Though Blacks are Only 6% of San Francisco, the McNegro Mayor and Probot DA Seek to Place Them in Greater Confinement. Rehab/Housing/Policing/Black Lives Not Priorities to Their White Liberal Masters
/From [HERE] Just two weeks after replacing San Francisco’s progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin, DA Brooke Jenkins is taking heat for a mass firing which many attorneys say is throwing the office into chaos.
Civil rights attorney Arcelia Hurtado, among about 15 people fired from the interim DA’s office this past Friday, called Jenkins’ management a “disaster.” She said in a phone interview she was abruptly removed from managing the post-conviction unit — in the middle of the Napoleon Brown murder caseinvolving Mayor London Breed’s brother — without explanation or transition plans.
She called this “the biggest red flag” because Jenkins was appointed by the mayor and seems to be following instructions.
“I’ve been locked out of my computer, locked out of everything,” Hurtado said. “This is clearly a political move and she clearly lined up all of the senior management people Boudin hired and fired us all without cause.”
This week, Jenkins asked the state Attorney General’s office to take over Hurtado’s case to avoid any conflict of interest with the mayor. It’s just one piece of what city attorneys and the Public Defender’s Office say is the fallout of returning to failed war-on-drugs policies after a heavily funded recall — which blamed homelessness and the opioid crisis on the DA — that could harm many people. It is also being called a political backslide for San Francisco, recently poised as a progressive city for criminal justice reform while Breed positions herself as a centrist ally of frustrated voters.
Jenkins’ team fired critical Boudin staffers like data research director Mikaela Rabinowitz; the Independent Investigations Bureau attorney prosecuting cops, Lateef Gray; and assistant district attorney Dana Drusinsky, who helped resentence rehabilitated people. The DA installed new transition managers, including people Boudin fired like former assistant DA Ana Gonzalez, according to San Francisco Chronicle.
Breed appears to have considerable influence over Jenkins’ office. Documents obtained by Mission Local show that the mayor’s office is intercepting press inquiries for Jenkins and providing media announcements for the DA to release, based on communications between DA spokesperson Robyn Burke and Breed’s deputy chief of staff Andrea Bruss.
When contacted for comment, Breed’s office said the mayor has only been involved in the public events she attended with the DA, including the announcement of her appointment and her swearing in. The office said staff did not field press requests or send out announcements for Jenkins, and that they forwarded requests to members of the DA’s team.
“There has been no involvement on policy-making or decisions around cases,” Breed’s office said in an emailed statement.
Jenkins’ office did not respond to multiple requests for an interview to discuss changes in policy.
San Francisco Police Officers Association president Tracy McCray supports Jenkins’ actions. “After more than two years of having a criminal defense attorney occupy the district attorney’s office, we are hopeful that having an actual prosecutor in charge will result in criminals being held accountable and crime victims once again having a voice in our criminal justice system,” McCray said in a statement.
Tal Klement, who oversaw the felony and misdemeanor units, said by phone he was surprised to be fired after Jenkins promised there would not be mass firings of Boudin hires. He said he is concerned about Jenkins’ replacements, including law enforcement officials and traditional prosecutors who may prefer stricter penalties for people accused of crimes.
“I worry about a return to the policies of mass incarceration and tough on crime type approaches to addressing social problems,” he said. “I’m particularly concerned about the reinstituion of gang enhancements that have historically targeted young Black and brown people and led to racial profiling and lack of trust between the police and those communities.” [MORE]