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Bayview residents tell Police Commission gun violence has turned neighborhood 'into a war zone'
Summary
Multiple Bayview Hunters Point residents urged the San Francisco Police Commission for more patrols, a coordinated response and community resources after repeated stray-bullet incidents and a recent fatality; commissioners pledged coordination with other agencies and scheduled follow-up community meetings.
Bayview Hunters Point residents urged the San Francisco Police Commission during public comment to treat the area’s recent surge in shootings as an urgent public-safety crisis and to push for more patrols and interagency coordination.
Tori Freeman, who said she grew up in Bayview Hunters Point, told commissioners that stray bullets have struck her home and that “we need to declare a state of emergency in this area” and called for “more patrol cars right now.” Pauline Peel, a longtime Bayview resident, read letters describing nearby murders and asked for “a stronger responsible police presence.”
Several speakers recounted violent episodes and community trauma. Stacy Selinger read an account of Charles Baker, a volunteer who died after being struck by a stray bullet; Selinger described Baker’s family and said Baker’s organs were donated to six people after he was declared brain dead. Melita Rines, chair of the India Basin Neighborhood Association, said gunfire has increased to “maybe every hour, maybe every two hours” near her home, and asked what additional policing could be done.
Commissioners acknowledged the testimony but emphasized limits of police authority and the need for cross-agency effort. President Rennie said the testimony was “not falling on deaf ears” and that coordinated steps — courts, prosecutors, probation officers and schools — are necessary in addition to police deployment. Several speakers requested a joint meeting between the commission and supervisors in the Southeast Sector so elected officials and the commission can address community concerns together.
The commission did not adopt new policy at the meeting. Commissioners assigned follow-up items, including scheduling a Bayview community meeting intended to increase local engagement and identify concrete resource needs.
The commission’s next scheduled community meetings were discussed during the agenda and a Bayview pilot meeting was set for September 27 (with a Mission District meeting to follow, subject to scheduling adjustments).
