Police oversight is a hot topic among social justice advocates in the county
The creation of an oversight commission came due to distrust in the police department’s practices, which is understaffed
by Lucelis Martinez
SAN DIEGO - The death of George Floyd put a brighter spotlight on the use of the carotid restraint. Although the use of the practice was banned in the county in the aftermath of Floyd’s death, that’s not the only thing that changed. Negative sentiment toward police officers grew as much.
Floyd died in May of 2020, around the same time the case of Amaurie Johnson became a topic of discussion in La Mesa. The question of whether an officer acted lawfully came into play as a video of Johnson’s forcible detainment was released.
Community activist Tasha Williamson requested police in the southeast of the county to release body cam footage after they shot and killed a 33 year old man in front of a taco shop. Williamson led a "copwatch" to “Little Blacky’s” street side memorial on October 20, two days after the shooting had taken place.
Williamson was joined by Malcome Muttaqee, a member of Pillars of the Community, a local organization focused on ending racist narratives about the southeast. Pillars started a police accountability unit which offers advice and legal help to residents during copwatches that often begin by chasing whats on the police scanners.
Williamson and Muttaquee were joined by Muslah Abdul-Hafeez for the copwatch on October 20,2022.
The renewed interest in police brutality inspired the City Council to put a charter amendment, named Measure B, on the November 2020 ballot.
Darwin Fishman, a former member of the San Diego County Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board, helped oversee police practices and internal affairs around the time Measure B was introduced to the ballot.
Before moving to San Diego, Fishman got to see the way police officers interacted with Washington residents and he said they took community policing really seriously there.
“A lot of it is the kind of stuff that we clamor for anyway that really should be obvious stuff,” Fishman said.
He said the level of respect Washington D.C. Police’s lieutenants and sergeants showed as they visited gentrified neighborhoods both in and out of uniform was impressive.
“Even on that level, it’s night and day,” Fishman said, “San Diego doesn't have anything equivalent. I surely haven't seen that or experienced that.”
Fishman said law enforcement in San Diego County has been slow to cooperate with what social justice groups, like San Diegans for Justice, are asking for as far as disclosure of the police department’s practices.
The case of Johnson inspired a San Diego State University student and La Mesa resident to involve herself in the fight against police violence.
Eugenie Budnik helped create an advertising campaign involving tote bag sales and bumper stickers to promote the passing of Measure B. In her role as co-director of March For Our Lives, she collaborated with San Diegans for Justice to help pass Measure B.
Measure B sought to replace the police oversight review board Fishman was on with a community-led commission appointed by the City Council. The new panel would, in theory, have more authority to regulate police procedures because it would have subpoena power.
“We didn’t necessarily get all of the demands that we wanted passed with the passing of Measure B,” Budnik said, “but that’s ok because there is that commission now and they are actively holding investigations into incidents in San Diego.”
Measure B passed with “overwhelming” support in November of 2020 but faced opposition from the San Diego Police Officers Association. The Police Officers Association wanted the inclusion of family members or “any co-habitants of San Diego police officers.” They also opposed the involvement of any convicted felons even if they’d done their time. Multiple months of negotiations ensued after its inception and it is still scrutinized by social justice advocates.
Due to factors like more competitive pay in other police departments, and COVID-19 vaccination requirements stations have lost more than 230 San Diego police officers.
Officer Jessica Thrift, a community relations officer for areas like La Jolla, Mission Bay, Pacific Beach and Torrey Pines, spends up to 10 hours on patrol answering radio calls instead of being able to check emails and voicemails and go to town council or association meetings to help address public concerns.
When she was called to patrol in July, Police Lt. Rick Aguilar apologized for any “lack of response to emails caused by Thrift’s absence,” according to the La Jolla Light.
“Oftentimes the community members have questions or they want answers to specific things that patrol officers just don’t have time to do because they are just chasing the radio,” Thrift said.
Community officer Anderson Brown, who works in areas like Bay Ho, Clairemont Mesa East, University City and also within the golden triangle, overseeing locations inside the 5, 805 and 52 freeways said even though no day looks exactly the same, he typically dresses out and does a 10-hour shift.
“When I’m not doing calls, I will put myself out on something we call citizen contact,” Brown said.
Citizen contact opportunities allow him to answer community questions and participate in events.
Some of the understaffing, which has caused officers like Brown and Thrift to patrol, comes from a reportedly “negative narrative surrounding law enforcement” which “has left them feeling demoralized and under greater scrutiny, all while they continue to face the increasing challenges of policing in a big city,” according to a report published by the San Diego Union Tribune.
An anonymous survey came out in November last year to help track how residents feel about policing and to highlight their main safety concerns. As of September 2022, public trust had overall gone up by at least a point in each regional division of the county (when compared to August).
When it comes to police oversight, Brown says he respects it most whenever it comes from people who understand the processes officers go through directly.
“I like oversight from behind,” Brown said, “If I can see over your shoulder because I’m with you and I know what you’re going through, that's a different kind of oversight than from the helicopter and I just see people that look like ants.”
Data from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey shows the following about incomes in the county:
Fishman believes that the southeastern region of the county has the most negative attitudes toward police.He claims this is due to the area's history, which includes gang shootings and an abundance of crack cocaine.He said even though the neighborhood has changed due to community advocacy work, police don’t see the changes and that’s why excessive force complaints prevail.
As the copwatch group stopped in front of the site of the shooting Williamson went into detail about some of the concerns that trouble community members.
Project done by Lucelis Martinez
Credits:
Created with an image by fotosr52 - "Blue light on a police car"