Board adopts Mario Woods remembrance day, backs federal review and new OCC ballot measure

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Jan. 26 to establish a city remembrance day for Mario Woods and to request independent federal review of his Dec. 2, 2015, shooting, as debate about police use-of-force and oversight continued at City Hall.

The resolution to set July 20 as a Mario Woods Remembrance Day passed 11-0 after an amendment—added by Supervisor Scott Wiener and adopted without objection—noting that multiple investigations into the shooting were ongoing and would determine the facts. Mayor Edwin Lee, who addressed the board at the start of the meeting, said he had requested a Department of Justice investigation and was pursuing a “top to bottom review” of the police department’s use-of-force policies. "As a city, we must heal our divisions and rebuild trust between our communities and law enforcement," Lee said.

Why it matters: The votes and the mayor’s statements mark a clear, citywide push for independent scrutiny of officer-involved shootings following Woods’ death. Supervisors and community members pressed for institutional reforms they say are needed to rebuild trust between communities of color and police.

The board debate…