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Public Domain
By Karime Montano
SAN FRANCISCO, CA- The Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) has voiced strong opposition against San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s support for Prop. E on Tuesday’s ballot, noting there are concerns the measure could harm public safety, especially marginalized communities.
The APTP became concerned of this after reading the San Francisco Chronicle’s investigative piece, “Police Chases in San Francisco: The Danger, the Damage,” which shed light on the deadly consequences of high-speed police pursuits.
According to the Chronicle’s research, throughout a six-year span, police pursuits claimed the lives of approximately 600 bystanders, Black individuals experiencing a significantly higher mortality rate than Caucasian counterparts.
Latinos also face a disproportionate risk, with a 50 percent higher rate than those being Caucasian, highlighting the disproportionate impact of these pursuits among communities of color.
And, in a report by The Washington Post in 2015, as a result of police high-speed chases, more lives are claimed annually than those in natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes all together.
High-speed chases are not proven to improve public safety, APTP argued, citing the studies and charging the high likelihood of injury or death and traffic stops are not effective crime prevention measures.
The APTP criticized Prop. E, arguing it not only fails to address the critical issue related to police pursuits but also weakens police oversight and expands law enforcement’s authority to conduct surveillance within communities.
APTP added concern over the potential abuse of power and made emphasis the need for evidence-based public safety strategies, highlighting the instances in which innocent lives were lost due to police pursuits.
The APTP shared the case of Lolomanaia Soakai, who was killed last year when the Oakland Police Department was conducting an unpermitted high speed chase. The same occurred to Agustin Coyotl, who was killed when the OPD chased a suspect and the suspect ended up crashing into his car.
Prop. E, if approved, would not only fail to reduce the risk of power abuse, but also undermine police oversight and increase invasive surveillance, stated the APTP.
“This proposition not only puts our Black and brown communities at greater risk but also grants unchecked power to law enforcement, allowing for increased surveillance that disproportionately impacts vulnerable neighborhoods,” stated Cat Brooks, co-founder/executive director of the Anti Police-Terror Project.
