Good afternoon! We’ve got updates on some important stories, and great deep-dive reporting on their background and context.
Ahead of an expected dismissal of the case by District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, the California Attorney Generalโs office just requested an additional 90 days to review the prosecution of Christopher Samayoa, the former police officer who shot Keita O’Neil dead in 2017.ย Deputy AG Susan Schwartz asked that the presiding judge stay the pending dismissal an additional 90 days, specifically to review the actions of the San Francisco District Attorneyโs office.ย
Mission Local reported that O’Neil’s aunt, April Green, and her attorney Brian Ford met in person yesterday with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and were told that the statute of limitations was considerably longer than Jenkins had claimed โย not nine days remain, but three years โย and that the AG may not have received all the evidence in the case when it was handed to him by Jenkinsโ office. This raised further questions about Jenkinsโ handling of the case.ย ย
Ford is still uncertain how Bonta intends to proceed, but says the request for more time “confirms that the AG is looking at this case very seriously.โ April Green, who has been advocating for her nephew while battling cancer, says, “Iโm ecstatic. This is a great day.”
There aren’t a lot of great days for residents in Potrero Hill’s public housing projects, which are now in year seven of what’s projected to be a 15-year rebuild. BRIDGE housing’s planned demolition of dilapidated old buildings has been postponed, and only 314 of the 507 remaining units are officially occupied; squatters have rushed in to fill the vacancies.
In January, we reported that a fire broke out at the Potrero Annex, killing one squatter, displacing three more and burning out the buildingโs sole rent-paying family. Long-time tenants say they’ve not been offered relocation to safer homes; already upset over the lack of maintenance, they worry that the influx of squatters threatens the health and safety of everyone on the Hill. Some squattersโโa diverse mix of families, working people, former tenants, and new transplantsโโtake care of the units they occupy, but others have broken in to units, destroyed property, and threatened tenants. The San Francisco Housing Authority, BRIDGE housing, and the management company Eugene Burger have few answers.
Stay tuned for more.
Sara
The Latest News
AG wants time to review prosecution of cop โ and DAโs handling of case
AG asks to delay dismissal of charges in police shooting case.
Public housing tenants neglected amid 15 year HOPE SF rebuild
Tenants and squatters get few answers.