Crisis in SF jails: 'What was the plan?'

Good afternoon!

Frequent lockdowns, attacks on deputies, an influx of mentally-ill inmates, and severe overcrowding/understaffing: The city jails are unsafe and in crisis, as the Board of Supes heard yesterday. Are jail conditions a “direct result of bad policy,” an increase in arrests of “very sick people,” or a sheriff’s office that is “running on fumes?”

We asked the candidates for supervisor in D5—where a longtime Black resident recently received racist thre ats—what they would do to address race issues. Only one called reparations “an unrealistic progressive political gimmick.”

Joe Eskenazi will moderate a conversation with Mayor London Breed and Board President Aaron Peskin on Monday, May 20, at Manny’s. If, like them, you’re skipping the other May 20 event, the TogetherSF mayoral debate, get your tickets here!

A reminder: We rely on readers for support of all our work. This month, Mission Local has $25,000 in matching funds. Special thanks to our 38 brand-new donors and to everyone who has already given, including Jill Stanton, Judith Sernatinger, Susan Halperin, Aarón Brick, and Ray Miller!