Im like, wait, did this happen in Tiburon? ", The community meeting comes after the city released body cam video showing the back and forth between both sides. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! As Madfes approaches the store, Khalif, Awash and the friend can be seen inside at the checkout counter, apparently talking with each other. Khalif replies, No, just doing our thing and asks if theres a problem. 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. It is unclear whether or not the police received a 911 call that prompted their presence at YEMA late that night. Blasi joined the Tiburon Police Department in June 2019. The former chief, Michael Cronin, retired in September after a public backlash over an incident involving two Black store owners. Thats all we want to know, Blasi says. Awash characterized the conversation as positive. Chanis said 60 people provided public comment during the four-hour forum. The county settled a lawsuit by Grimes family for nearly $1 million. We saw him drive around the block like 3 times. The shop owners filed a $2 million claim against the town. Khalif, who has lived in Tiburon for nearly 10 years, and Awash are well-known in the Tiburon business community. D, Tiburon, CA 94920 | 415-435-2652 | Privacy Policy| Designed by Kevin Hessel. Tiburon police officers are trained and held to the highest standards of conduct. When a police officer leaves their department because of misconduct, there's no easy public way for people to know if they're rehired elsewhere in law enforcement. A Tiburon police sergeant has resigned following a confrontation with a Black merchant that critics say stemmed from racial profiling. After the video of the incident was posted on Yemas Instagram and went viral, discussion caught like wildfire across social media platforms. That seemed to satisfy the officers, and they promptly left without the proof they had demanded for roughly 10 minutes. Khalif said he was entitled to be in the store, had no obligation to identify himself and accused police of being suspicious because the store occupants were Black. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. Should you desire additional information that doesnt appear on the site, please contact us directly at 415-789-2801 or by using the department directory. Khalif believes the best way Marin residents can express their solidarity is by not being bystanders to racist acts. Khalif said he, Awash and a friend were in the store doing inventory when he noticed a police vehicle circling the block. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A sixth Memphis officer was fired . How safe is your neighborhood? 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. Blasi then can be heard asking Khalif why he is bringing race into the conversation. Chanis said neither Cronin nor Blasi are able to comment due to the pending investigation. Although Ryan Monaghan was not my choice, Im looking forward to working with him to find out what his plans are for community policing, diversity and inclusion, and hiring and promotion within the department, he said. Chanis has denied that Cronin's retirement is connected to the incident involving the business owners, according to the Marin IJ. The four fired men were Patrol Officer Juan Lugo Perez, Sgt. Your email address will not be published. I opened the door for him then he proceeded to tell me his purpose for knocking on our door was to check what we were doing at the store that late. There are three Black people in the store whats the problem with that?, Watch the video on Instagram at instagram.com/p/CEKwyUrJIdl. 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. I confirmed that I am the business owner, but they wanted me to prove it. In 2004, Blasi was one of the deputies involved in a wrongful death lawsuit after a 47-year-old man named Cary Grime was arrested and hogtied in Novato. Davina Adjani, a protest organizer, said the might be postponed in light of the resignation, but that Cronin is still a problem for hiring Blasi despite the red flags in his past. OK, thats fine. Ive not been feeling the reality of it. 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. Khalif said the officer circled the store three or four times before stopping outside the shop and sitting across the street for about 15 minutes. Email: mtom@sfgate.com. I want to know what youre doing in this store at one oclock in the morning? one of the officers is heard asking in the clip. Khalif said when it became clear the officer wasnt understanding him, he asked the officer to call his supervisor. Body cam and cell phone footage shows the altercation as it unfolds. Our store alarm did not go off, no one called the police, everything was peaceful. It was more like, Who are you guys, what are you doing in this store, you must identify yourselves and prove why you are here, she said. Theyre the ones with the guns, theyre the ones with the badge, theyre the ones with the authority, she said. Do you want us to look out for the community or do you want us to let anybody walk in here at 2 oclock in the morning and steal all your stuff? Blasi is heard saying on the video. The encounter escalated when the supervising sergeant arrived on scene. 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.. Khalif continually declines to do so, stating numerous times that he owns the business and asks, Whats the problem? 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. ", Others responded with different views, saying that officers were just doing their job. 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. 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. Michael Blasi, was posted by Khalif to social media later Aug. 21. Blasi offered, and the town has accepted, his voluntary resignation.. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- A Black business owner is speaking out after Tiburon police demanded proof he was the store's owner. "Had that white neighbor not said anything that night, maybe Yema wouldn't be here with us today and I would let that sink in for a minute," says Hawi Awash. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- On Thursday night, a four-hour, heated virtual community meeting took place over an incident that happened in the small North Bay city of Tiburon, California. Investigators said the incident occurred inside the Tiburon Police Department (TPD) locker room at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Dec. 12, The Ark reported. The video, which has amassed nearly 64,000 views on YEMAs Instagram page, sparked public outrage prompting a protest in Tiburon attended by over 200 people in support of Khalif and the Black Lives Matter movement. I look forward to meeting and working with the engaged community members, our town leaders, allied agencies and especially all our town employees who are committed to providing the highest levels of service to everyone who lives, works and visits the town of Tiburon, Monaghan said. Wife of popular Wild 94.9 radio host JV says new information suggests he will not be coming back, Bay Area federal judge orders extradition of woman suspected of killing MSU student in hit-and-run, San Jose: Home raided as part of explosives and narcotics investigation. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Proceeds from clothing sales help send orphans go to school. There's video of the interaction and an investigation underway. Yema Protest Speech following the incident at his storefront on August 29th. The store was well-lighted, and police reports show no alarm had sounded and no one had otherwise reported suspicious activity. Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, FL Gov. To be fair, some more than others.. Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more. Lewis Powell, Detective Seneca Shields and Sgt. I think right now everybody should get involved just because, whats going on in the country; the climate and everything. Store proprietor Yema Khalif, his wife and. Khalif begins speaking over the officer when Awash appears to say, OK baby? but Khalif tells her No, no and again asks the officer if theres a problem. Copyright 2023 KGO-TV. He went through the normal background check, Cronin said. Its nice to see how the community has come together, and that they are saying what they want to see going forward, Khalif said. I think the town owes the police an apology, Joyce Wells said. All Rights Reserved. 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