tv Mayors Press Availability SFGTV July 20, 2022 2:00pm-3:01pm PDT
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>> we get have to get to help them. >> >> good afternoon everyone and thank you so much for the warm welcome for the next district attorney for san francisco brooke jenkins. [applause] you know, going through this process really reminded me of just how resilient we are as a city. when i think about what we've been through over the years, whether it's earthquakes, a
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global pandemic, i put the challenges of what we experienced during those times as we went through changes and challenges to what was happening in our city and how despite those issues, we persevered. and i want to also be clear that there is a lot of reddick out there about criminal justice reform, and how we're going to be setback. but let me tell you, that is not going to happen. [applause] i talked to so many people all over the city. i talked to folks who have
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never been politically engaged. i talked to people who cared deeply about what they've seen happen in san francisco. and you know what i appreciate so much about the spirit of the people who are part of this amazing city? is time and time again, despite even being victims of crime and experiencing challenges with our criminal justice system, they have said, time and time again yes, we want accountability but we also don't want to abandon our valleys to reform our criminal justice system so that it is fairer and it provides the safety that we need in a city like san francisco. so i want to thank all of you because i see many of you in
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the audience here today. the people who took time to talk to me and to engage with my office in this process. of the people who spent countless hours doing their homework and trying to figure out what is the best path for san francisco. this was not just my decision alone, this came about because of the input of people who were supporters and opposition of everything that was going on because it's important. that despite who supported or who opposed, at the end of the day this district attorney represents all san franciscoians. [cheers and applause] so you're going to meet her in a moment. but let me just say, to also those candidates who put themselves out there.
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i want to really acknowledge and recognize and thank supervisor catherine stephanie for being here today. [cheers and applause] this was a very hard decision and supervisor stephanie thank you so much for your courage, your work and your love for this city and we appreciate you so much. and i also want to thank another candidate who is joining us today here today who is an extra san franciscoians, nancy tung. [cheers and applause]
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nancy has worked tirelessly for years to help give a voice to victims in san francisco. and we are so grateful for her work and her commitment to the city so thank you so much for being here. we have term limits, we're not guaranteed these positions, it's up to the voters to decide in any event and so when we're the gate keepers in the roles, we have an obligation, an obligation to be there for the people of the city. and what i said what i heard time and time again, we want a prosecutor.
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we want somebody who has compassion. we want somebody who understand the challenges what it feels like to not only be a victim but being on the receiving end of being wrongfully committed of a crime. growing up in the city, i know both sides. i know both sides too well and i've seen the dysfunction and the disparities that exist in the criminal justice system even today. so i didn't take this decision lightly and the fact is, when meeting and talking to brooke and hearing her understanding of the issues and the balance that she brings to the table, i am so proud that she stepped
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up, she put her career on the line because not only did she care about safety and the future of this city for her own family, she cared about it for all san franciscoians. [applause] as somebody who has had to prosecutor for sexual assault, for issues around domestic violence, somebody who has had to deal with hate crimes and homicides, the stories i've heard of victims, the issues that exist i know firsthand that she has the ability to look at these cases, to work with a strong team and to come up with a decision where it makes sense for the case making sure that the victim is a part
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of the decision every step of the way. making sure, making sure that when we have people who arrested multiple times, eventually there has to be consequences. when we know somebody has mental health issues, the fact is, there are things that need to be done within our criminal justice system when they cross that line to help get them the support and services that they need. there is not an easy solution to each of these individual case. there is not a one size fits all. and let me tell you, i'm confident and i am trusting and trust brooke jenkins to make the right decisions in the cases with the right team of prosecutors and community members by her side.
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[cheers and applause] we know that there are challenges in this city. and let me tell you, again when i think about those mothers who have lost their children in the city to gun violence, more so disproportionately in the african community. i know brooke jenkins understands and will address those issues fairly. when i think about the grandmothers in the asian community who i see as my grandmother too, i know that she understands those issues and will deal with them appropriately. i know that the challenges around the people who we lost in the city to fentanyl overdoses is something that she will address appropriately so.
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[applause] we've been through a lot in the city, and there is not one person that is going to fix this. but there is a strong d.a. that will take over and will do everything she can to ensure safety, accountability and justice. [cheers and applause] so before we get to the swearing in ceremony, i want to introduce a few speakers that have firsthand knowledge about brooke and her work in the district attorney's office who are going to give you the stories of their experiences. ronny sing, who worked as a prosecutor in the district attorney's office and currently now working in the sheriff's department.
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edward silva, somebody who will tell you his story about how brooke impacted his life. and finally, commissioner larry ye who served as a commissioner for the police department. and before, ronny comes up, i want to also say something that is so many people in this community said to me that they wanted to see. yes, we want police accountability but we also want a district attorney that can work with the police department. and [applause] that can work with the sheriff's department. that can work with the board of supervisors that can work with the mayor. [cheers and applause]
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time forefinger pointing and blaming other people is over! [cheers and applause] we have got in the interest of public safety, in the interest of turning things around in our city, we have to put the political reddick behind us and work together and move forward to get our city on the right path. [cheers and applause] and with that, i want to thank you all of you for being here today. and i want to ask each of the speakers to come up before we swear in our next district attorney. thank you all so much.
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>> standing room only, has how we like it in san francisco. welcome everybody, i'm going to start by saying, there is no crying in city hall so i'm going to try to do this without shedding a tear. about 7 and a half years ago in then the hall of justice, third floor which has since been closed. i heard a voice coming down the hall, a loud one that equally matched mine. and the chief gave me a file, and said, ronny i volunteer for the mentor program and here's your mentee and it was none other than our district attorney brooke. and those who know me, know me
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as auntie, or pain in the you know what if i'm managing you. but needless to say, it's been an honor and privilege and blessing to mentor brooke. she has been become more a mentee, she has become part of my family. she rows the ranks of the district attorney's office like a shining star. she always balanced, judgment, accountability, and progress. and i want to say something about this term, progressive prosecutor. the order inprogressive means moving forward, going forward, sinking innovatively and that's who brooke is. brooke was a staunch supporter of the collaboratives when i managed the courts for six years. she would bring me tough cases and put them on my desk and
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say, ronny, take a look, i think this is one that deserves a chance. so when mayor breed so eloquently put that the city of san francisco believes in accountability, but also giving chances, she could not have made a better selection in a district attorney than brooke jenkins. [applause] now i have to say a special shout out to my current boss, sheriff miamoto who has let me continue to mentor brooke and when she left the office, she didn't tell me she was going to join the recall. she told me the day after she joined, and it was the first time in 8 years that she kept a secret from me and now i know why. because she had to be brave
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beyond belief, but somewhat silent in her conviction until she made that choice. and let me tell you, she put it all on the line and i'm not going to cry. and she did what few people have the courage to do, she stood up for what was right. she stood up for the 100s of prosecutors that left that office because they couldn't do the work in good conscience, because they didn't believe in some of the implementation of some of the policies and they believed in public safety and they believed in criminal justice reform but not at the expense of victims. not at the expense of business owners, not at the expense of owners and renters of property. and that's why brooke
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understands the daunting task she has ahead of her. brooke is a prosecutor, can be described as courageous, professional, strong in her conviction and empathetic. but more importantly, brooke is a human being can be described as loving, fair, trust worthy and loyal. you cannot get a better accommodation, a better symmetry of personality traits, a more fierce advocate for every person in the room regardless of your political convictions, because brooke will hear uno matter what. so i'm proud to call you friend, i'm proud that i've had the opportunity to see you grow, and i'm so excited to call you the next district attorney of san francisco.
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>> hello everyone i'm edward silva. two years ago, on easter holiday, both my daughters and my life changed by a senseless act of violence where my daughter's mother was brutally murdered. brooke was the assistant district attorney on the case. the trial took place last summer in 2021. if not for brooke's hard work and diligence in seeking justice, the defendant in this case may not have been found guilty because of brooke, the defendant was found guilty. my daughters and i are forever grateful for how brooke handled the case. thank you so much, brooke. [applause]
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>> honorable mayor, distinguished guest i'm here to speak for brooke as a new district attorney. let's give it up for her! [cheers and applause] i met brooke during her campaign for and recall. and i answered, i asked my niece, i said do you know brooke because you work in the district attorney and she said, yes i do. she is one of the smartest attorney in that office and i'm looking forward to serving us here in the community. but again, in our community it's throughout the whole city, it's not just northbeach china town.
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engel side here in san francisco. we need to keep it safer for us, for our grand, so we're looking forward to working with her and in the police department as we talked to our outgoing district attorney and when he did come before us and we did ask a question, it's one of the question that touched me in my heart, it was why did you release the person? after he shot somebody and almost killed the person. and his answer was, it's not me, it's the other police department. and i look again to brooks, to bring us out of this darkness and make it better and safer
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for us. making sure that we're accountable for both the victim and the offenders and making it safe for all us here. so i'm looking forward to great day right here, i'm waiting for this and going forward, i thank you again mayor london breed, thank you! [cheers and applause] >> i want to thank our he likted officials including thank you so much for being here. thank you to our bart board member, leticia, we appreciate you very much.
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thank you to our treasurer jose, our fire chief nickel son and our police chief phil scott. [cheers and applause] i want to thank our assesser, joaquin torres and my grandma, that's my grandma y'all. and i want to give a shout out to the former mayor of san francisco who comes time and time again trying to get his job back, mayor willie brown. [cheers and applause] thank you to our school board members who are joining here today and our city attorney david shu and now i'm done with
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all of that because i know people in the audience and people from our district attorney, judges, and commissioners and our community. i'm so grateful that all of you took the time off your schedule to be here because i know how important this is for you. and now it is time to swear in brooke jenkins, and doing so as a presiding judge for the city of san francisco, judge hanes. [cheers and applause] >> raise your righted hand, repeat after me. i. >> i. brooke jenkins.
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do solemnly swear and affirm. >> that that i will support and defend, the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the state of california, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the constitution of the united states and the state of california. that i take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. that i will well and faithfully discharge, the duties upon which i am about to enter and during such times as i hold the
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office of district attorney for the city and county of san francisco. congratulations. [cheers and applause] >> thank you, thank you, thank you for being here. and like my big sis and mentor ronny said, no tears today even if they're tears of joy. i want to again thank mayor london breed for giving me the honor of serving this city as
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your next district attorney. i know that she gave a lot of thought to this decision and that there were several other very qualified candidates, candidates that are sitting in this room right now. and i am truly humbled by this opportunity and i want to thank nancy and catherine for being here and i want you to both to know that i hope we can continue our work because i will need your help. i first knew i wanted to be a lawyer when i was ten years old watching the mat lock show, that's how old i am. but as a child, you don't know what law that is it's just something you like. so when i first set foot in the
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university of chicago law school, i didn't know what kind of lawyer i wanted to be. and i got sent down a path of civil law that lasted about 20 years. and it was in 2013 dha my husband and i found out that we were pregnant with our first child and you can imagine the excitement. we found out that it was a little boy, who we decided to name justice. later that year, i gave birth to justice and he tragically died shortly after his birth. it was in the search for my life purpose after losing my son that i decided to become a prosecutor. while justice had died from natural causes, i felt that the
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loss that i had experienced and the pain that i was feeling was the same as a mother who was having to bury her son from gun violence. ttsz a feeling that you cannot describe and it was from that point forward that i was committed to serving my community and victims. and in 2014, i joined the san francisco district attorney's office and since the day i set foot in that office, i have been dedicated to fighting for justice, to being an advocate for victims and for being a fair prosecutor to whoever sat in the defendant's chair. as i said yesterday, unfortunately, we have reached a tipping point in san francisco. never in my 8 years of working in criminal justice have i ever
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heard san franciscoians express the level that they feel about the lack of safety in our city. never have i heard and i was shocked to hear that crime and safety surpassed the concern over covid in the last two years. and we all know how concerning covid has been. the paramount mission of the district attorney's office is to promote public safety and we cannot forget that. as a district attorney, i plan to restore the accountability and criminal justice that has been lost in san francisco. [cheers and applause] violence and repeat offenders can no longer be allowed to victimize this city without any
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consequence. our asian community can no longer be feeling scared to move about our city and conduct their most daily functions without a volunteer escort or without worrying if they're going to be attacked. that must end now. [cheers and applause] san francisco is the city built on the american dream, we know that we are a vibrant and community that comes from all over this world because people know that san francisco is a place that is welcoming to everyone. and we have to restore that to san francisco. it has to be a city that
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continues to be accepting, and respectful of everyone regardless of who you are or where he come from. [cheers and applause] we can no longer turn a blind eye to the gun violence going on in our black community here. the families of this violence deserve justice. it is almost two years ago that my husband's cuss inwas murdered. the day before his murder, 6-year-old jason young was killed. i can never forget jason young's father saying, that he always knew that we as black people were disadvantaged as people but never expected to
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suffer that disadvantage as a victim. we can no longer allow this continue, no parent should have to bury their child and feel that they are alone in their pursuit of justice. [cheers and applause] we vow pursuing justice for victims that is our job. we must end the open air drug markets and take back our streets and our neighborhood. [cheers and applause] starting today, drug laws will be enforced in this city.
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we know the large percentage of children that live in the tineder loin and they should not have to pass through drug dealing, they should not have to endure drug violence and they should not have to see people die of overdose as they walk to school. with my years of experience as a hate crime prosecutor in the sexual unit, i do believe that i'm uniquely prepared to address the type of serious crime problems that we're facing in san francisco. but it's not just violent crime that has to be our priority, no longer will we dismiss certain crimes like drug dealing because we know better.
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chalk that up as a part of big city life. these crimes affect us all, they affect our quality of life and they affect for many who own businesses here, their livelihoods. this is a world renowned city that we live in and we must restore it to what we know it can be. [applause] a city that is safe for everyone. now, i'm hoping that everybody in this room and across the city will get to know me, and get to know me not as a face of recall campaign for the previous d.a., there have been a lot of miss conceived notions about what i stood for when i
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fought to help us restore san francisco. i want to be clear that holding offenders accountability does not mean that we cannot move forward with progressive criminal justice reform. [cheers and applause] as a black and latino women i have seen firsthand the inequities that exist in our criminal justice system. i've had family members charged with crime even in this very city. i've had family members receive sentences that would be more fitting for murder. for selling drugs. my family has seen and felt the impact of police misconduct and violence. the inequity in our criminal justice system is not something i read in a book or learned in
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a classroom, it's part of my lived experience and it's a part of why i decide today do this work to bring more fairness into this system so that when we decide what is appropriate in a case it's not because of what what somebody looks like or where they came from, it's just in that situation. and ensure that everybody who comes into this system is treated fairly. i'm determined to enhancing the programs that serve as alternatives to incarceration so we can ghetto fenders serious of turning their lives around a second chance.
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i'm dedicated to creating programs that can serve as alternative to incarceration. one thing that i'll be dedicated to is developing an alternative court for female offenders. because we know that it's often trauma and certain circumstances that lead women to engage in crime and we need to allow them to address those issues are and not just lock them up. as a return to tough on crime but i want to be clear that accountability and justice come in many forms.
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for some accountability may have to be prison but for the majority of people it may be something else. and i want to make sure that every resource is available to us in san francisco and greater bay area to give offenders a chance to change their lives so we don't continue to have people committing crimes and recycling back into the system. [cheers and applause] justice and safety for all. but i cannot do it alone, i see so many of my former colleagues and now, current colleagues from san francisco d.a.'s
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of you and i want you to know that i will be alongside every step of the way as you do your job. i vow to balance what we need to to move this system to become more fair and make sure that every single one of us when we walk out the doors don't have to look over our shoulders and don't have to step over somebody where you're concerned if they're dying. don't have to worry about being attacked for the way you look or are that we will work tirelessly to keep you safe. and it will be a monumental task. so i ask today for your support, in this effort, i ask
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that you give me a chance to get to know me and what my vision is for the san francisco district attorney's office and for san francisco and that, as i go through each community to find out what you're unique challenges are and unique problems that you're facing that you be honest with me and you tell me what we can do to support you and to make things better because i will listen to each and every one of you. and together we will make san francisco, stronger, safer and a for just place for everyone. [cheers and applause]
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>> thank you again for joining us. our new district attorney brooke jenkins will stick around for a little bit. she does have to go to work today. so i ask for your patience and understanding. we'll try to get to people as much as we can but she will be pulled out eventually. but there will be opportunities throughout the course of the time to say hi and hopefully help support her efforts but we thank you all for coming. and let's hear it for the current district attorney, brooke jenkins.
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and done their magnificent work to extinguish the fire, we go through the fire scene and we are able to find how the fire started. just showing up, being who you are can mean a world of difference to someone. when someone sees you as an identifiably queer person, an identifiable female presenting person or a person of color walk into their home, they can feel more comfortable and more trusting just knowing that you are around and that you may have some insight into their situation and to their community needs that others may not have. the san francisco fire department i'm proud to say goes out of its way to recruit women, minorities, and to the
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lgbtq+ community, we are awaiting you and wanting you to come join us as a san francisco fire department. no one is going to represent us like you are going to represent us. no one is going to care for our communities and for our departments like you are going to come and represent our communities and our departments. i am a proud black queer member of the san francisco fire department and i'm especially proud to be part of an organization that respects and values our diverse communities in san francisco. [♪♪]
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my name is doctor ellen moffett, i am an assistant medical examiner for the city and county of san francisco. i perform autopsy, review medical records and write reports. also integrate other sorts of testing data to determine cause and manner of death. i have been here at this facility since i moved here in november, and previous to that at the old facility.
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i was worried when we moved here that because this building is so much larger that i wouldn't see people every day. i would miss my personal interactions with the other employees, but that hasn't been the case. this building is very nice. we have lovely autopsy tables and i do get to go upstairs and down stairs several times a day to see everyone else i work with. we have a bond like any other group of employees that work for a specific agency in san francisco. we work closely on each case to determine the best cause of death, and we also interact with family members of the diseased. that brings us closer together also. >> i am an investigator two at the office of the chief until examiner in san francisco. as an investigator here i investigate all manners of death that come through our
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jurisdiction. i go to the field interview police officers, detectives, family members, physicians, anyone who might be involved with the death. additionally i take any property with the deceased individual and take care and custody of that. i maintain the chain and custody for court purposes if that becomes an issue later and notify next of kin and make any additional follow up phone callsness with that particular death. i am dealing with people at the worst possible time in their lives delivering the worst news they could get. i work with the family to help them through the grieving process. >> i am ricky moore, a clerk at the san francisco medical examiner's office. i assist the pathology and toxicology and investigative team around work close with the families, loved ones and funeral
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establishment. >> i started at the old facility. the building was old, vintage. we had issues with plumbing and things like that. i had a tiny desk. i feet very happy to be here in the new digs where i actually have room to do my work. >> i am sue pairing, the toxicologist supervisor. we test for alcohol, drugs and poisons and biological substances. i oversee all of the lab operations. the forensic operation here we perform the toxicology testing for the human performance and the case in the city of san francisco. we collect evidence at the scene. a woman was killed after a robbery homicide, and the dna collected from the zip ties she was bound with ended up being a
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cold hit to the suspect. that was the only investigative link collecting the scene to the suspect. it is nice to get the feedback. we do a lot of work and you don't hear the result. once in a while you heard it had an impact on somebody. you can bring justice to what happened. we are able to take what we due to the next level. many of our counterparts in other states, cities or countries don't have the resources and don't have the beautiful building and the equipmentness to really advance what we are doing. >> sometimes we go to court. whoever is on call may be called out of the office to go to various portions of the city to investigate suspicious deaths. we do whatever we can to get our job done. >> when we think that a case has a natural cause of death and it
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turns out to be another natural cause of death. unexpected findings are fun. >> i have a prior background in law enforcement. i was a police officer for 8 years. i handled homicides and suicides. i had been around death investigation type scenes. as a police officer we only handled minimal components then it was turned over to the coroner or the detective division. i am intrigued with those types of calls. i wondered why someone died. i have an extremely supportive family. older children say, mom, how was your day. i can give minor details and i have an amazing spouse always willing to listen to any and all details of my day. without that it would be really hard to deal with the negative
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components of this job. >> being i am a native of san francisco and grew up in the community. i come across that a lot where i may know a loved one coming from the back way or a loved one seeking answers for their deceased. there are a lot of cases where i may feel affected by it. if from is a child involved or things like that. i try to not bring it home and not let it affect me. when i tell people i work at the medical examiners office. what do you do? the autopsy? i deal with the enough and -- with the administrative and the families. >> most of the time work here is very enjoyable. >> after i started working with dead people, i had just gotten
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married and one night i woke up in a cold sweat. i thought there was somebody dead? my bed. i rolled over and poked the body. sure enough, it was my husband who grumbled and went back to sleep. this job does have lingering effects. in terms of why did you want to go into this? i loved science growing up but i didn't want to be a doctor and didn't want to be a pharmacist. the more i learned about forensics how interested i was of the perfect combination between applied science and criminal justice. if you are interested in finding out the facts and truth seeking to find out what happened, anybody interested in that has a place in this field. >> being a woman we just need to go for it and don't let anyone fail you, you can't be.
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>> with regard to this position in comparison to crime dramas out there, i would say there might be some minor correlations. let's face it, we aren't hollywood, we are real world. yes we collect evidence. we want to preserve that. we are not scanning fingerprints in the field like a hollywood television show. >> families say thank you for what you do, for me that is extremely fulfilling. somebody has to do my job. if i can make a situation that is really negative for someone more positive, then i feel like i am doing the right thing for i am doing the right thing for
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is r. my name is debra alvarez rodriguez. i'm the deputy director in san francisco. my background is one in which i have spent the entirety of my life committed to finding solution to poverty and addressing the issues of inequity so people and communities can have accesses to resources and financial freedom. one thing true anode dear to my heart was the power of business ownership in creating pathways to financial freedom. we have still in infancy. we had over 100 entrepreneurs come and start their businesses. some are food trucks. some are restaurants. some are in farmer's markets and so farther. that's an incredible legacy and record to build upon. this was the perfect
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opportunity for me to come back home, you know, come back to the neighborhood and take my skills and networks and resources and put it backseat in service of the community. given everything with racial reckoning and pandemic it was time for me and everyone else that had the opportunity to leave and get educated to come back home. we have a opportunity to grow our impact in terms of the number of people we serve and how we serve them. we grow our impact in taking the money we make with our entrepreneurs and circulate those resources back interview the community for community development. the third thing is we have a opportunity to have an impact on public policy in terms of the policies and practices the district has been notorious about interms of inequities. all of those are just the
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beginning of what is possible in terms of growth and impact. ♪ [ music ] ♪♪ adjourned. >> shop & dine in the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do their shop & dine in the 49 with within the 49 square miles of san francisco by supporting local services within the neighborhood we help san francisco remain unique successful and vibrant so where will you shop & dine in the 49 my name is jim woods i'm the founder of woods beer company and the proprietor of woods copy k open 2 henry adams what makes us unique is that we're reintegrated brooeg the beer and serving that cross the table
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people are sitting next to the xurpz drinking alongside we're having a lot of ingredient that get there's a lot to do the district of retail shop having that really close connection with the consumer allows us to do exciting things we decided to come to treasure island because we saw it as an amazing opportunity can't be beat the views and real estate that great county starting to develop on treasure island like minded business owners with last week products and want to get on the ground floor a no-brainer for us when you you, you buying local goods made locally our supporting small business those are not created an, an sprinkle scale with all the machines and one person procreating them people are making them by hand as a result more interesting and
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