The first police commission meeting since the shooting death of a man in the Bayview by police, which was caught on video, was loud and raucous as attendees called for real reforms to police tactics and the firing of police Chief Greg Suhr.
“Chief Suhr, you have lost the trust and the faith of the community,” said Pastor Ben McBride on Wednesday to the commission and chief.
From the meeting’s start, overflow crowds in the hallway cheering “Fire Chief Suhr” filtered into the room as speaker after speaker called for reforms to end police killings.
“Our community is broken,” said Carletta Jackson-Lane about the killing of Mario Woods. “Our hearts are broken.”
Along with speakers who called for resignations and reform, they also asked for the department to release the names of the officers involved and that they be charged with murder.
New details were divulged Wednesday night as well.
An attorney speaking for the Woods family told the commission that Woods had 21 wounds in his body from last week’s shooting.
The at times angry crowd of more than 100 people who had gathered outside of City Hall came days after Mayor Ed Lee called for new tactics, training and tools to reduce the likelihood of fatal use of force incidents, such as the killing of Woods.
Lee has directed the Police Commission to review existing use-of-force policies to make sure using a firearm is the last resort. That review could result in revising the department’s policy, Lee said.
Suhr has said he will call for equipping officers with Tasers, a plan that was rejected five years ago under then-Chief George Gascon.
All of these proposed changes come on the heels of the killing of Woods, 26, who died at the hands of five police officers. The incident was captured on video by witnesses and shared across social media.
Posted below is live Twitter coverage of the meeting, via the San Francisco Examiner.
Healthy showing of protesters outside #SF city hall calling for consequences to killing of #mariowoods pic.twitter.com/SF4yINHJqs
— Jonah Owen Lamb (@jonahowenlamb) December 10, 2015
100+ protesters with signs calling for the firing of chief Suhr outside of #SF city in wake of #MarioWoods killing pic.twitter.com/Ntg4m89qY9
— Jonah Owen Lamb (@jonahowenlamb) December 10, 2015
#SF police commission at capacity, deputies directing people to overflow rooms 4 use of force hearing #mariowoods pic.twitter.com/w60aPOZLGb
— Jonah Owen Lamb (@jonahowenlamb) December 10, 2015
The large crowd of #MarioWoods protesters outside of #SF police commission drowning out speakers pic.twitter.com/jAlPAE6U3W
— Jonah Owen Lamb (@jonahowenlamb) December 10, 2015
#MarioWoods protesters in #SF police commission pic.twitter.com/C83rzYiJhZ
— Jonah Owen Lamb (@jonahowenlamb) December 10, 2015
Little girl at #MarioWoods protest before #sf police commission says @SFPDChiefSuhr needs to go pic.twitter.com/DPxIYSIYB0
— Jonah Owen Lamb (@jonahowenlamb) December 10, 2015
#SF police comish prez: "viewing that video has rattled the trust of the African American community in the police department." #MarioWoods
— Jonah Owen Lamb (@jonahowenlamb) December 10, 2015
#SF police commission head says new draft policy on #sfpd use of force should be ready by end of Jan in wake of #MarioWoods death
— Jonah Owen Lamb (@jonahowenlamb) December 10, 2015
Read more criminal justice news on the Crime Ink page in print. Follow us on Twitter: @sfcrimeink
