Yee Corruption Case Hits Bayview

From SFGate,

State Sen. Leland Yee was arrested on public corruption charges Wednesday morning in a federal investigation... 

Also in custody was San Francisco political consultant Keith Jackson, a former San Francisco school board member... [with] huge ties to the Bayview.  

Among the locations being searched by FBI evidence response teams and the IRS was Bay Steel Inc. on Davidson Avenue in the Bayview neighborhood...

Keith Jackson

According to a since-removed page from Singer Associates website, Keith Jackson was a senior consultant at the firm who specialized in "developing community and grassroots campaigns for corporations...[and] in facilitating complex public affairs and communications issues that relate to community, business, and government."

Mr. Jackson has a long history of doing good in the Bayview, including his time as a member of the San Francisco School Board and once serving as executive director for the San Francisco Black Chamber of Commerce and Hunters Point Boys and Girls Club.

UPDATE:

According to the complaint affidavit, Mr. Jackson was a consultant to the Chee Kung Tong organization, and was introduced to an undercover FBI agent by the organization's leader and purported supreme authority in the internationally-based Chinese crime syndicate known as the Triad, Raymond "Shrimpboy" Chow.  Senator Yee and Mr. Jackson are alleged to have been "involved in a scheme to defraud the citizens of California of their rights to honest services... [and] were involved in a conspiracy to traffic firearms."  It alleges the Mr. Jackson was further "involved in a scheme to defraud of honest services, a murder for hire conspiracy, gun trafficking, and drug trafficking conspiracy."  Jackson's son, Brandon Jamelle Jackson, is also named in the affidavit, accused of murder for hire conspiracy, gun trafficking, and drug trafficking conspiracy.

The affidavit is pretty compelling reading, to be sure, and is all about guns, drugs, money and influence.

Senator Yee and Mr. Jackson are charged with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 and 1346 (Wire Fraud of Honest Services); Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371, 922(a)(1) and 922(I) (Conspiracy to Deal Firearms Without a License and to Illegally Import Firearms).  Mr. Jackson is additionally charged with violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846 (Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotics) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 1958 (Murder for Hire).

The way I read the sentencing statutes, both face several years in prison, even if convicted on only one of the counts brought against them.

Bayview residents, fed up with Mendell Plaza, take action

Following the second Bayview homicide in as many days Wednesday, residents and businesses, fed up with a lack of positive changes in the Mendell Plaza area, collected 75 signatures in a 24-hour period from a diverse group of residents, businesses, and community organizations.  Those signature have been submitted along with a letter to city officials demanding leadership and immediate action in coordination between all interested parties in making the area safe and usable for all.

Google Maps at Mendell Plaza - A typical day, complete with police activity

The letter has requested immediate action be taken at Mendell Plaza - at the Palou St T-Third MUNI stop and site of the Wednesday's homicide of 54 year-old Luther Robinson, chronic drug dealing/taking, drinking in public, harassment and threats - recommending that the plaza be closed down for 60-days. The proposal to close the plaza, signatories to the letter contend, would not only allow a cooling-off period, but would be a wake up call to those who use it for illegal activity that those in the neighborhood who want the space to be used for legitimate purposes will no longer tolerate the status quo.  They have asked that closure of the plaza be combined with a coordinated effort from multiple city agencies, neighbors, businesses, and advocacy groups to meet and start figuring out a way forward.

























It's difficult to say what effect this action would have long-term, and it's certainly not just this one single thing that will solve everything, but it's now in the hands of Supervisor Cohen, Mayor Lee, SFPD Bayview Captain Chignell and Chief Suhr to do something.  Knowing that there is a large and growing chorus of diverse constituent groups aching for change, it is hoped that everyone can come together to figure out some ways to start fixing the chronic problems plaguing the Bayview.

If you want to have your voice added to the signatories to the letter, or would like more information, please contact Dan Dodt.

SFPD Report lowest murder rate in Bayview since 2000

According to the SFPD, the number of murders in the Bayview Police District was eleven (11) in 2011. That is the lowest number since the year 2000. During most of the past decade we averaged twenty-five (25) murders per year. In 2009 there were thirteen (13) and in 2010 there were fourteen (14). They also report that Bayview Station police officers lead the City in confiscating firearms, most with arrests and many with suspects who are on probation, parole or have lengthy criminal records. Ten (10) guns were confiscated in the month of December with most of those resulting in arrests.

And now, for the midweek bad-guy report:

Shooting Touches Off Trauma in an Already-Shaken Neighborhood

Kenneth Harding's death has triggered anxiety among many Bayview youth who have already experienced violence - Bay Citizen

The Bayview is practically the Marina when it comes to safety

I don't know why I let myself get dragged into these things or upset by them.  Earlier this morning I posted a link to a San Francisco Examiner story on the City Carshare mini-pods, and Supervisor Cohen's insistence that the southeast section of the city be considered for some sites.  As always happens, a couple of folks started making comments on how unsafe the Bayview is, the "caliber" of its residents, and how of course City Carshare would be stupid to even consider putting pods there, that their cars would be stolen in a heartbeat and used for criminal activity in a neighborhood as dangerous as the Bayview, and that Supervisor Cohen was on another planet for even suggesting it.

Well, let's set the record straight with some numbers, shall we?  For some fun, let's head over to http://www.crimemapping.com/map/ca/sanfrancisco

Try the following inputs: 94105, 94114, 94124, Bernal Heights, and the Marina.  Use a 1-mile radius so you get as little overlap as possible.

                                 All Crimes     Car theft
94105 (Downtown): 274                15
94114 (Castro):         201                 5
Bernal Heights:        152                10
94124 (Bayview):      94                  3
Marina:                      84                  5

So, the Bayview is almost as safe as the Marina overall, and is the place you're least likely to get your car stolen of these five neighborhoods.

Public outrage over shooting death in San Francisco's Bayview is misplaced

My only question is, with all the video surveillance in the vicinity (on the Muni platform, at the Opera House, on all the traffic signals in the Bayview at Palou and Third St), why aren't the police releasing these recordings to show that they are indeed telling the truth in the matter and putting all this furor to rest once and for all?

However, I must concur with the San Francisco Examiner on this one,

...it is past time to end the furor over Kenneth Wade Harding, the man who allegedly shot himself while running from San Francisco police, and for that matter, to reassess the entire Harding family.

There will always be a few who will use any incident involving police to raise hell and rail about past misconduct. Residents of the Bayview have a deep-seated mistrust of police that spilled over at a public gathering last week in which about 15 people out of more than 200 shouted down the gathered speakers and all but ended a chance for city officials to discuss the incident with concerned neighbors.

But as sad as it is that Harding died apparently from a self-inflicted wound from a gun that police said was removed by onlookers at the scene, the tale relayed by his mother and a family attorney of a hopeful rap star trying to turn his life around rings as hollow as an empty tin can.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner

Dead suspect's brother is sought in slaying

OK, I had actually promised myself that I wouldn't post anything more about this case until they found the gun, cell phone, and the kid in the grey and white striped hoodie who allegedly picked them up.  Yesterday, we found out that the mother of Kenneth Harding, the 19 year old man who died in the Bayview July 16 after a gun battle with SFPD, has hired John Burris as her attorney.  Read into that what you will.  Today, we find out that Kenneth's older brother Ondrell is now wanted in a beating death back up in Seattle last week.  The mom's assertions that Kenneth was simply a musician and that he was loving, caring, and giving and that he loved his family and his mother get an even bigger eye roll and a "whatever" from me than usual at this point.  Look lady, I'm never happy when a mom loses a son, but you've got to check in to reality here that you've raised two bad people, and the life they've been taught to live, whether by your example or lack thereof, is ultimately your responsibility as a mother.

Two kids wanted for murder: one still on the lam and the other dead after 'allegedly' (I put that in there simply because all the facts aren't in, no matter how much I believe it to be the case) trying to kill police officers.  I just can't believe there's a community who would want to put this family in the spotlight, rally behind them as examples of police brutality gone amok, and not feel the embarrassment of doing so.  Where are the community leaders calling this family on their bad behavior and standing up and using them as an example of the kind of people we DON'T want to see ourselves become? Don't glorify this family or their behavior, vilify it!

Missing gun complicates SFPD's investigation into Bayview shooting

From SF Examiner,

When a 19-year-old black man was shot to death in a firefight after allegedly firing at two police officers July 16, somebody collected much of the available evidence — and it wasn’t a cop.

Video shows a young man in a gray striped hooded sweatshirt picking up an item that police call the gun of Kenneth Harding Jr. Police say Harding’s cellphone and several shell casings also disappeared.

The missing evidence further complicates a shooting that has touched a raw nerve in the community. Although Harding’s death highlights the acute distrust that some Bayview residents have for police, cops said bystanders made it harder for them to demonstrate that their actions in this case were justified.

“It makes an investigation challenging,” police spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield said. “In this particular instance, you have alleged video that shows people picking up evidence from the scene.”

Read more at the SF Examiner

Shooting Death Presents Test for a New Police Chief

From the Bay Citizen,

As a police captain in San Francisco’s violent Bayview neighborhood, Greg Suhr operated from the streets. The stocky veteran schmoozed small-business owners and community leaders and prided himself on a culture of transparency. By the time he left this year, homicides in the Bayview had dropped by 50 percent.

Mr. Suhr, who is now police chief, applied the same strategy last week after a 19-year-old man died on July 16 while engaged in a shootout with officers in the Bayview. As anger grew over the incident, Chief Suhr held news conferences, staged a town-hall-style meeting and issued a flurry of statements to provide evidence that officers had shot the man, Kenneth Harding, in self-defense.

“My response to this shooting, if you look at the other shootings, has been consistent,” Chief Suhr told The Bay Citizen last week. “I get information, I put it out, I promise to have a meeting in the area where a shooting occurs, and that has happened.”

Read more at the Bay Citizen

Bayview shooting aftermath: Pastors to pay for Muni rides for poor kids

While I would otherwise applaud the charitable act by these pastors, we need to remember that it is NOT because Harding didn't have $2 for fare that he was killed.  He was killed because he: 1. ran from police, which for those who don't know, is not a way to make them be your friend; 2. pulled a gun and started shooting at police; and 3. quite probably because he took his own life, whether accidentally or on purpose.  So if these pastors' solution is to keep criminals hidden from the cops by paying their way on the train so that they can slip through a fare check, then I'd rather they not.  If they can tell the difference between the 'poor kids' who need to ride the train and the criminals who are using it to get from one bad deed to another, then go for it.  But it's ridiculous in the Harding incident that "many hold that the facts surrounding the events of July 16th aren’t the point."  Yes, there's a history between SFPD and the community, but the facts in this case point to the police doing their job correctly and Harding being a scumbag who wanted to kill them so as to avoid going back to jail for a murder in Seattle.

From SF Weekly,

The death of 19-year-old Kenneth Harding, Jr. on Saturday can be traced back to a Muni fare inspection gone terribly awry. According to police, Harding ran from the cops as they checked passengers' tickets riding the T-Third Muni. Harding allegedly fired his pistol at police, leading to an exchange of bullets. Harding fell to the ground, bleeding and eventually died.

Witnesses say Harding was trying to dodge his Muni fare,and given how fired up the community has been about this tragic shooting, some local pastors are stepping in to help others who might find themselves in a similar situation: With no cash to pay the bus fare.

On Monday, Reverend Ishmael Burch, one of the seven clergy in the Concerned Citizen's Committee, says pastors will be out on the T-Third train platforms in the Bayview starting at 8 a.m.to pay the $2 bus fare for San Francisco's youngsters who don't have the dough.

Police: Bayview suspect actually shot himself

This just keeps on going... ANOTHER example of why people should refrain from jumping to conclusions based on next to no evidence, from SFGate,

A young man who died in a confrontation with San Francisco police officers on Saturday in the Bayview neighborhood appears to have fired the fatal shot from his own pistol, authorities said today.

Chief San Francisco Medical Examiner Amy Hart said the office's preliminary findings show that 19-year-old Kenneth Wade Harding was struck by two bullets, one that entered and exited his left leg and one that entered his neck and lodged in his head.

The bullet that entered Harding's head, apparently killing him, was a .380-caliber bullet, Hart said. But San Francisco police officers use .40-caliber ammunition, said Commander Mike Biel, and .380-caliber bullets cannot be fired from department-issued weapons.

Additionally, the medical examiner's office found a .380-caliber bullet in Harding's jacket pocket, Biel said.

"Based on the findings of the medical examiner, at this time we believe he was fatally wounded by a .380-caliber bullet," Biel told reporters this afternoon. "We believe the fatal wound to Mr. Harding's body was self-inflicted. The investigation is still ongoing as to whether or nor this was accidental or an intentional act."

Read more: SFGate

Voice of reason silenced in Bayview shooting protests

Yes, I'm a white, middle-aged, middle class guy who hasn't lived the poor, American Black experience.  But talking today to my 80-year old neighbor who has lived that experience, I find my views pretty much mirror his on this matter.  Harding was killed because he was a convicted pimp with little education, a suspected murderer running from the law, carrying a gun, and looking for trouble.  That he got onto a Muni vehicle and didn't pay his $2 fare wasn't the reason he was killed, but it WAS his undoing.  Had he paid his fare, he would have been let go immediately after the fare check to do whatever mayhem he was here to do.  All the yahoos calling the police murderers and oppressors can kiss my ass.  They're doing their job to keep us safe by doing foot patrols and increasing their presence in our community.  It's only if you're doing something illegal that you ought to be worried that they're out to get you - because if you ARE doing something illegal, then they ARE out to get YOU. 

This from SFGate's CW Nevius,

It is time to turn down the volume.

In the wake of the Saturday shooting death of Kenneth Wade Harding in the Bayview, accusations against the police flew. A perfect example came from a handout at Tuesday night's protest that said, "SFPD shoot a 19-year-old in Bayview for not paying his Muni fare."

Throw in claims that Harding was unarmed and it sounds horrific - Police chasing down and killing an innocent, unarmed man in a dispute over a $2 Muni fare.

Unfortunately, it now appears that almost none of that was true.

Harding, who served 22 months in prison for attempting to force a 14-year-old girl into prostitution, may not have been running to avoid a Muni fare beef. He was probably trying to flee police because he is wanted as a person of interest in a July 13 Seattle shooting that killed a 19-year-old community college student and wounded three other people.

Read more: SFGate

UPDATE: Town hall meeting held between Bayview, police

Video of Chief Suhr leaving the non-surprisingly chaotic meeting in the Bayview tonight...

Earlier, from KGO,

Wednesday evening, a town hall meeting took place in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood and was expected to be intense. The police chief and members of the command staff are answering questions about why their officers shot and killed a man last weekend. 

The relationship between police and poor African-American communities nationwide has traditionally been tense and certainly Saturday's shooting has the Bayview on edge. 

"We'll give them everything we have with regard to the facts of the case," said Police Chief Greg Suhr.

Read more from KGO

And not surprisingly, this incident has brought out the "professional protesters" from outside the city, as reported by the SF Examiner in "More than half of arrested Muni shooting protesters live outside San Francisco" - two thirds of the 43 protesters, to be exact...

Teen shot in Visitation Valley

From SFAppeal,

A teenage boy was injured in a shooting in San Francisco's Visitacion Valley neighborhood on Monday night, police said.

The shooting was reported at 9:48 p.m. near Sunnydale Avenue and Britton Street SFPD said. (A look at a map suggests that the two streets appear not to intersect, so we called SFPD for clarification of the incident's location, and will update when we hear back -- EB)

The 15-year-old victim was walking in the area when he was shot.

He was taken to a hospital by an acquaintance, police said.

His injuries are not considered life-threatening, according to police.

No arrests have been made in the case. Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.

Hmmm, where are the demonstrations and protests over this and the countless other acts of gun violence and death in our city?

San Francisco police say man killed in Bayview incident fired at cops first

A big surprise to NO ONE from the SF Examiner,

The San Francisco Police Department defended itself Monday against claims two cops fatally shot an unarmed man in the Bayview district last weekend, releasing evidence suggesting the suspect had first fired at them.

Kenneth Harding, 19, of Seattle was killed while fleeing from two cops conducting a Muni fare inspection near the Third Street and Oakdale Avenue stop. His death sparked outrage among people who watched the videotaped aftermath of the incident, some of whom say police shot an unarmed man and refused to let anyone near him as he bled to death.

But at Monday’s news conference, police Chief Greg Suhr presented evidence indicating Harding fired the first shot as he ran through the crowded Mendell Plaza. The evidence included results of a ShotSpotter gunshot-location system used to determine when and where firearms are discharged.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner

Police arrest 35 in protest over shooting of convicted Seattle pimp

From SF Examiner,

San Francisco police made approximately 35 arrests Tuesday night during protests over an officer-involved shooting in the Bayview district on Saturday. The protest began in Dolores Park at around 5 p.m. and the march toward the Castro area began around 6 p.m.

The fatal police shooting of 19-year-old Kenneth Harding Jr., who allegedly ran from police and fired shots after officers attempted to detain him while conducting a fare enforcement at a San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency light-rail stop in the Bayview, occured Saturday and has garnered public reaction.

The crowd, estimated at 150, marched up to the Castro, where protesters vandalized a Bank of America at 18th and Castro streets. The group went on to the Castro Muni station, where protesters vandalized and threw smoke bombs into the underground station.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner

Also: 

Suspect killed by San Francisco police was convicted pimp, Seattle cops say

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner

Man slain by SF police was sought in Seattle death

As the investigation of this case continues, we're probably going to find out that this guy was scum, out to do MORE bad things and was NOT in our neighborhood to do anything else.  All the calls for "justice" from people who prejudged the event and thought the police had shot this thug simply over a $2 fare need to realize this.  I've said it before, but thank GOODNESS none of the crowd at Mendell Plaza were injured as this guy shot at our SFPD.  It should be interesting to see what happens at today's noon press conference being put on at the Oakdale/Palou MUNI stop by SF Education Not Incarceration, Idriss Stelley Foundation & the SF Bayview Newspaper - groups who are referring to this take-down of an allegedly armed, alleged murderer who was shooting at police and into a crowd of people as a "PD homicide".

From SFGate,

The man who police officers shot and killed after he fired at them during a foot chase in Bayview-Hunters Point was a 19-year-old Washington state parolee sought for questioning in the slaying last week of a pregnant woman in Seattle, the San Francisco police chief said Sunday.


The man, who was fatally wounded Saturday afternoon while fleeing from officers who had tried to cite him for Muni fare evasion, had recently been released from a prison in Washington after serving time for convictions stemming from a King County sex offense, said Chief Greg Suhr.

Suhr did not release the man's name. But he said Seattle police detectives were seeking him as a person of interest in the slaying Wednesday of Tanaya Gilbert, 19, which also killed her unborn child. Three others were injured. A day after the shooting, gunfire marred a vigil for Gilbert.

Read more: SFGate

Read more about the incident here, here, and here.

San Francisco police chief discusses fatal shooting by Bayview cops

Thank goodness no innocent bystanders or police were killed.  This guy was apparently here to do bad things, and through stepped-up enforcement by SFPD, it appears that they stopped something even worse from happening.

From the SF Examiner,

A likely parolee from out of state was fatally shot by Bayview police officers Saturday afternoon after firing a gun at them while fleeing detainment for evading a Muni fare, police Chief Greg Suhr said Sunday.

The 19-year-old man -- who has not yet been publicly identified by police or the medical examiner’s office -- was detained by two officers at about 4:45 p.m. on the Muni platform at Third Street and Oakdale Avenue.
“They were initiating the contact when he ran,” Suhr said.

Suhr said the two officers chased him through a “crowded” Mendell Plaza nearby.

“He fired at the officers as he was running,” Suhr said. He said the man was believed to have gotten off more than one shot.

Read more at the SF Examiner

Men Behind SF Funeral Home Charged With Fraud, Theft

From KTVU.com,

Two men have been charged with grand theft for allegedly misappropriating funds at a funeral home in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood, District Attorney George Gascon said Tuesday.

Derek Washington, 38, of Oakland, and Donald Rollins, 56, of Fairfield, allegedly accepted advance payments for funeral services by their company, Funerals by Washington, and then used the money inappropriately, Gascon said.

"This is a very despicable crime" that involved "taking advantage of some of our most vulnerable" community members, Gascon said.

SF Marijuana busts mostly in the Sunset, Ingleside and Bayview-Hunter’s Point

From KALW News,

Last month, we brought you partial statistics for marijuana grow busts by the San Francisco Police Department: roughly 13,500 plants worth an estimated $11.5 million were seized from 59 indoor grows from January through September of 2010.

SFPD Sgt. Mike Andraychak got back to us yesterday with the year-end tally from the Narcotics Division. And those last few months were fruitful. Approximately 19,000 plants were seized from 87 locations in total. The plants are work up to $15.7 million, although street prices for marijuana have since declined since SFPD provided us with their original figures (kudos to SF Weekly).

68 people were arrested in the raids, and 20 guns were seized. Thirty-two percent of the locations, or 27 sites, were electrical by-passes.

Here’s the geographic breakdown of the grow sites by police district. The heaviest concentration was in the city’s southern neighborhoods, from the Bayview to the Sunset. The Sunset (located in SFPD’s Taraval District has been popular among growers for some time now, possibly because of the neighborhood’s detached houses, isolation and relatively low crime rate.

Here is the breakdown by district of 66 sites – the remaining 21 sites raided by SFPD were either “secondary” locations or were located outside of San Francisco County, according to Sgt. Andraychak of the Media Relations unit.

* Taraval District: 26

* Bayview District: 16

* Ingleside District: 10
* Richmond District: 6
* Park District: 4
* Mission District: 4

Read more at KALW