It sounded like a fist-fight was going to happen, Simpson said. Awash said she was shaking while recording the incident at the store because of the prior negative encounters with Tiburon police. "He and I have been discussing the timing of his retirement for some time, but he only recently chose the date that corresponds with his entry into public service 54 years ago," Chanis said in the press release. Blasi begins asking the same questions as the first officer, including what the three were doing there late at night. Tiburon Town Manager Greg Chanis announced the resignation in a newsletter saying " [Sgt. Still, other locals questioned Khalifs reaction to the police, and said he should have proved ownership when asked. 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. Persons seeking assistance need only lift the phone to be connected with a dispatcher. You sure? The governing councils are to hold a joint online Town Hall-Community Forum on Aug. 27. 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 . 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. Nielsen met Khalif on a movie set and later helped him move to California, where he attended Dominican University of California in San Rafael, made the deans list all four years, was his class valedictorian in 2015 and was offered a full scholarship into its MBA program, where he eventually obtained his masters. Khalif said he wasnt particularly impressed with that statement. After the video of the incident was posted on Yemas Instagram and went viral, discussion caught like wildfire across social media platforms. The store was well-lighted, and police reports show no alarm had sounded and no one had otherwise reported suspicious activity. We welcome and encourage your thoughts and comments. The town announced Blasis resignation on Tuesday. It came from knowing that in one split second they could end someones life.. The Tiburon Police Department was established in 1972 following the town's incorporation by eight years. Before opening their Tiburon storefront, the couple started selling their clothing online in 2016. Blasi was hired last year by the department after more than 15 years at the Marin County Sheriffs Office as a SWAT team leader, investigator and gang task-force officer. I do not have any intention of removing them at this time, Cronin said. Monaghans collaborative approach and demonstrated commitment to creating meaningful community engagement really set him apart from other candidates, Chanis said. 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, Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF, Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues, Santa Clara University professor, her brother racially profiled by campus guards, Berkeley mom films confrontation with white man who ripped down Black Lives Matter signs. Chanis said neither Cronin nor Blasi are able to comment due to the pending investigation. Khalif said despite previous negative encounters with police in town, he andAwash said they love Tiburon and the outpouring from the community, town manager and council members has given them hope. Theyre the ones with the guns, theyre the ones with the badge, theyre the ones with the authority, she said. On Thursday, the city of Tiburon and city of Belvedere held a joint virtual community meeting with all sides reacting to the incident. First hired by the Belvedere Police Department in 2017, Blasi is considered a supervisor in Tiburon, where he earns an annual salary of $99,888 with a $20,324 benefits package. Update: Tiburon Town Council & Belvedere City Council Virtual Town Hall & Community Forum 6:30 p.m. Aug. 27. https://zoom.us/j/95644043303 or 669-900-6833, meeting ID 956 4404 3303. One of our business friend was visiting us from washing DC so he came with us. 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 . Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? This incident should alarm every resident in Tiburon, wrote Wolf. Khalif acknowledged several times that I want you to look out for my store and I want you to look out for my community, but he repeatedly asked the officers what activity, beyond his presence alone, was suspicious and required explanation. Cronin's departure comes on the heels of Sgt. Khalif, an immigrant from Kenya, refused, arguing that police officers should know the business owners in the community. Tiburon Mayor Alice Fredericks called their behavior unacceptable and issued a public apology, and she and Belvederes mayor each apologized personally to Khalif and Awash. Laurie Nilsen is the Emergency Services Coordinator for both towns. 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. 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. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. TAKE ACTION: Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. Khalif posted the video to Instagram. In an Aug. 24 interview, Khalif said he had no doubt the officers confronted him because of his race and said he was still traumatized., I could have been another statistic, I could have been another George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, but I did not take the bait, he said. Required fields are marked *. Several months later, the store was named Tiburons Business of the Month. 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Put your key in the door and were out of here. 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. Khalif continually declines to do so, stating numerous times that he owns the business and asks, Whats the problem? Another said, "I am incensed! After the panel interviews, I met with each finalist for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, and then each finalist had the opportunity to tour the police station.. "Just because you've never seen me here before I do not have to prove to you that I have to be here," said Khalif in the video. Despite resigning, Blasi will cooperate with an independent investigation led by a lawyer the town retained, Chanis said. A video of the incident that Awash recorded was widely shared on social media, and the town released police body-camera footage. The Tiburon and Belvedere council held a joint meeting on Thursday to give the polarized community a chance to weigh in. Khalif becomes increasingly frustrated as Blasis requirement shifts: Did you identify yourself? The incident revolves around the officers assertions that because most Main Street businesses shut down about 9 or 10 p.m., and theyd never seen workers inside the shop at 1 a.m., Khalif was required to explain to the officers why they were inside and provide some physical evidence identification or a key in the door that he is the owner. Town Manager Greg Chanis said he chose the date to " coincide with his military anniversary in 1966.". 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. In the incident, which was recorded on video, two Tiburon officers and a Belvedere officer pressed Yema Khalif and Hawai Awash to identify themselves after seeing them in their clothing shop at 1 a.m. Khalif claimed racial profiling, which the officers denied. Reporter Hannah Weikel covers the city of Belvedere, as well as crime, courts and public safety issues on the Tiburon Peninsula. In 1999 the department moved into its current location at 1155 Tiburon Blvd. Yema's wife says the officer had his hand on his gun. CNN Pittsburgh has moved to fire five police officers after an internal investigation into the October death of a man involved in the suspected theft of a bicycle, officials said Wednesday. How they dont know Yema is beyond me, he said. 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. When we hire police, the police chief makes a recommendation, but the town manager approves every hire.. You know what, put the key in the door and were outta here., Khalif is seen picking through his keys as he tells Blasi to stand back and not raise his voice at him: Just chill and Ill put my key in the door., Before he can, neighbor Ken Simpson, a part-time resident of a Main Street apartment, yells down twice, Thats his store.. At the conclusion of the investigation the report will be provided to the Town Manager for review and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the investigator.". Khalif, who designs most of the companys clothing, grew up in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. A video depicting Tiburon police officers in heated exchange with the owner of the towns only Black-owned business while working late in his downtown shop has sparked outrage in the community. Is it your store? Then show me that its your store, said the officer. 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. He doesn't believe that would have happened if he was white. videotaped confronting a Black business owner, Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. Khalif and Awash said Cronin had not reached out to them directly in the aftermath of the incident. A Tiburon police sergeant has resigned following a confrontation with a Black merchant that critics say stemmed from racial profiling. Other people defended the police actions, denying that there was any racial motivation behind the interaction and saying Khalif was in the wrong. Tiburon resident Nicole Wolf said she would like town officials to take it a step further and fire the officers in the video, as well as Cronin. 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. It was a nearby business owner who yelled to officers that Khalif owned the business, which diffused the situation. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? You can contact staff from the Police Department and get information about their divisions: Tiburon Town Hall | 1505 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, CA 94920 | Phone: 415-435-7373 Hours: Administration: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Planning: 8 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Building: 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Public Works: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.Town Hall is closed on Fridays. Based on this belief, Sgt. VIDEO: Man fired after blocking Latino man from entering his own apartment building in SF. By Ewan Palmer On 8/26/20 at 10:17 AM EDT. Blasi joined the Tiburon Police Department in June 2019. The next day when I woke up, I was like, Holy s, what just happened?. Tiburon officials have selected a San Mateo police lieutenant as the towns next police chief, filling a post that had been vacant for six months. A Black. Khalif begins speaking over the officer when Awash appears to say, OK baby? but Khalif tells her No, no and again asks the officer if theres a problem. U.S. California Police Instagram. After Cronins exit, the town arranged for Undersheriff Jamie Scardina to run the police department on a part-time interim basis while a consulting firm recruited a new chief. We received new inventory during the day so we went back to our store, on Main street Tiburon California, to work late. At the 10-minute mark, Madfes chimes in again: Prove to us you have keys or , There you go, thats the perfect thing, Blasi says as Khalif removes something from his pocket. 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