They opened the athletic apparel boutique in February. We are not interested in blanket apologies that have no honesty and truth and actionable things that will prevent a situation like this from happening to the next Black man, he said. Footage of the incident on August 21st can be seen on YEMAs Instagram (@Yemacalif). ", The business owner tells ABC7 News, "I did feel racially profiled. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? Im like, wait, did this happen in Tiburon? Awash was born in Ethiopia and lived as a refugee in Kenya before moving with her family to Minnesota. During hours when the department is closed, visitors can be directly connected to our dispatch center via a phone outside our front entrance. 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 couple say they had received a large shipment of merchandise and that they and a visiting friend and business associate had been restocking the store to prepare for the weekend shortly before a patrol officer knocked on the door and questioned why they were there. Marin City Matters member Paul Austin said Blasis resignation is a step in the right direction, but there is more work to be done starting from the top down. Yesterday was one of those days. Again, the exchange goes in circles, but tensions rise as Madfes shouts past Khalif to ask Awash and the friend, still standing at the checkout counter to the rear, Do one of you two here own the store or have any reason to be here?, Khalif speaks over him: No, do not talk to anybody, you talk to me, youre talking to me right now., Tensions escalate further when Madfes tells Khalif, This town is my duty to protect.. A video of the incident that Awash recorded was widely shared on social media, and the town released police body-camera footage. Khalif continually declines to do so, stating numerous times that he owns the business and asks, Whats the problem? A Change.org petition, signed by nearly 500 people by The Arks press deadline, called for the immediate suspension of Blasi and an investigation into the officers involved. Awash says shes been stopped in her car by a single officer three to five times in the past year and a half. Ultimately, I sign off on every hire for the town, Chanis said. In August 2020, Yema Khalif and his wife Hawi Awash both Black were in their store in Tiburon when white police officers approached them demanding that the couple show proof that they owned the store. That's all we want to know. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? During the arrest, Grime fell unconscious and died in the hospital two days later. In a later interview, Awash pointed out that there are large posters on the stores walls of both she and Khalif modeling their clothing. Cronin declined to declined to identify the other two officers other than to say one works for Tiburon and the other for Belvedere. Khalif, who has lived in Tiburon for nearly 10 years, and Awash are well-known in the Tiburon business community. This isn't regular business hours, there's no customers in there. Maybe because I am a blonde caucasian there was no reason that they cared to check on why I was there or felt the need to make me get out my key to prove I belonged there.. The heated exchange, which began shortly after 1 a.m. Aug. 21, was partially recorded from inside the store by Khalifs friend while his partner and store co-founder, Hawi Awash, stood back from the door. After a few minutes, Blasi and another officer arrived, which is when the interaction starts being recorded. Then we see Tiburon police car patrolling. Blasi offered, and the town has accepted, his voluntary resignation., On the night of the alleged racial profiling incident, Khalif, his wife. She stressed the importance to use the incident as a learning step.. U.S. California Police Instagram. Laurie can be reached at (415)789-2805. Khalif spoke at the rally. "We're trying to build a brand with a big heart," said Khalif. I dont have to show anything to you, Khalif can be heard saying. Davina Adjani, a protest organizer, said the might be postponed in light of the resignation, but that Cronin is still a problem for hiring Blasi despite the red flags in his past. 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. There's video of the interaction and an investigation underway. The off-camera speaker presumably makes reference to the June 2020 fatal police shooting of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, who was shot after allegedly grabbing a police officer's Taser, following a . Thats all we want to know, Blasi says. NBCBLK 5 officers fired after Tyre Nichols' death were 'directly responsible' for his 'physical abuse,' police chief says Other officers remain under investigation in connection with a. Khalif becomes increasingly frustrated as Blasis requirement shifts: Did you identify yourself? Mayor Alice Fredericks on Aug. 22 sent out an email to the community apologizing to Khalif and Awash. Even after the supervisor walked away, the officer who first approached the store said, "Can you put the key in the door please?". The incident, early last Friday morning, is now the subject of an independent . Wife of popular Wild 94.9 radio host JV says new information suggests he will not be coming back, Bay Area federal judge orders extradition of woman suspected of killing MSU student in hit-and-run, San Jose: Home raided as part of explosives and narcotics investigation. The investigation needs to go further than just this incident at Yema, said Adjani, a friend of the store owners. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Supervisor and another cop - who had his hand on his gun, by the way, showed up almost immediately. 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. RELATED: Santa Clara University professor, her brother racially profiled by campus guards, In an emailed statement writing, "The Town is engaging the services of an outside, independent attorney to conduct an investigation of the incident involving a local business owner and Tiburon Police Officers on August 21 at 10 Main Street. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were fired on Jan. 20 after an administrative investigation found they had violated department policy on the. It sparked widespread outrage within the community and prompted town officials to order an independent investigation into the officers conduct. Chanis said 60 people provided public comment during the four-hour forum. Tiburon Town Manager Greg Chanis announced the resignation in a newsletter saying [Sgt. 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. 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"He has fostered partnerships, communication, and trust within our community, and his philosophy toward successful law enforcement practices has substantially moved our department forward.". In the footage, Madfes is seen walking through Fountain Plaza toward the store and can be heard reporting one BMA, one BFA one Black male adult and one Black female adult which he corrects to three people, two Black males, as he gets closer. Khalif said when it became clear the officer wasnt understanding him, he asked the officer to call his supervisor. ", Khalif: "I do not have to show you nothing. After Floyds death and ahead of a peaceful June 2 protest in Marin City, Cronin sparked outrage among the community after he issued a statement warning residents to be wary should the demonstration become violent or lead to looting on the Tiburon Peninsula neither of which happened. Whatever the intention of the responding offices, the interchange inappropriately deteriorated from helpful to confrontational, Fredericks wrote in an email sent to the community. Matthew Tom has been working as a homepage editor at SFGATE since 2006. Khalif was also a speaker at the 2018 Belvedere-Tiburon Librarys Pop-Up 94920 series. Its nice to see how the community has come together, and that they are saying what they want to see going forward, Khalif said. I expressed to him that there was no crime going on and we were going about our business. I have been stopped for taking a walk to my house. As Madfes approaches the store, Khalif, Awash and the friend can be seen inside at the checkout counter, apparently talking with each other. Maegan Hall, the female officer at the center of the scandal, has been fired, city officials said. Awash noted they had been in the shop until about 2 or 3 a.m. the day before. Kevin Hessel is The Arks executive editor. 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. In these conversations, Sergeant Blasi expressed his love for Tiburon and described the deep connection he developed during his time serving the community, Chanis wrote in a message to residents. I confirmed that I am the business owner, but they wanted me to prove it. Tiburon Town Manager Greg Chanis announced the resignation in a newsletter saying " [Sgt. The department also updated its use-of-force policy to align with calls to de-escalate police encounters with the public. My whole body was shaking and I could not make it stop. The confrontation led to a rally in Tiburon on Aug. 29 against racial profiling. To the right in the video, a mannequin frequently is in view, just feet from Khalif, who has approached the door dressed in identical clothing distinctive, African-inspired athletic-leisurewear. 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. Khalif, an immigrant from Kenya, refused, arguing that police officers should know the business owners in the community. Awash began recording as Sgt. If they had just proved it was their business then that wouldve been it.. Please enter valid email address to continue. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Tracking the drought: Map shows conditions across SF Bay Area, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7, Tiburon police demand Black business owner prove who he is, Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF, Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. We received new inventory during the day so we went back to our store, on Main street Tiburon California, to work late. Before Khalif was able to show the three officers that he had a working key to the store, an unnamed local can be heard from afar verifying that Khalif was the owner. Tiburon officials have released body-camera footage from the first officer at the scene of a late-night confrontation between police and Black business owner Yema Khalif, who asserts he was racially profiled when questioned at his downtown shop. Fredericks said Cronin is planning a department-wide racial-bias training for late next month, which has been in the works since the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis in May, which led to widespread protests and mounting calls to end racial injustice and police brutality. ", The community meeting comes after the city released body cam video showing the back and forth between both sides. Owner Yema Khalif said he was insulted by the officer's demand to prove he owned the store and feels Blasi would have behaved differently if he had been white. Japanese Americans won redress for World War II interment camps, now they fight for Black reparations, Civil rights activist Roslyn Pope dies; her Appeal for Human Rights helped launch campaign of boycotts, sit-ins, Letters: Stone is wrong | Unnecessarily complex | Everymans EV | Coaching equity | No infrastructure. He opened the store this past February and says it's not unusual for them to work late into the night. Is closed, visitors can be reached at ( 415 ) 789-2805 his,! Investigation underway, to work late like, wait, did this happen in Tiburon community and town. ; s video of the store this past February and says it 's not unusual them... Via a phone outside our front entrance at SFGATE since 2006 29 against racial tiburon police officer fired two officers other than say! Ultimately, I sign off on every hire for the town, Chanis.... X27 ; s video of the incident on August 21st can be heard saying which is the! 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