After Floyds death and ahead of a peaceful June 2 protest in Marin City, Cronin sparked outrage among the community after he issued a statement warning residents to be wary should the demonstration become violent or lead to looting on the Tiburon Peninsula neither of which happened. Several months later, the store was named Tiburons Business of the Month. I stood my ground that day, but this did not hit me until next day, he said. "How can we do better as a community? Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? Based on this belief, Sgt. Other downtown business owners rallied around the couple, saying theyve never been questioned by police while working late into the evening, past closing time, including Chelsea Ialeggio, a real-estate agent who said she has had offices in town with both Frank Howard Allen and now at Vanguard Properties. A 6-minute video of the incident was posted to Instagram and Facebook by Yema Khalif, the co-owner of the action fashion wear boutique Yema at 10 Main St. Khalif, who designs most of the companys clothing, grew up in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Even after the supervisor walked away, the officer who first approached the store said, "Can you put the key in the door please?". After it was over I was shaking, Awash said. I cannot lie and say Im OK. Im traumatized and my wife is traumatized.. The situation started getting out of hand so our friend from DC started recording the exchange (Video below). Comment at the meeting, or in advance by emailing comments@townoftiburon.org. California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched an independent investigation Wednesday into the Torrance Police Department after evidence emerged that officers were sharing racist and homophobic . We saw him drive around the block like 3 times. Your email address will not be published. Where do you live? Madfes says. As the recorded interaction passes the 5-minute mark, a neighbor farther down Main Street came out onto his balcony and yelled at the officers that Khalif was the owner of the store. Cronin declined to directly comment on the Aug. 21 incident until the investigation has concluded, but he confirmed Blasi and the other officers involved would continue coming to work through the investigation. TAKE ACTION: Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. Khalif said he, Awash and a friend were in the store doing inventory when he noticed a police vehicle circling the block. September 8, 2020 / 7:45 PM Thats all we want to know, Blasi says. Emergency Operations Center Yema's wife says the officer had his hand on his gun. Khalif started the brand with his wife when they were in college. About 5 minutes into the footage, Blasi arrives on the scene, though Khalif notes that a third officer has also arrived a Belvedere patrol officer who is off screen but can be seen through the window in the separate video taken from inside the store and posted by Khalif to social media. Another said, "I am incensed! Mayor Alice Fredericks on Aug. 22 sent out an email to the community apologizing to Khalif and Awash. It came from knowing that in one split second they could end someones life.. In the video, Khalif is at the door of his own store talking with a Tiburon police supervisor. The Police Department and Emergency Operations Center are also responsible for developing and maintaining the Emergency Operations Plan for the entire Tiburon Peninsula. It was unclear why late Aug. 26 Tiburon released the extended video, in which the previously unidentified Tiburon patrol officer, Isaac Madfes, speaks his first name aloud. 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One of our business friend was visiting us from washing DC so he came with us. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? In a later interview, Awash pointed out that there are large posters on the stores walls of both she and Khalif modeling their clothing. Should you desire additional information that doesnt appear on the site, please contact us directly at 415-789-2801 or by using the department directory. The Ark requested the body-camera footage, names of the involved officers and the full police report Aug. 24 and 25, but officials refused the request, saying they would not release any additional information until the conclusion of the investigation. Again, Khalif says hell speak to the supervisor, but Madfes insists Khalif is required to give me a lawful reason why youre here.. Chief Michael Cronin is resigning after 12 years amid a blacklash over his handling of the George Floyd protests and a recent incident involving an officer and the only Black clothing store owner in Tiburon. In an interview Aug. 24, Fredericks called the officers behavior unacceptable, and said the Police Department is in the process of hiring an attorney to conduct an independent investigation into the incident. Tiburon officials have selected a San Mateo police lieutenant as the towns next police chief, filling a post that had been vacant for six months. Still, other locals questioned Khalifs reaction to the police, and said he should have proved ownership when asked. You sound very defensive.. Officers from both the Tiburon and Belvedere police departments arrived that August 2020 night around 1 a.m., when Khalif, Awash and a friend were stocking clothes at the upscale boutique on . After a few minutes, Blasi and another officer arrived, which is when the interaction starts being recorded. Awash characterized the conversation as positive. Tiburon police sergeant shoots self in police station Amy Larson 12/14/2022 TIBURON, Calif. (KRON) A Tiburon Police Department sergeant fatally shot himself inside the police. - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more. Henry Ty McGowan, Detective Seneca Shields and. Khalif didn't answer the question, saying what people didn't see in the body cam video are the officers who had circled the business multiple times beforehand and had been watching them. How safe is your neighborhood? Community members pointed out Cronin had only issued a warning for the protest in Marin City, which is 61 percent non-white, including 38 percent Black, and had issued no such warnings for similar peaceful protests in other nearby predominantly white communities, including Mill Valley. 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Khalif and Awash say, however, that they shouldnt be required to repeatedly identify themselves to police to prove who they are and that they belong in town. Tiburon officials say an independent investigation is now underway, which is the reason why officers were not at Thursday's meeting. She stressed the importance to use the incident as a learning step.. I think the town owes the police an apology, Joyce Wells said. In the video, Khalif can be seen wearing a protective mask and engaging with the initially maskless police supervisor, identified as Michael Blasi, who repeatedly asked Khalif to prove his identity as the owner of the store. The first officer stayed behind briefly and again asked Khalif to put his key in the door, though Khalif again declined, saying the matter was settled. Reach her at 415-944-4627. We welcome and encourage your thoughts and comments. Put your key in the door and were out of here. "When I feel harassed and I feel targeted, I say it, and I say it as I see it, and that's what that was," says business owner Yema Khalif, who was with his wife and another person inside his business when he was approached by officers. Monaghan accepted a conditional offer in February, Chanis said. As Madfes approaches the store, Khalif, Awash and the friend can be seen inside at the checkout counter, apparently talking with each other. Khalif said the officer circled the store three or four times before stopping outside the shop and sitting across the street for about 15 minutes. Tiburon Town Manager Greg Chanis announced the resignation in a newsletter saying [Sgt. Yema Khalif and Hawi Awash, owners of the Yema clothing shop. Khalif continually declines to do so, stating numerous times that he owns the business and asks, Whats the problem? They opened the athletic apparel boutique in February. Lewis Powell, Sgt. Ultimately, I sign off on every hire for the town, Chanis said. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Tiburon Town Manager Greg Chanis announced the resignation in a newsletter saying " [Sgt. He did not comment on whether officers will face disciplinary actions pending the outcome of the investigation. Thats all we want to know, Blasi says. Tiburon chief Cronin also resigned effective September 13, in response to the alleged racial profiling incident at YEMA. A Black business owner believes he was racially profiled by police as he was filling inventory inside his store last Friday at 1 a.m. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- On Thursday night, a four-hour, heated virtual community meeting took place over an incident that happened in the small North Bay city of Tiburon, California. Do you want us to look out for the community or do you want us to let anybody walk in here at 2 oclock in the morning and steal all your stuff? Blasi is heard saying on the video. Michael Blasi resigned after the release of police body-cam video showed Blasi and other officers questioning whether Yema Khalif and his wife Hawi Awash had a right to be in their own downtown store after hours. Again, the exchange goes in circles, but tensions rise as Madfes shouts past Khalif to ask Awash and the friend, still standing at the checkout counter to the rear, Do one of you two here own the store or have any reason to be here?, Khalif speaks over him: No, do not talk to anybody, you talk to me, youre talking to me right now., Tensions escalate further when Madfes tells Khalif, This town is my duty to protect.. "There's three Black people in the store, what's the problem?" Davina Adjani, a protest organizer, said the might be postponed in light of the resignation, but that Cronin is still a problem for hiring Blasi despite the red flags in his past. Named among the state's & nation's best small weeklies, 2014, 2018-2021 California News Publishers Association &, Tiburon releases body-cam footage of police questioning Black merchant, About 6 minutes of cellphone footage of the encounter with the supervisor, Tiburon police Sgt. This street closes at 9 oclock at night, and theres never anybody in here. All the applicants expressed an understanding of the events that have transpired in Tiburon in the last eight months, Chanis said. Then we see Tiburon police car patrolling. Early release leading to academic unsettlement for student athletes, Tam's emergency and natural disaster readiness, GSA Advocates for Gender Neutral Changing Rooms, Bolinas and Stinson Beach students face frightening commute, Tamalpais High School's gender and sexuality alliance. The heated exchange, which began shortly after 1 a.m. Aug. 21, was partially recorded from inside the store by Khalifs friend while his partner and store co-founder, Hawi Awash, stood back from the door. If I tell you its my store, then what? Khalif responded. Next time, just walk and the audio and video cut out. The town announced Blasis resignation on Tuesday. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- A Black business owner is speaking out after Tiburon police demanded proof he was the store's owner. "I didn't see anything racist that the policemen said to those fine people. Blasi then can be heard asking Khalif why he is bringing race into the conversation. The newly released body-cam footage appears to highlight this further, with clearer audio than the cellphone footage that also shows a stark contrast between Blasis demeanor and that of Madfes, who speaks calmly throughout the first half of the video while Blasi then frequently shouts over Khalif and tells him he should be grateful. Other business owners have come forward to say that on the rare occasions they work late into the night, they've never been stopped and questioned at all, while Khalif was not only interrogated, Madfes had already called for backup before he first knocked on the door. Blasi] believes it would be difficult to continue being effective as a police officer in Tiburon. The police chief of the wealthy Bay Area town of Tiburon has announced his retirement as the community reels over a confrontation between police and . U.S. California Police Instagram. However, Linda Emberson of Tiburon countered. A percentage of all sales are donated to Road to Freedom Scholarships for the education of orphaned children in Ethiopia and Kenya, a program that was started by Danish actress and part-time Tiburon resident Connie Nielsen. Investigators said the incident occurred inside the Tiburon Police Department (TPD) locker room at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Dec. 12, The Ark reported. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Tracking the drought: Map shows conditions across SF Bay Area, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7, Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF, Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues, Santa Clara University professor, her brother racially profiled by campus guards, Berkeley mom films confrontation with white man who ripped down Black Lives Matter signs. Laurie is responsible for disaster preparedness, maintenance of the Emergency Operations Center and coordination of a wide range of related activities. Ryan Monaghan, who has worked at the San. Monaghans collaborative approach and demonstrated commitment to creating meaningful community engagement really set him apart from other candidates, Chanis said. Store talking with a Tiburon police supervisor using the Department directory starts being recorded day, said... 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