By Olivia Biliunas and Jonathan Nunez
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Opponents of Proposition E rallied outside SF City Hall this week, claiming the measure would weaken the SF Police Dept. requirement to report any use of force, expand secret surveillance and allow more police discretion in the use of violence.
The proposition, in short, will protect SFPD rather than civilians, charge opponents, who noted the measure is backed by the San Francisco Police Union and several local billionaires, who are financially supporting the legislation.
Protestors displayed signs reading “NOPE” (No on Proposition E) to highlight their outrage and their fear regarding the passing of Prop. E.
Police Commissioner Kevin Benedicto, a civil rights advocate, a small business leader, a survivor of police brutality, and a car crash caused by a SFPD vehicle pursuit, opposes Prop. E.
Ciara Keegan, in a statement about her head-on collision, said, “I could have been killed or suffered life changing injuries. Prop. E treats San Franciscans as collateral damage. But I am not collateral damage. We are not collateral damage.”
Nathan “Nash” Sheard, managing director of advocacy at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, charged, “Unchecked surveillance is not the solution to our city’s challenges. If passed, Prop. E would expand secret surveillance while stripping away hard-won safety policies.”
Co-founder of Small Business Forward, Justin Dolezal, argued, “Proposition E is the wrong approach…small businesses are against March’s Proposition E. It would make the city a more violent place to live, work and be policed. Every day, we witness the ways in which increased policing does not prevent nor adequately respond to the issues facing San Francisco.”
