Good afternoon! Wow, there’s a lot going on.
• We have another new twist on the crime-in San-Francisco narrative. On April 5 in the Marina, Garrett Allen Doty, a homeless man, purportedly beat Don Carmignani, a former fire commissioner, with a crowbar, severely injuring him. That attack, however, allegedly came only after Carmignani purportedly bear-sprayed Doty. Today, the public defender representing Doty suggested in court that Carmignani was potentially the Marina District vigilante responsible for eight previous pepper-spray attacks on homeless people.
Police sources told Mission Local about the prior attacks, perpetrated by a roughly six-foot-tall white man with gray/brown hair. The victims were homeless people asleep on the street, in tents, or sitting on benches. Video of a Nov. 6, 2021 attack on Magnolia Street, where Carmignani lives, shows the attacker spraying a sleeping person. Police reports of previous assaults include comments from the attacker such as “Get the fuck out of my town,” “Get out of here,” and “This is my fucking neighborhood.”
Carmignani did not appear in court today, but his attorney denied that the vigilante behind the spate of anti-homeless attacks was his client. Carmignani has not provided statements to the DA or the police department, and the public defender said body camera footage from the April 5 incident captures Carmignani telling his girlfriend: “Don’t say nothing to nobody, don’t say nothing to the cops.” There will be a preliminary hearing tomorrow to determine whether there’s enough evidence for the district attorney to proceed with a case against Doty.
• In non-violent crime news, Gwyneth Borden, the longtime SFMTA commissioner who admitted to illegally lobbying city staff and officials, has resigned. “I have decided to end my career in public service,” she said. “I am not going to be the reason the agency doesn’t get the support they need. I am also not going to be a pawn for those seeking to go after the mayor.”
Mission Local was first to report the news of Borden’s illegal lobbying: The commissioner was paid $12,500 as a “consultant” for the Italian eatery Fiorella, and sent 32 emails to city staff, planning commissioners, and one city supervisor seeking support for a permit at the restaurant. Borden admitted to breaking the city’s rules, both to the Ethics Commission and in an interview, but said she didn’t know her actions were illegal.
• Finally, if you’ve walked past Garfield Park, you’ve probably seen groups of men, many of them Mayan, standing on the sidewalk hour after hour. Annika Hom talked with immigrant day laborers who wait for work all day on 26th Street, hoping to earn money to send home to their families.
The last four months have been extremely hard for day laborers, as the U.S. economy worsens and puts the brakes on construction. For the 2,000 to 3,000 estimated day laborers in San Francisco, the slowdown means more competition for fewer jobs in demolition, construction, and roofing. Martín, who came to the city from Chiapas, told Annika that if he’d known how few jobs there were, “I don’t know if I would’ve come.”
We’ll have more soon,
Sara
The Latest News
Ex-fire commissioner accused of vigilante attacks on homeless
Badly injured in an April 5 attack, purportedly by a homeless assailant, Don Carmignani is now himself accused of eight previous attacks on the homeless.
SFMTA commissioner resigns after illegal lobbying
Gwyneth Borden, who’s served on city commissions for the past 15 years, resigned after admitting to illegal lobbying.
Waiting for work: With construction down, SF day laborers find jobs rare
On 26th Street, immigrants wait all day to be picked up for work in construction, demolition, and roofing.
SNAP
