places, they can make sure there will always be cable cars in san francisco because once they are gone, they are gone. it's the heartbeat of san francisco that founded the cable and the slot and without the cable cars, yeah, we would lose something in san francisco. we would lose part of its heart and soul. it wouldn't be san francisco without cable cars. [bell ringing] . >> good afternoon. we're here today for a virtual town hall regarding an officer involved shooting that occurred on monday, january 27th, 2025 at mission and ninth streets. >> before proceeding i'd like to announce to our viewing audience and listening audience that this town hall is being

translated into spanish, cantonese and american sign language asl. the members of our community who speak those languages without suggesting a premature judgment on the appropriateness of the force used in this incident. today's presentation will include details from an officer involved shooting incident that resulted in the death of 34 year old g. >> s ereck chong and the san francisco police department. >> we recognize that our sworn duty as law enforcement officers imposes no more solemn obligation on us than to honor and respect the sanctity of human life. >> we also know that as police officers we are sometimes required to use force including deadly force at times in the performance of our duties we recognize to that officer involved shootings can have a traumatic effect on members of our communities especially for individuals, their families and loved ones who have suffered traumas of their own in encounters with the criminal justice system wherever it may be. to any of our viewers

experiencing trauma from this incident or from the information or images that we will present during this town hall, please know that help is available to you. you may contact the san francisco department of public health crisis line at (415) 970-3800. the trauma services. >> here's what we hope to accomplish today. first and foremost it is the san francisco police department's aspiration to be a national model of 21st century policing. we work to earn the trust of those we serve by committing to transparency and to the tenets of procedural justice in this process and in town hall presentations. >> procedural justice depends on the legitimacy of police as well as our entire criminal justice system. with these town halls we work to embody the foundational tenets of what procedural justice is all about. we will release the facts known to us at this time about this incident. we will try to do so in a manner that is impartial and

neutral. we will answer questions from members of the public as well as members of the news media. and we will listen to public feedback. acting commander mark im will be presenting the facts of this case in a few minutes. before turning the floor over to him, however, i want to emphasize that this incident is subject to multiple independent and ongoing investigations. as such there may be some information that we cannot release at this time either because the release of certain information is prohibited by law or because the release of certain information could compromise an ongoing investigation or because certain facts have not yet been established with certainty. >> in other words, we are not able to release unconfirmed information. next, acting commander mark emmert presentation will include a detailed verbal narrative of the facts as we know them as well as audio and video content from the officer involved shooting incident cpd officers who responded to the scene were wearing department issued body worn cameras which were activated while they were

on their way to the incident. consistent with our body worn camera policy, the department general order 10.11 you will see body worn camera a bwc video from those officers to multiple perspectives at the san francisco police department. our commitment to support the full transparency has guided our officer involved shooting investigations and town halls for several years now. although our practices pre-date the enactment of many police transparency and accountability laws in california, we believe our approach has remained consistent with the letter and spirit of reforms implemented by senate bill 1421. for police transparency and assembly bill 1506 for police accountability sfp does commitment to transparency in this process will also be reflected in our release of information online. >> videos from this townhall including audio recordings from 911 calls and dispatchers and the video footage i just

mentioned will be posted on spd's website. at san francisco police.org it will remain available there for public viewing. as a reminder all of feed's governing policies and procedures can also be found on our website. >> san francisco police department directives mandate that we release the names of officers from officer involved shootings unless safety concerns argue against disclosure in this matter. we identified no safety concerns and acting commander mark in or released the name of the officer as part of his presentation. now i would like to explain the investigative processes for an officer involved shooting the san francisco police department has had a multi-agency response to the officers involved shooting incidents and each agency's investigation is independent. whenever an officer involved shooting occurs in san francisco involving an off duty san francisco police officer, the following agencies are

immediately notified the spd's investigative services detail or isp is the unit responsible for investigating the events that led up to the officer involved shooting. the spd's internal affairs division or i.e.d. is responsible for conducting an administrative investigation to determine if the officers or officers responsible for the issues are in compliance with the standards and requirements of cpd policy. although the investigations of both cpd units run in parallel ,each has a stake and vested investigative purview and focus . >> each maintains a strict internal firewall to comply with legal standards and requirements. >> the san francisco department of police accountability or dpa conduct an independent administrate of investigation. san francisco voters created dpa as a successor to the office of citizen complaints with their passage of proposition b in the june 2016 election. dpa investigates all pd

incidents in which any of our officers discharge a weapon within the course and scope of their duties and whenever that discharge results in an individual's injury or death. the san francisco district attorney's office independent investigations bureau or ide is responsible for determining the legality of the officer involved shooting. based on their independent investigation and with you. the district attorney of the county of san francisco will make the final decision as to whether the officer involved the officers involved actions comply with the laws of the state of california. all notified agencies, dispatch investigators and appropriate personnel to begin their respective and independent investigation on this incident. finally, i like to point out that we take community feedback very seriously based on the feedback from prior officer involved shooting town halls. >> we will also take questions and answer them to the extent we're able. understanding that this incident remains an ongoing investigation, we will allocate

one hour for public comments and questions. thank you very much for joining us today. and now acting commander mark in the officer involved shooting or i guess discussing this presentation occurred on monday, january 27th, 2025. there are approximately 9:24 p.m. the os was preceded by a shooting that took place earlier on the same day at approximately 4:50 p.m. medics were passing by witnessed a shooting and rendered medical aid along with other bystanders responding officers contacted a witness who was driving northbound on ninth street who observed a male standing over and yelling at another male who was lying on the sidewalk. the witness then saw the male fired several rounds at the male on the ground before walking into 80 one ninth street. after interviewing witnesses and reviewing video surveillance footage from the area, officers tracked the suspect to the sixth floor of

80 one ninth street. during their investigation, officers located the suspect who had barricaded himself inside an apartment while attempting to establish communication with the suspect and placed him under arrest. and as occurred in this presentation you will hear the following police terminology and radio code language commonly used by officers. 221 is a person what they got? 217 is a shooting. 408 is an ambulance. 909 is meet with a citizen. a priority are calls for service that involve serious incidents. these are emergency calls that require a rapid response because there may be an immediate threat to life or a substantial risk of major property loss or damage. blue blue is a term used by officers to alert each other of potential crossfire. bwc is body worn camera crisis hostage negotiations team is often referred to as c h.a. whose members are officers and sergeants who receive specialized training to assist

in resolving incidents. their communications such as crisis and hostage situations barricaded individuals high risk suicide threats and high risk warrant service. critical incident is a life threatening situation that requires a coordinated tactical response in a specific location . examples include barricaded individuals hostage situations and active attacker incidents. a full list of critical incidents can be found in department general order 8.01 dispatches the department of emergency management dispatcher and radio communication system . extended range impact weapon or 40 millimeter launcher is a less lethal force option. specialist team and tactical unit members use this weapon to deploy a projectile such as a 40 millimeter film baton or pepper ball chemical agent. these are designed to temporarily incapacitate an individual kinetic breaching tool or cpt is a specialized

device used to force entry into a locked or reinforced door. specialist or spec is a member of the cpd specialist team which is an encore specialized unit within the special operations bureau consisting of officers and sergeants trained to responding to high priority crimes in progress resolving critical incidents. dignitary protection crowd control waterborne operations and assisting the tactical unit with high risk warrant service . tactical unit often referred to as tac or swat is a full time specialized unit within the special operations bureau trained in responding to high risk incidents. tactical emergency medics or temps are san francisco fire department members embedded within the san francisco police department's tactical unit to immediately render medical aid at the scene of critical incidents. active shooter incidents and high risk warrant services. the precise chronology of this incident is currently under investigation. >> we are still in the very

early stages of an administrative investigation that can take months to complete and our understanding of the incident may change as additional evidence is collected and reviewed. the items presented are approximate. the following is a summary of the events as they are understood today and may evolve as further information is learned through the investigation. as of february 4th 2025 we believe the facts are as follows on monday, january 27th, 2025 at approximately 4:50 p.m. officers responded to the area of mission and ninth streets regarding a shooting that just occurred on scene. officers located a witness who was driving northbound on ninth street when he observed the shooting. the witness told officers he observed a male standing over another male who was laying on the sidewalk and then fired several rounds at the victim. the victim the witness then saw the suspect walk into 80 one ninth street. officers escort the victim as he was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

the victim told officers he was standing in front of 79 ninth street when a male approached him riding a black electric bicycle. after coming to a stop, the male got off the bike and walked directly toward him. the victim told officers the suspect pointed a firearm at him and shot him several times. the victim described the suspect as an asian male wearing a baseball hat and black clothing. multiple officers from surrounding districts responded as backup security perimeter and evacuated surrounding units that were occupied. members from the tactical unit also responded to assist. other responding officers reviewed the surveillance footage and were able to obtain a detailed description of the suspect including that he was armed with a firearm while watching the video surveillance footage. officers observed the victim standing on the sidewalk when the suspect approached him on foot. the suspect pulled out a firearm from his waistband with his right hand and walked toward the victim with the firearm lowered at his side as

the suspect walked toward the victim. he raised the firearm with his right hand by simultaneously raising his left hand to grip the firearm. the suspect discharge a firearm toward the victim reacted by raising his arms in a defensive position. the victim's body and he fell to the ground. the suspect continued to advance toward the victim as he continued to discharge his firearm while standing over the victim who was lying on the sidewalk. based on the video surveillance footage, officers tracked the suspect as he walked into 80 one ninth street and determined that the suspect entered unit 607 or 608. after further investigation, officers were able to identify the suspect as chief chong who lived in apartment 608. once officers determined mr. chong had not exited his apartment in lieutenant continually station declared a critical incident. officers assigned to the crisis hostage negotiation team specialist team and additional members of the tactical unit

responded to the scene. officers began to formulate a plan to communicate with and take mr. chong safely into custody. crisis hostage negotiators made numerous attempts to contact mr. chong for approximately two hours but mr. chong did not respond and remained non-compliant. members of the specialist team and tactical unit responded to the roof of 80 one ninth street in an attempt to obtain a visual into the unit. mr. chong was located members of the tactical unit made numerous announcements from the front door. members of the tactical unit made the following announcement quote san francisco police search warrant. resident of 80 one ninth street room six await. come out the front door with your hands up. you are under arrest if you don't come out force can and will be used. mr. chong responded by yelling quote get out of my building. a member from the tactical unit who is located on the roof of 80 one ninth street deployed

two 40 millimeter foam baton projectiles from the roof of the building into mr. chung's window in an attempt to gain a tactical advantage and visual of mr. chong. mr. chong discharges firearm from within his apartment at officers who are on the roof of 80 one ninth street. after several seconds a member from the tactical unit returned fire and the noise occurred. a member from the tactical unit continued to give call outs and offered medical aid to mr. chong with no response. live video feed from a drone revealed that mr. chong was not moving and laying on the kitchen floor with the rifle slung on his body. officers used the drone to assist in clearing the apartment. a member from the tactical unit deployed rounds from a kinetic breaching tool at mr. chong's front door to gain access into his apartment at approximately 10 p.m. members from the tactical unit entered mr. chong's apartment with the tactical medic who assessed mr. chong with injury and he turman that he was deceased.

the suspect in this incident is chaz chong and his date of birth is november 15th, 1990. crime scene investigators from the san school police department forensic services division responded and collected physical evidence from the scene including but not limited to the following items to s.f. pd 40 millimeter foam baton projectiles the following seized items belonged to mr. chong one smith and wesson and then 15 rifle with one magazine loaded with 23 to 33 caliber cartridges one magazine loaded with 32 to 3 caliber cartridges. >> one magazine loaded with 2723 caliber cartridges, one six hour rsp 2022 semi-automatic handgun one glock 17 handgun with one magazine loaded with one nine millimeter cartridge, one rock island semiautomatic handgun with one magazine loaded with

845 caliber cartridges ten nine millimeter unfired cartridges one nine millimeter magazine, one magazine loaded with ten nine millimeter cartridges, one ballistic armor vest, 523 caliber fire cartridge casings and two 2 to 3 caliber unfired cartridges. officers on scene were wearing department issued body worn cameras which were activated during the incident. the body worn cameras recorded the events as they unfolded. the independent investigations bureau or ip is an independent unit within the san francisco district attorney's office that investigates the use all officer involved shootings. >> any relevant video footage or photographs can be provided to iab by calling (628) 652-4420 or by email at sfd a hyphen ip at s.f. gov. dawg.

all witnesses and victims from these incidents are encouraged to call ip at (628) 652-4420. the s.f. pd officer who discharges firearm in this incident is officer david acheson, a member assigned to the tactical unit. the officer who discharges firearm is a member of the city pd tactical unit. tactical unit members undergo specialized intensive training that far exceeds the standard requirements for police officers. this includes advanced firearm proficiency, tactical operations and de-escalation techniques. >> their training is specifically focused on responding to high priority crimes in progress and resolving critical incidents. it prepares them to handle the most dangerous and complex situations such as armed suspects or active attackers in high risk warrant service. prior to joining the tactical unit this officer was also a member of the department's specialist team the pd tactical unit collaborates closely with

the crisis hostage negotiation team to resolve incidents. all tactical unit members are trained in crisis intervention training. additionally, the tactical unit plays a key role in instructing recruits at the police academy ,providing training and critical mindset coordinator response active attacker scenarios and other essential skills. >> today's presentation is provided in a multimedia format in an effort to provide a transparent and comprehensive perspective of this incident. the s.f. pd will provide audio from the 911 call surveillance video footage. bwc footage. crime scene investigation photos maps and related visual aids. our presentation today consists of relevant known video and audio at this time but it is not intended to provide all photos, videos or testimonial information related to this investigation. i will now provide a presentation of this incident using these multimedia sources

and select points to increase the clarity for viewers. certain videos have been enhanced slowed down to allow for a better understanding of this incident. please note that this presentation, the enhanced videos and the unedited videos will all be available on the s.f. pd website immediately following this townhall event as the pd policies can also be located on the pd website. prior to the beginning of each segment i will provide a brief description to orient the viewer to the time, place and location of the content about to be shown. you're about to see relevant video footage and learn about other evidence related to this case so you can have a better understanding of what occurred based upon what we know right now. a word of caution. the images and information you are about to see and hear may be disturbing. when a police officer uses force to arrest a suspect or defend against attack, the images are graphic and may be difficult to watch. in addition, there may be strong language used by those in the video. your discretion is advised

especially for young children and sensitive viewers. we encourage those in need of support to contact the san francisco department of public health crisis line at (415) 970-3800

. on january 27th 2025 at approximately 4:54 p.m. the department of emergency management received multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting in front of 79 ninth street. we will now play a911 call from a witness who saw the victim shot numerous times and the suspect fleeing in a building on the same block. some personal information provided by the caller has been redacted to protect their privacy. >> it was definitely not one with the exact location.

>> again, i don't want to give up. we for you back then certainly not see nine victims shot in the head. be that as your 79 ninth street west second street was across route and the market went up to the building. they went into the building and quite he went in to anyone like street or the victim that picked the victims on the sidewalk and people are helping him and putting a compression on it. give me a description of the shooter. okay. the shooter was a black guy wearing all black. i think he had a be. there were a lot of 30, 40, 45, 25 to 30 health policy call higher than me and i'm five six. okay. so we've been talking five six. yeah, i got a gun.

did he have a handgun? black handgun. he walked up to the shop just like that. shot him. i have it on camera. we have cameras directly where the guy got shot by the officer down. okay. don't hang up on me though. yeah. where did he go off? okay. but that's the stuff that went into the building to get upstairs. i don't know what for other people. he went in. i got the call victim right here. the police are here. that's it. okay. okay, i will. >> thank you. okay. >> we went out the night when one call from a witness who was assisting the shooting victim in front of 79 ninth street my spoke with this 1911 would come up to see the train mission to make sure somebody got shot. >> okay, well, we have the police are coming with

shooting. oh, no, no, no, no. okay. are you with me right now? yeah. he's like oh, we're shooting back in the back of the neck and back in his neck. okay, give me one second. >> so i fire at the paramedics by around five. oh, you guys see the police out there for that? yeah. yeah. okay. well, i come down. yeah, yeah. okay. flag them down. come on over. yeah, yeah. >> that was somebody apply pressure to his one. okay. okay. do you guys see the police? yeah. yeah, they already okay. all right, we can disconnect. >> thank you. you're welcome.

>> we will now play 911 call for a witness who saw a male victim shot numerous times by a male possibly hispanic. this recording has been trimmed for brevity with no changes to his substance. monday. >> i was just kind of when i felt like i shot emergency. um yeah so i just made it home but i was walking home from work and as i was walking home at nine and mission i thought come on. uh, shoot someone. i think he shot him like sounded like about six times 17. oh, sorry. what are the shoots one more time. two seconds. the three it was like have nine mission going to nine between mission and market. do you remember what the shooter looked like? yeah, he was pretty heavy but, um, he had a hat on look like he had like glasses on eye glasses. um, let's see. black white, latin, asian.

i would i would say like he looked more latin but how tall? five feet. six feet is hard to tell. i would maybe somewhere in between those two. about how old? 20, 30, 40, 50 uh, maybe 30. maybe 30 something small medium or heavy belt 25 how do you do heavy build and what color was that, huh? >> oh gosh. what? maybe like i'm not sure i can't say. um, what color that, uh uh like like i don't i don't know. i will see what i can with him. i would call him like standing over the guy. he shot him like really casually just like standing up. right. boom boom boom boom boom. and i looked the first shot but when i looked i saw him finish off like last 3 or 4 and the guy was already on the ground look like a white guy with like

a long sweatpants on and he was kind of like shaking and okay, looks like we have multiple officers on scene. thank you so much for calling. you're about to hear the radio transmission from the air medic who was driving by and witnessed the shooting. >> my grandma went through it. unknown male just got shot on in the night. >> there is a man next to him still with a gun and need pd code three and a ambulance. okay. >> when i wait for i you're about to hear a recording of the call for service for the shooting incident as broadcast by dispatch two responding officers alert for curry party two 17 mission and i am i want

to wait on duty 217 mission in mind unit two that someone was shot in the head there's a four waiting room suspect when in the 80 193 are waiting on a description suspect is 2000 black male 25 to 30 then taller than five six be any black clothing black handgun i seven calls now 1980 193 let's get out there in the field you may not believe that you have got 97 televising on the 217 a suspect that anyone nine three said he went in 81 and see that fire escape went on the third floor 517 is just like went into anyone nine she went out the back side escape i want to check in the back there young i see it be aware of going blue 16 we went out display a geographical map to illustrate

the general area of the shooting incident on the unit block of ninth street along with this location in relation to the officer involved shooting the map will show a google satellite perspective as well as a google earth view

. we will now show bwc footage as well as video surveillance footage from security cameras. i will introduce each video prior to playing in timestamps displayed on bwc footage are in coordinated universal time or utc. we're not going to play video surveillance footage showing the suspect riding and parking his bicycle before approaching the victim on foot as the suspect walked toward the victim he pulled a handgun from his right which been pointed at the victim and fired multiple shots at close range

. we are now going to play video surveillance footage tracking the suspect entering 80 one ninth street and walking up to the stairs to the sixth floor based on the surveillance footage it was determined that the suspect entered unit 607 or 608

. >> we are now going to play bwc footage of an officer who deployed two nonlethal 40 millimeter foam baton projectiles. >> now i'm going to go good

visual inside. i don't see any movement yet. okay, send it out right now. i want i want to round that like this yeah room yeah so far okay yeah yeah he's on the right for time one, two, one talk for us not that a third window the corner it pulls out the side bar we are now going to play an enhanced version of the bwc footage we just viewed which has also been slowed down. the enhancements highlight the deployment of the 40 millimeter foam baton projectiles followed

by the suspect firing shots and then the officer returning fire found it all right. you're right. what i want to round that like the shower room fire. okay. yeah. yeah. but he or or from 1 to 1 part got us not that we're not going to play bwc footage from the officer who discharges department issued patrol rifle

at the beginning of the video. the first two bangs heard are from the deployment of the 40 millimeter foam become projectiles followed by the suspect firing shots and then the officer returning fire. the right round looks like a heart attack. you got car you gotta got a

window i just shot. i know we were part of a lineup . we are now going to play an enhanced version of the bwc footage we just viewed which has also been slowed down. know what i like?

how hard i can feel the car you got gotta got that. we are now going to play bwc footage from an officer who was on the roof of 1288 mission street which shows the suspect discharging firearm at officers on the roof of 80 one ninth street towards shots fired

shots fired which are more we're not going to play an enhanced version of the bwc footage we just viewed which has also been slowed down. the enhanced version shows the muzzle flash of the suspect's firearm from his apartment

. shots fired, shots fired csi photos. >> this photo shows the suspects smith and wesson rifle and magazine unloaded in this photo shows the suspect's lock island handgun. >> this photo shows the suspect's glock handgun.

this photo shows the suspect a six hour handgun. >> this photo shows two 40 millimeter foam baton projectiles. this photo shows the department issued patrol rifle used by the officer in the office. >> this concludes my presentation. i will now introduce the commanding officer of tenderloin station, acting captain kevin noble. good afternoon. i am acting captain kevin noble of tenderloin police station. tenderloin station officers with the first respond to this incident. since this incident occurred i have been in touch with our city leaders and community partners to keep them updated and address any concerns i've expressed.

this was an isolated incident and there is no further public safety concern as we move forward. i will continue to make myself available to our neighborhood partners and the community and will continue to address any questions or concerns they have. for those who have further questions or returns, you can contact me at tenderloin station. i also invite you to attend tenderloin station's next community meeting. it will be held tuesday, february 25th at 6 p.m. where we can listen and discuss this incident or other matters of concern. thank you. >> the public comment portion of this townhall will now begin . the length of time for public comment will be one hour to call into the meeting. please call 14156550001. again, the number to call into the meeting is 14156550001. please enter access code 266

233612 five 4 pound pound. each public comment caller will have up to two minutes to speak. if you wish to join the queue for public comment please listen carefully to the following instructions. interpretation is available in both spanish and cantonese. if you are watching on webex you may click the interpretation button and select your preferred language. >> if you are calling into the meeting again please call 14156550001 enter access code (266) 233-6125 4 pound pound. you may press star three to raise your hand to get in the queue to speak for public comment. you will be prompted when you have been unmuted and it is

your turn to speak. once again each caller will have up to two minutes to provide public comment for this town hall meeting. your two minutes will begin once you have been prompted that you have been unmuted and you begin speaking. please be reminded you must meet the broadcast you are watching in order for your public comment to be heard clearly. again if you are watching the broadcast online please mute the broadcast or turn down the volume to prevent audio feedback so your comment can be heard clearly. moderators at this time i ask that you invite the first caller in to speak

. >> at this time we have no callers in the queue and i will read the instructions to call into the meeting. please call 14156550001. again the number to call in to the meeting is 14156550001. please enter access code 266 2336125 4 pound pound. each public comment caller will have up to two minutes to speak. if you wish to join the queue for public comment please listen carefully to the following instructions. interpretation is available in both spanish and cantonese. if you are watching on webex you may click the interpretation button and

select your preferred language. >> if you are calling into the meeting again please call 14156550001 enter access code 26623361254. pound pound. you may press star three to raise your hand to get in the queue to speak for public comment. you will be prompted when you have been unmuted and it is your turn to speak. once again each caller will have up to two minutes to provide public comment for this town hall meeting. you two minutes will begin once you have been prompted that you have been unmuted and you begin speaking. please be reminded you must meet the broadcast you are watching in order for your public comment to be heard clearly. again if you are watching the broadcast online please mute the broadcast or turn down the volume to prevent audio feedback so your comment can be heard clearly

. >> at this time there are no public comment callers in the queue. >> we will conclude this town hall meeting. okay. i'd like to thank all of our viewers today. we had over 100 viewers and for all of you that tuned in, thank you for tuning in. as we have said in this town hall, this is about us being as transparent as possible. when these types of events happen. so thank you again. please stay safe and enjoy the rest of your evening

- >> we are doing is filipino and mexican cuzeen. the main component the filipino style meat originated. we grew up on that. the most popular items are burritos. we have really something for everybody. we have a salad, we have tacos, we are natcho s and-trying to create something quick and casual, something you can get anything any time. for me i love food and didn't want to be a chef. i was in the business side of

it and bring something special to san francisco so why i reached out to my business partner gil and he wanted to partner for food and we share a passion for food that comes from our parents cht it was a honor for us to be able to do this for ourselves and also for our parents and you know, our families. for us to have a business as thriving here in san francisco, such a honor and makes me feel proud of myself and of my city as well. just to be able to add to this city that is so special. we are just a speck of the specialness, but you know, to have any part that is just a honor.

>> [music] art withelders

exhibiting senior art work across the bay for 30 years as part of our traveling exhibit's program. for this exhibits we partnered with the san francisco art's commission galleries and excited show case the array of artist in historic san francisco city hall. >> [inaudible]. call me temperature is unique when we get to do we, meaning myself and the 20 other professional instructors we are working with elders we create long-term reps i can't think of

another situation academically where we learn about each other. and the art part i believe is a launching pad for the relationship building:see myself well. and if i don't try when my mom again. she may beat the hell out of mow if i don't try >> seniors, the population encounters the problem of loneliness and isolation even in a residential community there hen a loss of a spouse. leaving their original home. may be not driving anymore and so for us to be ail to bring the classes and art to those people where hay are and we work with people in all walks of life and circumstances but want to finds the people that are isolated and you know bring the warmth there

as much as art skill its personal connection. men their family can't be well for them. i can be their fell and feel it. >> i don't have nobody. people say, hi, hi. hello but i don't know who they are. but i come here like on a wednesday, thursday and friday. and i enjoy. >> we do annual surveys asking students what our program does for them. 90 plus % say they feel less alone, they feel more engaged. they feel more socially connected the things you hope for in general as we age. right? >> and see when i do this. i am very quiet.

i don't have anybody here talking to me or telling me something because i'm concentrating on had i'm doing and i'm not talking to them. >> not just one, many students were saying the program had absolutely transformational for them. in said it had saved their lives. >> i think it is person to support the program. because i think ida elder communities don't get a lot of space in disability. we want to support this program that is doing incredible work and giving disability and making this program what supports the art and health in different way bunkham art as a way of expression. a way of like socializing and

giving artists the opportunity also to make art for the first time, sometimes and we are excited that we can support this stories and honor their stories through art. we hope the people will feel inspired by the variety and the quality of the creative expressions here and that viewers come, way with a greater appreciation of the richness what elders have to share with us. [music]