how to communicate the youth -- with the youth and to approach them in a way where it is not threatening. where the police do not feel respected, but that does not mean that we have committed any crime. we hope that we can work together on this. thank you for your time. >> good evening, board of supervisors, commissioners, community members. my name is -- i am from -- i think that the police and the youth have to develop a better bond. it is up to us all to make our city a better place. even though this is what the police are supposed to do, many young people feel otherwise. we feel harassment and racism from the police. i have personally experienced different things with the police, and one time it got out of hand that i found myself slashed over a car with a police

stick to my neck because me and my friends were being, quote, too loud, but i thought we were being judged by the neighborhood we were in, our race, and the fact that we were young people. they were thinking everything i was doing was back talking. it was a horrible experience, and no youth should have to go through this. i have seen this happen to others. things like this can make you have pre-judgment on the police just as the police have on us. many of us do not feel safe with the police, and that needs to change. i feel that if we come together and work together, other youth will work together. to feel safe and be trusted. we need to make sure they are being trained properly, and we

need to be more educated about our rights. otherwise, this gap will continuously grow. thank you for your time. president mazzucco: thank you. >> my name is charles, and i m eight freshmen at the academy of arts and sciences. a couple of months ago, my cousin was in a car with his friends, and they were known as, quote, gang members because they all hang out in a group, and they are scary looking guys. and the police pulled them over, and for years now, the police have not like my cousin, and they pulled him over, and they recognized him, so they assumed there were guns and drugs in the car, so they searched the car, and when they could not find anything, the police officer but my cousin over the car, put him in handcuffs and said, "i hope i find you in a dark alley, because then i will finish you."

these types of accidents -- incidents should not happen. every day, we have uncertainty that our cousin is not going to come back through the door or that if he does, he will be hurt or will just not come back. i feel that if the young in san francisco are trained better to know their rights, this could have been prevented, and i also feel that if the san francisco police department troops were trained better, -- thank you. president mazzucco: thank you. >> hello, my name is mark armstrong, and i am 17 and attends a downtown high school. my involvement with the police as not gone well, even when i am tried to talk to them nicely. when you have power, you are not supposed to take it to a different level, a certain

limit, and i have felt that the stuff i have seen against the police every day, instead of talking to them, they just want to be orderly harass them and arrest them instead of talking to them -- they just want to brutally harass them. the police protecting us. if you are here to protect us, then you should start protecting and not resting innocent people. thank you. >> good evening, commissioners, you commissioners, police commissioners. my name is cheryl davis, and i am with the magic zone, western addition. just a couple of things for me. first and foremost, i think all of the different police stations probably have some best practices of ways and they engage with the community and

ways that they engage with the youth. i think it would be great to compile that and get some things that are working at those police stations. i know that for us in the western addition, what has been great, whether it was different captains throughout all of this time, it has been a partnership and the ability for service providers and other folks to be able to work with them to share their calendars to make sure that the police are there at the different events and communities so that we are building relationships on the ongoing basis. another thing is, and someone mentioned about a mentoring program, and i think it is really sad for us in the western addition that the captain has had to take on the responsibility of taking young african-american men, young boys, who are interested in the criminal-justice system or the police system and wanting to pursue that as a career, that the captain has taken that responsibility on.

i would like to see more if not men of color other men to step up and to be role models and mentors and take people out to lunch or meet with them after school. and in the of the thing is, i was grateful last year when the police departments started the team formed and began having these meetings with the captain and that they continued. i just think that having these meetings and these hearings are great, but it is not going to be solved tonight, and i'd love to see people participate in this forms in a continuum and that we make some progress with the recommendations made and that there be some follow-through and that it not just be a meeting that serves no purpose. thank you. >> good evening. my name is commissioner allen, with the san francisco housing authority and the bayview ymca. i am here to speak a little bit about my experiences with the

san francisco police. it looks like i am one of the last to go, so what i will say is in my capacity working with, interacting -- it is two different scenarios. one is broader during community events and things we put on from the ymca. there was one in august. over 200 participants in it, residents from the community came by and supported it. the police were there. they participated in our softball tournament. another one is we went on a tour of san francisco state university with adults and one of the officers, and it is going pretty well. it goes good. the officer who comes by and participate on his own time with our adult leagues, we played basketball, he comes in and

plays as part of the open gym during the day, and a couple of officers have done that. it has been pretty good so far. it is really good to see a guy come out on his own time, step up, and kind of participate and see what is going on in the community and get to know people on a first hand basis. officer jason johnson is to is, and he comes by a lot. he is nice to us and treated us well. it sees us on the streets, and he sees us in the community, and i feel pretty safe with them. i know these guys have a tough job out there. they get all the praise and the of the stuff that goes along with it. you guys are doing some nice work. we hope you take this information and come up with something next. thanks. president mazzucco: thank you.

>> good evening. i am a counselor at abraham lincoln. i am here to speak in favor of the sfpd and taravel that is nearby, and i have been collaborating with the sro's but are currently serving our schools and a partnership to build a program that is either summer or after-school based. it started as of this past academic year, and i think it is a strong partnership that came from that department, someone coming to our office in the honor of helping the young people that they serve on a regular basis with the idea of expanding the program beyond just lincoln and other schools in the entire san francisco bay area through the sro officers. the program was focused on leadership. it started this summer. it was a great experience. it targeted students that were

middle ground students that otherwise would not a have received leadership skills or like skills. they are kind of borderline. they are talking about why it is we have so many youth out and about, maybe not have an opportunity is everywhere all over the city, not just at lincoln, and we want to make sure that they stay motivated and focused, because that is them predominantly. the idea is that they are definitely trying to make an effort, particularly at the station, to make this happen. thank you very much. president mazzucco: thank you. >> good evening, commissioners. thank you for the opportunity. my name is dennis. i am with the san francisco unified school district for 30 years. currently, i am a principal at an elementary school and a former principal at another middle school, and i worked at a high school. just to let you know, i

graduated from balboa, class of 1971. what i want to say to both sides is i have seen very good programs work where the police officers and the young people, where it does work together. i think that education is the key. as a principal of an elementary school, i see a lot of our parents, "if you do not be it, the police will come and take you to jail." if that is the attitude the children already have that perception of police of a sears, but they will think is the only thing police can do is take them to jail -- children already have that perception of police officers. let's do something to bridge this gap. so we have police officers, and give lectures in the class and let the children know that a

police officer is human, that he is only human, and he has family. we also have the kids go to central station on a field trip, so now the kids are no longer afraid, and what they do is respect authority. so what we have is that kids know that the police are not just there to take them to jail. and not all of the police officers have the temperament to work with kids. just keep that in mind. thank you. president mazzucco: thank you. >> good evening, commissioners, board of supervisors, and the youth commission. my name is -- scott. i in the co-founder of a support group. i represent over 300 plus families here in san francisco who have lost children to gun violence and violence period.

we have mothers in our group who have lost three and four children to violence. i lost my youngest son to violence july 17, 1996. with him, prior to missing is live, on police communications and development and relationships with police officers way back then. he was the product of the omega boys club, and i am here to talk about the youth and the relationships. in the healing circle, we need twice a month. we are meeting tomorrow night at the baptist church. we provide a platform and a forum where you can go and speak. we're left ones lost. they also had input on how to develop better communications and relationships between them. we are working on building

relationships with the public defender's office and the police department and the district attorney's office, because all of those entities work together. that is what we need to do. they need to be informed on how it works and that you work for us but we work with you. at the same time, i applaud all of the young people who spoke here tonight about their rights and they're wanting to have a better relationship with the police department, because right now, our youth are hurting, and hurt people hurt people. we do not want any more fatalities this summer. i know i do not. we have worked with mothers from back east, and already, i can tell you, in philadelphia, there are already six or seven homicides. we do not want to have that happen in san francisco. i am here to be supportive of the u.s. commission, the police commission, the department, that

we can all work together to make this happen. bank. president mazzucco: thank you very much. >> i am erica, a principal at a school, and my job is to fold. it is the safety of the 2100 students that i am in charge of every day and to assure their academic success. in my over 18 years in the san francisco unified school district, my experience with the san francisco police officers has always been positive and in alignment with the goals of the school. many of the officers have volunteered to be in the school and our officers who truly want them to succeed in school, whether it is through the youth fishing program, the wilderness program, or the newly formed future graduate program by chief suhr with the school resource officers. i have seen countless positive contact among them.

recently, the captain brought the future graduate program to washington high school to bring the message about staying in school and graduated. when short story that an sro rigney recently -- one short story. he sought out an officer and told him that although the interaction had been firm but caring, he never smoked again after the officer talked to him. i want to point out that officers not only do their jobs that they are trained to as a police officer, but they also counseled students. i have other store is a positive contact with students that we are possibly through their positive behavior on campus, students have turned their lives around. the interaction between officers and students billed as the officers are on campus more and more and can build a relationship of trust and trusting the police.

many students just want to know when officer and have the safety of knowing an officer and asking them questions about how to be an officer. i strongly support the sfpd be in conjunction with the youth group. thank you. >> good evening, commissioners. my name is barnaby. i am honored to be the principle of abraham lincoln high school animals a graduate of public schools. my whole life. i am here to express gratitude to the police department in the neighborhood, who despite budget cuts have continued to find a school car that serves the west side schools. two of the officers are here this evening. the officers are immediately available to the school, to school officials, through their personal cell phones. in fact, i have all three of them on the speed dial in my

phone right now. most often, when we call the school car for a situation on campus, the officers have been sensitive to the needs of students and their families and have been more than willing to mentor and resolve conflicts among students. most often, the officers being involved results and no police action or not having to take police action. in fact, one officer was there about three hours this week working with conflicts. when we request the officers to be at our school events, they almost always find up to supervise those events. for example, dances and sporting events. one officer here, he went to our dance last month. last friday night, he was at lincoln for our chinese club karaoke night, so from that perspective, i am strongly in favor of the school car model, which allows officers to be in

schools, as members of the school community along with parents, alumni, students, and staff. thank you very much. >> and good evening to all of you, i work for san francisco state. i coordinate the kids and cops program. i want to thank the police department for their continual support and the chief for encouraging his captains, no matter how busy and understaffing are, to send out officers for a relationship building program, even reading books to children as young as three. one such officer is here tonight, for the past six weeks, he lent his wednesday evening to read to children at the bayview elementary school. and i have watched the relationship between him and the kids grow. seeing them to the first day, is he here to arrest us,

questions, too where is he, is he coming soon? hopefully, with your encouragement and with the use actually wanting to work with them, we can build more relationships. and even at a young age, we can work together. please in courage of the youth and the police officers to talk to the use. thank you. >> good evening, i am a long- time resident in district 10. as a retired public school teacher of the san francisco unified school district in the city college of san francisco, it is the dream of teachers like me to see young folks like you doing such meaningful work. and what an impressive representation tonight. you should give yourself a big

hand for that. you get more used to be involved in your inspirational works. i have been working with neighborhood leaders as a community advisory board from the asian pacific island police, and the bay view police station. we are thankful that under the leadership and hard work of captains and officers, there has been a big dent in crime in san francisco. it is the concern that i am here to thank them and the san francisco police department. for many years, members of the police department have conducted a christmas toy drives her children in san francisco. it consists of several public events where toys and funds are collected and distributed to children in public housing, low-

income neighborhoods, and neighborhoods in the. i want to thank the chief going to the different schools and the golden rule that it just makes sense for everyone to be kind to everyone else. it is a simple message that is meaningful and inspirational to everyone, regardless of age. >> hello, commissioners. i am the executive director of the 43-year-old non-profit in the south of market, and one of our programs is four k-12. and because we are located in one of the not so nice neighborhoods, i have always had nightmares about one of our kids being molested, kidnapped, a

golden. we came up with this child safety program. about four months ago, i invited the police to brief our students about how to protect themselves when they are going home or coming from school. i almost fell out of my chair, because they came to talk to my kids. to tell my kids about what to do if they are being accosted in the street, how to be safe, how to wear backpacks, how to keep your cellphone when someone is demanding it. and more importantly, the response of the safe haven program. it is designed to increase the safety of our kids, and i like

to show you. if you're ever walking on market street, if you see a side like this, it means is safe for you to go inside the establishment because the store owner agrees to shelter use of you will be safe. >> i am a teacher at letter of elementary and the mission district. i am here in support of the wilderness program. the officer has come to our school for years now, and my students love it. i don't know if you ever got to go on that truck, it is a special trip that they get to go on. i think i had to out of the five class's ever been to angel

island. it gives them an opportunity to meet an officer. he has his gun on him, they ask questions and it is an awesome opportunity for them to build a different kind of relationship. he comes back, they are excited to see him in the hallway. he has become a fixture. it is also a great blank his advances though history, if you are involved with education at all, yet of the experiential living is the best you can do. it builds community when we go there. i want to say that the wilderness program as a valuable tool in terms of building the relationship. i hope that it gets to stick around. >> i noticed some of the school resource officers are here tonight.

when it be possible to introduce some of the resource officers before they go? for budgetary reasons, we can't have everybody, but the public may be can see our school resource officers? all of you? please introduce yourself and what station you work at home. >> we will get back to public comment once we get through the introductions. >> it is a pleasure to be here. i am currently at mission station. i have had a great honor of being a resource officer for the past 10 years in serving as liaison for the district. thank you for bringing us all together. i am honored and proud, especially of young people.

hong >>-the school resource officer at the central district. >> i work at the end of outside police station. and i have been on and off for about 12 years. >> in both sides addition, i have been doing it for about three years. it is good to see you guys out here voicing your opinion. we are willing to listen. >> thank you for having me. i have a resource officer in the bayview district. it has been three years. >> have a liaison officer with the boys and girls club. thank you. >> thank you for coming tonight.

[applause] >> i apologize if my messages kind of a fire and brimstone message. i have questions at the end of the police commissioner wants to respond. i heard the youth commission chair said this meeting is the best way to hear from youth and the best way to revise the mayor on issues concerning the use. how what to say that i disagree. i will leave that at that. we have to remember, upholding the loving relationship is not official police business and not what they get paid for. our youth is under the false

pretense that the police is here to be your friend. that is a very colorful notion, but it is not true. the police officers duty is to serve and present -- to protect members of their jurisdiction. this is a dangerous, risky, and most of the time impossible task. that they render impoverished communities, they probably wouldn't be so anxious to develop relationships that often times come to an end when an officer of this takes one's demeanor or person. we should tell the use of the truth. you can't assure that all of their ideas and their issues will be addressed because you have a hard and dangerous job to do. i have 15 seconds, what i really want to say is t