Both Khalif and Awash said they noticed a Tiburon police car driving slowly by their storefront while they were working inside with their friend about 1 a.m. Aug. 21. Khalif: "If I tell you it's my store then what? Then finally, the cop decided to come knock on our store door. What is it that theyre fearing?. Thats when we knew he had already called for back up. Ste. Monaghans collaborative approach and demonstrated commitment to creating meaningful community engagement really set him apart from other candidates, Chanis said. Michael Blasi demanded Khalif and 2 other Black ppl prove they were allowed to be in the store. The confrontation also spurred a protest in front of the Tiburon Police Department on Saturday. Khalif acknowledged several times that I want you to look out for my store and I want you to look out for my community, but he repeatedly asked the officers what activity, beyond his presence alone, was suspicious and required explanation. But this goes to show that when people come together good things can happen.. There's video of the interaction and an investigation underway. Monaghan accepted a conditional offer in February, Chanis said. There's video of the interaction and an investigation underway. We welcome and encourage your thoughts and comments. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. After the panel interviews, I met with each finalist for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, and then each finalist had the opportunity to tour the police station.. Based on this belief, Sgt. 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. The remaining footage is the body-camera perspective of the exchange previously recorded from inside the store and circulated on social media. Footage of the incident on August 21st can be seen on YEMAs Instagram (@Yemacalif). Khalif refused. Blasi] believes it would be difficult to continue being effective as a police officer in Tiburon. Yema Khalif and Hawi Awash, owners of the Yema clothing shop. Monaghan has taught administration of justice at the San Mateo Community College District. Blasi stepped in and was recorded arguing with Khalif while the patrol officer and a Belvedere officer stood by. 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. The lawyer will interview the people involved in the incident starting mid-September. FYI, a popular restaurant close to us was still open and I could see their employees working late. Critics also note the officers finally left without the proof they said was required for 11 minutes only when a white Main Street resident who overheard the confrontation shouted, Thats his store.. There are three Black people in the store whats the problem with that?, Watch the video on Instagram at instagram.com/p/CEKwyUrJIdl. Early release leading to academic unsettlement for student athletes, Tam's emergency and natural disaster readiness, GSA Advocates for Gender Neutral Changing Rooms, Bolinas and Stinson Beach students face frightening commute, Tamalpais High School's gender and sexuality alliance. The encounter escalated when the supervising sergeant arrived on scene. Comment at the meeting, or in advance by emailing comments@townoftiburon.org. Maybe this happened to us because we can bring this out and make sure we have these conversations in our homes and with our families and loved ones and members of community and create something positive thats going to make Tiburon better for all of us, she said. I dont have to show anything to you, Khalif can be heard saying. Blasi then can be heard asking Khalif why he is bringing race into the conversation. In our 50th year serving Tiburon, Belvedere & Strawberry. A key component of that training is the expectation that our officers will utilize de-escalation techniques in situations like there. They opened the athletic apparel boutique in February. Laurie is responsible for disaster preparedness, maintenance of the Emergency Operations Center and coordination of a wide range of related activities. 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. I cannot fathom how that could happen. The couple say they had received a large shipment of merchandise and that they and a visiting friend and business associate had been restocking the store to prepare for the weekend shortly before a patrol officer knocked on the door and questioned why they were there. "We're trying to build a brand with a big heart," said Khalif. If they had just proved it was their business then that wouldve been it.. When we hire police, the police chief makes a recommendation, but the town manager approves every hire.. 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. The department also updated its use-of-force policy to align with calls to de-escalate police encounters with the public. All Rights Reserved. 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. The Police Department and Emergency Operations Center are also responsible for developing and maintaining the Emergency Operations Plan for the entire Tiburon Peninsula. 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. The couple met at Dominican University of California in San Rafael. Monaghan graduated from Union Institute and University in Sacramento with a bachelors degree in criminal justice management. 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 a later interview, Awash pointed out that there are large posters on the stores walls of both she and Khalif modeling their clothing. Put your key in the door and were out of here. I have been stopped for taking a walk to my house. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- A Black business owner is speaking out after Tiburon police demanded proof he was the store's owner. Last night we had a not so good exchange with Tiburon police at our place of work. The confrontation led to a rally in Tiburon on Aug. 29 against racial profiling. During the arrest, Grime fell unconscious and died in the hospital two days later. TAKE ACTION: Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. 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. A Tiburon police sergeant was found dead at the department's headquarters of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, the agency said Tuesday. Can you prove that its your store?, Khalif: I do not have to prove anything to you, its my store., Blasi: Oh my god, yes you do have to prove who you are., Khalif: I do not have to prove my existence to you.. Michael Blasi was the supervising officer on Aug.. TAKE ACTION: Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. All the applicants expressed an understanding of the events that have transpired in Tiburon in the last eight months, Chanis said. I do not have any intention of removing them at this time, Cronin said. Khalif and Awash said Chanis, the town manager, reached out to them after the incident, and the three met on Aug. 23. "I didn't see anything racist that the policemen said to those fine people. Blasi was one of four sheriffs deputies involved in a wrongful death lawsuit after Cary Grime was arrested in 2003 for public intoxication in Novato. / CBS San Francisco. I fing live here, do not tell me about whatever, Khalif responds. Fredericks said Cronin is planning a department-wide racial-bias training for late next month, which has been in the works since the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis in May, which led to widespread protests and mounting calls to end racial injustice and police brutality. A Black. Khalif said Fredericks came by the shop on Aug. 24, two days after she had sent out her email statement extending her heartfelt apologies to the couple. What is it that theyre fearing?. Two five-member interview panels, one consisting of community members and the other of professionals, held two meetings to narrow the applicants down to three, said Town Manager Greg Chanis. Their pictures are even on the store's walls. Email: mtom@sfgate.com. In addition to normal police activities, the police station also houses the Emergency Operations Center, which is equipped to manage disaster response for Tiburon and Belvedere. I think right now everybody should get involved just because, whats going on in the country; the climate and everything. ", Khalif: "I do not have to show you nothing. Tiburon chief Cronin also resigned effective September 13, in response to the alleged racial profiling incident at YEMA. The officers repeatedly asserted, however, that Khalif was required to show identification, but California does not have a stop-and-identify statue. DeSantis coming to CA as new poll shows him leading Trump, Ice flies off SUV, smashing windshield: 'You could kill somebody'. Despite resigning, Blasi will cooperate with an independent investigation led by a lawyer the town retained, Chanis said. The situation started getting out of hand so our friend from DC started recording the exchange (Video below). The Tiburon Police Department was established in 1972 following the town's incorporation by eight years. The nearly 11-minute recording includes about 5 previously unseen minutes of the incident, which occurred about 1 a.m. Aug. 21 at Yema, the action fashion wear boutique at 10 Main St. owned by Khalif and partner Hawi Awash, Tiburon residents who are also the designers and models for the brand. ", Others responded with different views, saying that officers were just doing their job. Awash said other business owners work late at night and pointed to portraits of the couple that are clearly visible through the storefront window. Ryan Monaghan, who has worked at the San. The supervisor demanded Khalif put his key in the door to prove ownership when a neighbor shouted at police identifying him. If this is your store, put the key in the door, Blasi can be heard saying. 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. Michael Blasi, resigned in the aftermath. 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. This isn't regular business hours, there's no customers in there. The Tiburon and Belvedere council held a joint meeting on Thursday to give the polarized community a chance to weigh in. Lewis Powell, Detective Seneca Shields and Sgt. The police chief of the wealthy Bay Area town of Tiburon has announced his retirement as the community reels over a confrontation between police and . A Tiburon police sergeant was found dead at the department's headquarters of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, the agency said Tuesday. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? Khalif continually declines to do so, stating numerous times that he owns the business and asks, Whats the problem? She stressed the importance to use the incident as a learning step.. said Yema Khalif in a video his friend took. Tiburon police officers are trained and held to the highest standards of conduct. On Aug. 21 at about 1 a.m., police officers confronted the couple, who were inside their shop. Again, Khalif says hell speak to the supervisor, but Madfes insists Khalif is required to give me a lawful reason why youre here.. Town Manager Greg Chanis said Blasi has had several conversations with town officials since the incident. Khalif was also a speaker at the 2018 Belvedere-Tiburon Librarys Pop-Up 94920 series. We do not need to prove to police that we deserve to be at our clothing store way past business hours.. 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.. After Khalif asks four times what happens next if he acknowledges it is, Blasi says Khalif should be grateful that the officers are looking out for his shop. "This particular day we had just received a huge inventory and we just wanted to come out and put the inventory out before Saturday morning," said Khalif. This incident should alarm every resident in Tiburon, wrote Wolf. In the video, Khalif is at the door of his own store talking with a Tiburon police supervisor. Grime, 47, was placed in a hobbling device, binding his handcuffs to ankle restraints behind his back. In the post, 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. 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. Based on this belief, Sgt. He's hoping the recorded interaction will inspire a different conversation. 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 said in an email to town officials. Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more. Thats all we want to know, Blasi says. Tiburon officials say an independent investigation is now underway, which is the reason why officers were not at Thursday's meeting. The first officer stayed behind briefly and again asked Khalif to put his key in the door, though Khalif again declined, saying the matter was settled. I still believe that the person at the head, Chief Cronin, needs to take some responsibility and do the same that Blasi did and step down, Austin said. Im like, wait, did this happen in Tiburon? Khalif replies, No, just doing our thing and asks if theres a problem. A video depicting Tiburon police officers in heated exchange with the owner of the towns only Black-owned business while working late in his downtown shop has sparked outrage in the community. In response to public outcry, Blasi offered his resignation from the Tiburon Police department, which went into effect September 1. D, Tiburon, CA 94920 |. Accountability for our actions is something that everyone should want, doubly so from public servants whose job is to keep us safe, wrote Nate Lee, a Tiburon resident. In it, you can hear officers questioning Khalif multiple times: "Do one of you own the store?". Tiburon police records show that no one called police about suspicious activity at the store, and no alarms had been set off. The governing councils are to hold a joint online Town Hall-Community Forum on Aug. 27. YEMA is the only black owned clothing store in Tiburon, California so many people in our community know who we are. After the video of the incident was posted on Yemas Instagram and went viral, discussion caught like wildfire across social media platforms. In 1999 the department moved into its current location at 1155 Tiburon Blvd. Critics of Khalif say he was argumentative and antagonizing the officers from the start, and that he could have just showed his ID and quickly ended the incident. Awash characterized the conversation as positive. On Aug. 21, Khalif issued a statement on the companys Facebook page explaining what had happened early that morning. 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. Blasi offered, and the town has accepted, his voluntary resignation." TIBURON, Calif. - A Tiburon couple who own a clothing store is accusing police of racially profiling them. September 8, 2020 / 7:45 PM In these conversations, Sergeant Blasi expressed his love for Tiburon and described the deep connection he developed during his time serving the community, Chanis wrote in a message to residents. Cronin said he wasnt aware of Blasis involvement in the Grime case when the department hired him last year. 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. 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. He said he was surrounded by officers who told him they were responding to a call about a person touching peoples cars.. Two Black merchants who allege racial profiling by police in Tiburon and Belvedere are demanding $2 million from the municipalities. Pac-12 media rights: Our (final) predictions for the revenue, media partners, expansion decisions and more, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Police Chief Michael Cronin said the town has engaged the services of an independent attorney to conduct an investigation into the incident. 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. If I tell you its my store, then what? Khalif asks in the video. Ste. I sat in on these interviews, but did not participate, Chanis said. 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. 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 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. The department is open to the public. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? ORIGINAL STORY: Tiburon police demand Black business owner prove who he is, Two videos show an officer saying, "This street closes at 9 o'clock at night and there's never anybody in here. I do not have to show you nothing! replied Khalif. After another shop owner yelled at police, telling them the couple did own the store, the officers left. 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. His accomplishment was widely covered in the TV and print media, including in The Ark. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? 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. Then show me its your store, Blasi responds. He did not comment on whether officers will face disciplinary actions pending the outcome of the investigation. DeSantis coming to CA as new poll shows him leading Trump, Ice flies off SUV, smashing windshield: 'You could kill somebody'. The shop owners filed a $2 million claim against the town. Michael Blasi, was, 2022 The Ark, AMMI Publishing Co. Inc. | 1550 Tiburon Blvd. Khalif posted the video to Instagram. TIBURON, Calif. . VIDEO: Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF, "There was nothing suspicious about their activity," says one person. Imply my husband is a freak 's meeting can hear officers questioning Khalif multiple times: `` do of! 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