Supervisor Cohen introduces resolution urging FAA review of US Airways treatment of passenger Deshaun Marmon; dozens of residents speak in support
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Summary
Supervisor Malia Cohen introduced a resolution asking the Board of Supervisors to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate US Airways’ handling of a passenger, Deshaun Marmon, who was removed from a flight after being asked to adjust his clothing.
Supervisor Malia Cohen introduced a resolution expressing concern about US Airways’ removal of a passenger, Deshaun Marmon, from a flight and urged the Board of Supervisors to ask the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the airline’s actions.
Cohen said Marmon, a 20‑year‑old student and San Francisco resident, was asked by a US Airways agent to pull up his pants and complied; Cohen said the pilot later ordered that Marmon leave the aircraft. Cohen told the board that the airline has “no written dress code policy” and that Marmon was later arrested on allegations he is contesting. She said the resolution is “not a saggy pants resolution” but an expression of concern about the treatment and the apparent lack of a formal dress policy at the airline.
Public comment after the formal agenda drew dozens of speakers who urged support for the resolution. Marmon’s mother, Donna Doyle, addressed the board and said she had told her son to pull his pants up and that she remains uncertain what conduct justified his removal. Youth leaders, community organizations and civil-rights advocates spoke in favor of the resolution; several described the incident as part of a pattern of selective or discriminatory treatment and asked the board to act. Speakers included representatives of the Bayview Hunters Point community, the local NAACP chapter and neighborhood advocates; many described Marmon as a student and community member and asked the board to clear his name.
Why it matters: the resolution frames the incident as a civil-rights and consumer-protection concern and asks a federal regulator to examine airline practice for disparate enforcement. The large public turnout made the item a prominent subject of the meeting’s public comment period.
Next steps: Cohen said she would introduce the resolution formally; the board will consider it in committee or on a future agenda for possible formal action to request FAA review or other measures.
