Doesnt the business owner have some responsibility for not complying, which also couldve de-escalated the situation? asked Reedlands resident Elizabeth Shapiro on Nextdoor. It just felt like it was going to progress into something ugly., Khalif called the fact that the situation was diffused by a white neighbor yelling down to vouch for him the icing on the cake., A Black man cannot be in this space in this particular hour and say, Im OK, no need to be talking to you, move along. A Black man can not say that, but a white man can.. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? 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. In response to public outcry, Blasi offered his resignation from the Tiburon Police department, which went into effect September 1. The former chief, Michael Cronin, retired in September after a public backlash over an incident involving two Black store owners. Blasi has responded to numerous law enforcement-related questions on Quora, a question-and-answer website, over the last few years. Named among the state's & nation's best small weeklies, 2014, 2018-2021 California News Publishers Association &, Store owners: Late-night encounter with Tiburon cops was racially motivated, 2022 The Ark, AMMI Publishing Co. Inc. | 1550 Tiburon Blvd. Marin resident Chelsea Ialeggio, who was raised in Tiburon, said she is disgusted by the incident. However, Linda Emberson of Tiburon countered. Khalif said he was wearing the same outfit as the mannequin he was standing next to while talking to police from the doorway. Thats all we want to know, Blasi says. What is it that theyre fearing?. You can contact staff from the Police Department and get information about their divisions: Tiburon Town Hall | 1505 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, CA 94920 | Phone: 415-435-7373 Hours: Administration: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Planning: 8 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Building: 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Public Works: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.Town Hall is closed on Fridays. Why would the police believe some white guy yelling from his balcony and not the Black business owner stating he owned the business? she wrote. D, Tiburon, CA 94920 | 415-435-2652 | Privacy Policy| Designed by Kevin Hessel. Khalif begins speaking over the officer when Awash appears to say, OK baby? but Khalif tells her No, no and again asks the officer if theres a problem. We welcome and encourage your thoughts and comments. DeSantis coming to CA as new poll shows him leading Trump, Ice flies off SUV, smashing windshield: 'You could kill somebody'. 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.. "This street closes at 9 o'clock at night and there's never anybody in here. At 1 a.m. Saturday morning, Tiburon police officers saw three people inside the clothing store Yema on Main Street and decided to check it out. After a few minutes, Blasi and another officer arrived, which is when the interaction starts being recorded. Blasi and two other officers then leave. 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. I was not specifically aware of that event.. You sure? Khalif said he was entitled to be in the store, had no obligation to identify himself and accused police of being suspicious because the store occupants were Black. 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. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? Thats when we knew he had already called for back up. David Zalubowski/AP. Mayor Alice Fredericks issued an apology on Saturday and went in person to talk to the store owners on Monday. We are inside the store minding our business, All store lights are on and you can see us from outside because we have high windows all around the store. Khalif was also a speaker at the 2018 Belvedere-Tiburon Librarys Pop-Up 94920 series. 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. D, Tiburon, CA 94920 | 415-435-2652 | Privacy Policy| Designed by Kevin Hessel. 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. They opened the athletic apparel boutique in February. About 2 minutes into the video, Khalif says that if Madfes has a problem, call your chief of police, call whoever you wanna call at which point Madfes acknowledges his supervisor, Blasi, is already on his way, consistent with Khalifs previous accounts of the incident. The people in the store included co-owners Yema Khalif and Hawai Awash, the only Black store owners in town. Our store alarm did not go off, no one called the police, everything was peaceful. Simpson, who is familiar with Khalif, said he was concerned by the way the three officers were surrounding him, so he yelled down to confirm Khalif was the owner. All Rights Reserved. Tiburon officials say an independent investigation is now underway, which is the reason why officers were not at Thursday's meeting. Tiburon, CA - A Tiburon police sergeant fatally shot himself inside the police department headquarters while on duty on Monday, according to authorities. We all want this to resolve in a positive way, she said, noting she hopes the incident sparks conversation about police reform and real policing that uses empathy to police our community.. Body cam and cell phone footage shows the altercation as it unfolds. After the panel interviews, I met with each finalist for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, and then each finalist had the opportunity to tour the police station.. Tiburon officials have released body-camera footage from the first officer at the scene of a late-night confrontation between police and Black business owner Yema Khalif, who asserts he was racially profiled when questioned at his downtown shop. Two Black merchants who allege racial profiling by police in Tiburon and Belvedere are demanding $2 million from the municipalities. "Had that white neighbor not said anything that night, maybe Yema wouldn't be here with us today and I would let that sink in for a minute," Hawi Awash told ABC 7 News. Whatever the intention of the responding officers, the interchange inappropriately deteriorated from helpful to confrontational, Fredericks said in the statement, adding that Tiburon officers are trained and expected to de-escalate situations such as these. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. In 1999 the department moved into its current location at 1155 Tiburon Blvd. I think right now everybody should get involved just because, whats going on in the country; the climate and everything. said Yema Khalif in a video his friend took. The neighbor, Ken Simpson, lives in his Main Street apartment part-time and said hes also accustomed to hearing noise from patrons and employees of downtown restaurants late at night, but the yelling that woke him up about 1:15 a.m. Aug. 21 sounded like it was escalating quickly. I think the town owes the police an apology, Joyce Wells said. Grime, 47, was placed in a hobbling device, binding his handcuffs to ankle restraints behind his back. The department also updated its use-of-force policy to align with calls to de-escalate police encounters with the public. Tiburon Mayor Alice Fredericks called their behavior unacceptable and issued a public apology, and she and Belvederes mayor each apologized personally to Khalif and Awash. Im like, wait, did this happen in Tiburon? What is it that theyre fearing?. In the post. It sparked widespread outrage within the community and prompted town officials to order an independent investigation into the officers conduct. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- A Black business owner is speaking out after Tiburon police demanded proof he was the store's owner. I want to know what you're doing in the store at 1 o'clock in the morning.". And he wanted us to prove who we are. Laurie can be reached at (415)789-2805. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. It looked like they were harassing him and I thought, This has gone on for several minutes, Simpson said. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- A Black business owner is speaking out after Tiburon police demanded proof he was the store's owner. I had to prove my house, street and number, and I had to prove that I lived in Tiburon, Khalif said. Chanis has denied that Cronin's retirement is connected to the incident involving the business owners, according to the Marin IJ. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. Update: Tiburon Town Council & Belvedere City Council Virtual Town Hall & Community Forum 6:30 p.m. Aug. 27. https://zoom.us/j/95644043303 or 669-900-6833, meeting ID 956 4404 3303. U.S. California Police Instagram. Khalif: "If I tell you it's my store then what? In a later interview, Simpson said he was concerned by the way the three officers were surrounding Khalif. In the footage, Madfes is seen walking through Fountain Plaza toward the store and can be heard reporting one BMA, one BFA one Black male adult and one Black female adult which he corrects to three people, two Black males, as he gets closer. After another shop owner yelled at police, telling them the couple did own the store, the officers left. 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