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Residents press commission on sit‑lie enforcement, tasers and Mission Beacon youth services
Summary
During public comment residents and community groups urged stronger enforcement of sit‑lie and street‑colonization behavior, supported taser availability as an alternative to lethal force, and warned that relocating Mission Beacon from Everett Middle School would endanger youth and revive gang‑recruitment risks.
SAN FRANCISCO — Public commenters at the Police Commission community meeting urged action on several neighborhood concerns, with repeated calls for changes to sit‑lie enforcement, debate over taser use and urgent appeals to keep Mission Beacon at Everett Middle School.
Multiple speakers told commissioners they are experiencing aggressive, territorial behavior in parks and commercial corridors and described a perceived legal loophole that limits officers’ ability to move groups absent a formal citizen complaint. "What happens is that if a colonization of public space takes place and the police come along and say, you're blocking the sidewalk, what this new group of people say, we have a right to be here. We're not moving," said Arthur Evans, a longtime Haight resident. He urged the commission to close that gap.
Several business owners and merchants supported a sit‑lie law. Patrick Batt, a Castro merchant, said a city such as Berkeley managed similar controls and that such rules would help business and tourist safety.
On tasers, at least one public commenter said he would prefer officers have that non‑lethal option. "I would never like to be zapped by a taser... But I think it's better than being shot," Arthur Evans said.
Community providers raised an immediate concern about youth services: Alfredo Najera (Safety Network) and Valerie Tullier (Mission Beacon director) warned that moving Mission Beacon from Everett Middle School to Cesar Chavez Elementary — a DCYF decision they said lacked community input — would leave middle‑school youth unsupervised during a peak late‑afternoon period and increase risks of recruitment and violence. Tullier described the Beacon serving at least 120 youth per day and recounted an instance where staff intervened to avert a fight between rival students.
Chief and captains present emphasized partnership opportunities: the chief described community police advisory boards and forums for targeted outreach, and Captain Corrales highlighted community alliances and foot‑beat coverage. Commissioners agreed to pursue further briefings and to hear related agenda items in upcoming meetings; no ordinance or formal rule change was adopted at the session.
