By S. Priana Aquino
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin late last week held his first in-person event since the start of the pandemic in order to address questions from an audience at Manny’s, a small cafe located in the San Francisco Mission District, owned by Manny Yekutiel.
The event was primarily held to discuss Boudin’s accomplishments throughout his term in the role of a district attorney, and to talk generally about criminal justice in San Francisco. Such accomplishments as stated by Boudin included the creation of a new program to secure funding for victims of police violence.
While the audience was receptive to Boudin’s comments—clapping and nodding in response, at one point there was a heckler outside the door, using a megaphone to try to draw attention from the DA.
In response to this, Boudin promptly commented on the current campaign being held to recall him.
He compared the interest in his removal to former president Donald Trump and his supporter’s attempts to claim this most recent presidential election as a stolen one.
These local and county leaders “are being recalled not because of high crimes and misdemeanors, not because of things that would lead anyone to be impeached at a federal level,” Boudin said, “it’s happening because people don’t like the outcome of elections.”
The DA also commented on the so-called increase in crime in San Francisco, one of the largest factors in the recall campaign.
He explained that the increase was attributed largely to the pandemic, but said the crime rate in 2020 was down 20 percent according to police statistics.
Despite the unwanted attention that has come with the recall against him, Boudin repeated that he would not be deterred—while the heckler droned on within earshot of the audience, Boudin was asked whether the recall campaign would distract him.
“To answer your question, I refuse to be distracted,” Boudin answered, raising his voice above the protester’s.
Though Boudin’s confidence was apparent, the recall campaign against him only continues to grow. For many, the DA’s performance has not met the expectations of community members’ calls for more police accountability, but for many others they wish for a continuation of such progressive policies for the city.
“I mean, there’s room for improvement, I’m aware,” Boudin said, “and we are working tirelessly to find ways to do better.”