The four fired men were Patrol Officer Juan Lugo Perez, Sgt. Again, Khalif says hell speak to the supervisor, but Madfes insists Khalif is required to give me a lawful reason why youre here.. Thank you very much, thats all I need to know, Blasi said in the video and walked away toward Tiburon Boulevard. The town has been conducting background and medical checks since then. Once she found out about Blasis past, she said she felt lucky the situation did not end with violence. Khalif posted the video to Instagram. Tiburon Town Hall | 1505 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, CA 94920 | Phone: 415-435-7373. However, Linda Emberson of Tiburon countered. In the video, Blasi eventually says Khalif should be grateful that the officers are looking out for his shop. Khalif said when it became clear the officer wasnt understanding him, he asked the officer to call his supervisor. Video @sherlavars pic.twitter.com/WH5S9Sktxu. Some days we have to work late. The neighbor, Ken Simpson, lives in his Main Street apartment part-time and said hes also accustomed to hearing noise from patrons and employees of downtown restaurants late at night, but the yelling that woke him up about 1:15 a.m. Aug. 21 sounded like it was escalating quickly. I do not have any intention of removing them at this time, Cronin said. David Zalubowski/AP. Khalif becomes increasingly frustrated as Blasis requirement shifts: Did you identify yourself? A 6-minute video of the incident was posted to Instagram and Facebook by Yema Khalif, the co-owner of the action fashion wear boutique Yema at 10 Main St. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? Based on this belief, Sgt. Cronin denies his departure is linked to the incident. Khalif said he was entitled to be in the store, had no obligation to identify himself and accused police of being suspicious because the store occupants were Black. A Tiburon police sergeant has resigned following a confrontation with a Black merchant that critics say stemmed from racial profiling. This street closes at 9 oclock at night, and theres never anybody in here. There are three Black people in the store whats the problem with that?, Watch the video on Instagram at instagram.com/p/CEKwyUrJIdl. Tiburons Hank Easom was locally renowned sailor, After earthquakes, Tiburon resident seeks aid for native Turkey, Six vying for interim seat on Tiburon Town Council, Former mayor and longtime volunteer named Belvedere Citizen of the Year, Study details threat of water from below in combatting sea rise, Residents sound off, urge action at Belvedere coyote forum, Angel Island ferry to be states first all-electric short-run ferry, Angel Island honored for effort to turn historic hospital into museum, 2022 The Ark, AMMI Publishing Co. Inc. | 1550 Tiburon Blvd. He also holds a masters degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. It does not matter. We welcome and encourage your thoughts and comments. It is clear that did not occur in this instance.. In the post, Khalif described seeing a lone police officer circle the block a number of times before stopping his patrol vehicle and knocking on the storefront door. Im like, wait, did this happen in Tiburon? After it was over I was shaking, Awash said. Laurie Nilsen is the Emergency Services Coordinator for both towns. "When I feel harassed and I feel targeted, I say it, and I say it as I see it, and that's what that was," says business owner Yema Khalif, who was with his wife and another person inside his business when he was approached by officers. Everything I was saying fell on deaf ears.. I think of all of the very late nights I have worked in those offices and never once did the police come by to see who was there as I sat at my desk clearly visible in the window, she said in an email to town officials. Tiburon Mayor Alice Fredericks told the Marin IJ she was not surprised by the announcement, but it came "a few weeks earlier than expected. Khalif then told the officers that they are are exercising unnecessary caution because there are three Black people in the store, according to the video. Comment at the meeting, or in advance by emailing comments@townoftiburon.org. According to Khalif, the officer sat in his parked vehicle for about 20 minutes before approaching Khalif, asking him to identify himself, explain why they were inside the store, and informing them that backup was on the way. California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched an independent investigation Wednesday into the Torrance Police Department after evidence emerged that officers were sharing racist and homophobic . Other downtown business owners rallied around the couple, saying theyve never been questioned by police while working late into the evening, past closing time, including Chelsea Ialeggio, a real-estate agent who said she has had offices in town with both Frank Howard Allen and now at Vanguard Properties. In an interview Aug. 24, Fredericks called the officers behavior unacceptable, and said the Police Department is in the process of hiring an attorney to conduct an independent investigation into the incident. Town Manager Greg Chanis said the council will be holding a special online Town Hall meeting via Zoom later this week to give residents and the public an opportunity to talk about the incident. Body cam and cell phone footage shows the altercation as it unfolds. She said she used to work for Frank Howard Allen Realtors when it had a storefront office in downtown Tiburon. I, kindly, explained that we didnt have to prove anything and asked for a supervisor. Noah Griffin, a member of the towns Diversity Inclusion Task Force, said he was one of two African American members of the community panel that interviewed the finalists. It was more like, Who are you guys, what are you doing in this store, you must identify yourselves and prove why you are here, she said. The supervisor demanded Khalif put his key in the door to prove ownership when a neighbor shouted at police identifying him. Michael Blasi demanded Khalif and 2 other Black ppl prove they were allowed to be in the store. On Thursday, the city of Tiburon and city of Belvedere held a joint virtual community meeting with all sides reacting to the incident. Please enter valid email address to continue. Belvedere City Manager Craig Middleton said one of the officers who was acting in a backup role is employed with Belvedere Police Department. Where do you live? Madfes says. It was fear. About 5 minutes into the footage, Blasi arrives on the scene, though Khalif notes that a third officer has also arrived a Belvedere patrol officer who is off screen but can be seen through the window in the separate video taken from inside the store and posted by Khalif to social media. Doesnt the business owner have some responsibility for not complying, which also couldve de-escalated the situation? asked Reedlands resident Elizabeth Shapiro on Nextdoor. September 8, 2020 / 7:45 PM Officers from both the Tiburon and Belvedere police departments arrived that August 2020 night around 1 a.m., when Khalif, Awash and a friend were stocking clothes at the upscale boutique on . IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Matthew Tom has been working as a homepage editor at SFGATE since 2006. The protest, which featured a diverse array of Black speakers in the community, including Marin residents Paul Austin and Amber Allen-Peirson, called for police reformation, community reparations, and institutionalized changes to prevent further racial profiling. Tiburon officials say an independent investigation is now underway, which is the reason why officers were not at Thursday's meeting. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? Ste. I sat in on these interviews, but did not participate, Chanis said. I expressed to him that there was no crime going on and we were going about our business. Cronin will step down on Sept. 13 after serving 12 years as the chief of police, according to a statement released by Tiburon Town Manager Greg Chanis. Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. The Police Department and Emergency Operations Center are also responsible for developing and maintaining the Emergency Operations Plan for the entire Tiburon Peninsula. This isnt regular business hours, theres no customers in here. Awash said both she and Khalif have been heartened by the support from the Tiburon community, with both reiterating they feel lucky to live in town. "This particular day we had just received a huge inventory and we just wanted to come out and put the inventory out before Saturday morning," said Khalif. Awash characterized the conversation as positive. Your email address will not be published. TIBURON, Calif. . Tiburon Police Chief Michael J. Cronin announced on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, that he will retire, effective Sept. 13. OK, thats fine. In a year marked by the killings of Black people at the hands of law enforcement, leading to protests nationwide calling for police reform, the conduct of the Tiburon officers is particularly tone . I opened our balcony door to Main Street, and I heard one of the officers saying, If this is your store, put your key in the door and prove it.. Then he insisted that he wanted us to prove who we are and to explain what we were doing at the store that late. By Ewan Palmer On 8/26/20 at 10:17 AM EDT. It was a nearby business owner who yelled to officers that Khalif owned the business, which diffused the situation. Several months later, the store was named Tiburons Business of the Month. Maybe this happened to us because we can bring this out and make sure we have these conversations in our homes and with our families and loved ones and members of community and create something positive thats going to make Tiburon better for all of us, she said. Its unfortunate but I think good will come of this, Awash said. Blasi offered, and the town has accepted, his voluntary resignation., On the night of the alleged racial profiling incident, Khalif, his wife. It looked like they were harassing him and I thought, This has gone on for several minutes, Simpson said. "We are extraordinarily sad to report the loss. The police denied a racial motive and said they were doing their jobs. He said he was surrounded by officers who told him they were responding to a call about a person touching peoples cars.. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- A Black business owner is speaking out after Tiburon police demanded proof he was the store's owner. Were here because we love Tiburon, and we know that Tiburon loves us back, Awash said. DeSantis coming to CA as new poll shows him leading Trump, Ice flies off SUV, smashing windshield: 'You could kill somebody'. In one response, Blasi explained that police are not able to detain a person without a lawful, articulable reason and compel them to identify themselves. This incident should alarm every resident in Tiburon, wrote Wolf. This isn't regular business hours, there's no customers in there. It first operated from 80 Main Street before moving in the late 70s into surplus military housing near its present site. She said that included conversations about how police officers can re-examine their implicit biases and eliminate their own fear on the job. A Tiburon police sergeant was found dead at the department's headquarters of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, the agency said Tuesday. 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