Butt-Kicking/Crime-Solving SFPD vs. Haight-Ashbury Homeless (With Photos)

I was on the scene, with my trusty Kodak Digital Camera, as several officers working out of the San Francisco Police Department's Park Station coordinated their crime-solving and butt-kicking efforts and took down a hard-core, violent San Francisco crime boss.

Sounds Freaking Fantastic, doesn't it?

Had it actually happened, I'd have been first in line to shake their hands and salute each one of them.

Hell, I'd even call SFPD Chief Fong and insist that they all be given promotions.

If that was what they had actually done.

But, I was on the scene (with my camera) of a serious situation. Well, it apparently was serious enough to the officers involved that they felt it justified the presence of a total of Four SFPD Patrol Cars and at least Six Police Officers!

One would rightly think that such a sizeable show of uniformed force, firepower and - frankly - testosterone would indicate a tactical Police Response to something Big, like reports of "Shots Fired." or a Bank Robbery in progress, or - at least - a traffic accident with injuries.

But, this was not the case. Not by a long shot. And it isn't the first time. And, sadly, it won't be the last.

The events I witnessed took place a couple days ago. I was sitting at my computer, when I heard the sounds of a girl from outside my windows who was tearfully asking for her dog back. Hearing this, I assumed that some asshole had grabbed her canine companion. So, I got up and looked out the window...

I wasn't completely wrong. There was a girl sitting against the building across the street who was in tears.

I was a little off about the asshole, though...

I had underestimated the number of them. Eventually, a total of Six Armed Assholes were on the scene.

I talked with the girl yesterday. She told me what had happened.

It had been raining all day. As she sat on the sidewalk, she had thoughtfully covered her two dogs with a tarp to protect them from the rain. At one point, she got up and crossed the street to get some water for them to drink. The first cops were on the scene as she got back. She returned to her dogs and one of the officers snarled at her, "Give me the dog.". She didn't know what was going on. He repeated his order, "Give me the dog!". She started to explain to them that she had only left them for a moment to go get them some water to drink. The officer didn't care, didn't want to hear any explanation, he just demanded she hand over the dog. She took the dog out from under the tarp and the officer took the dog and tied it - in the rain - to his patrol car's side mirror.

Initially, there had been a male friend of the girl's present, but the officers had threatened him and made him leave her alone with them after he challenged them loudly.
Something to the effect of: "Don't you have anything better to do? Aren't there any rapes or robberies going on that you could be stopping? Of course there are... and yet, you're Here!".

The Truth Hurts. And, apparently, when you're given a gun and a badge, you don't have to listen to it.

Anyway, there was the one red-headed officer who apparently had proclaimed himself Officer Asshole. The other five were there to... hmm... just in case... err... he needed 5 armed officers as backup because... Hell. There simply was Nothing going on that can justify the other five of them being there.

She was sitting against the building, hands at her sides, tearfully pleading with the officer to return her dog. To just let her hold it. But, red-headed Officer Asshole had a plan. To intimidate. To harass. To bully. He told the girl that he remembers seeing her and her dogs a year and a half ago. He then stated that he had wanted to shoot and kill one of her dogs back then. He said that he was sorry that he hadn't.

He was probably annoyed that he couldn't just kill her dog right then & there. But, in front of fellow officers... (actually, they'd probably back him up and say it was " a justified shooting", so) in front of civilian witnesses (Thank Gd there were civies around!) he might be chastised by the Police Commission... or (given their history) given a promotion.

(I remember several incidents a few years back, where some SFPD officers had shot several homeless peoples' dogs. I personally knew three of the homeless people whose dogs were shot & killed in front of their owner's eyes, with no just cause. These dogs weren't aggressive, ever. Adding insult to excruciating injury, a couple of their owners were detained briefly after the shootings and then released without charges. No explanation. No Apology. Nothing - but the body of their formerly unconditionally-loving, warm and lively and now bloody, cold and lifeless companion.
*To the SFPD Officer(s) who were involved in those callous murders of the dogs: May You Get What You Truly Deserve. To the Officers who just looked the other way... Shame On You and the Parents Who Stuck Us With You.)

Back to The Current Incident:
Both of the girl's dogs are registered. She showed the officers that she had their rabies vaccination tags clipped to her belt. She obeyed the laws. Her dogs were legal, vaccinated & registered.

So, again, I ask: WHY The Over The Top Show Of Force?

Obviously, she wasn't a dangerous criminal. Obviously, she wasn't abusing her dogs... In fact, she takes excellent care of them. They are registered. They've been vaccinated.

So, what was the justification for that pronounced Police Presence?
What did Officer Dog-Hater do? He ran her name... but, that's just GP (General Practice) for the SFPD when they identify someone as 'homeless'. They couldn't give her a Citation (I can hear them realizing this, now: "Damn It! She already has them Registered! We can't ticket her for it! How am I gonna make my Quota?)

So, in the end, all of this taxpayer paid Police Presence resulted in... What?
A scared dog. Another victim of SFPD Police Brutality/Psychological Torment. Anyone committing a crime elsewhere in the neighborhood at the time likely got away with it. And... Oh, yeah... Six Police Officers who stealthily avoided doing REAL POLICE WORK while still Getting Paid.
("Police Work" i.e. Activities Like Investigating Crimes; Cultivating Relationships With The Public; Protecting Civilians From Violence and Threats of Violence.)

If a "Picture Paints A Thousand Words" - Here's the story in Pictures:

ONE SFPD PATROL CAR:


PLUS TWO MORE SFPD PATROL CARS:


MAKING THE FRIEND LEAVE HER ALONE:


"WE'VE GOT HER SURROUNDED."


"DID YOU CALL FOR BACK-UP?
"

"WE HAVE A SITUATION."


Facing the girl - below - is Officer Asshole (The one who made a testicle of himself and Who has a hard-on To Shoot And KILL Her Dog.)
This gun-toting 'public servant' is targeting our most-vulnerable citizens - the Homeless and their dogs - with his mental/emotional issues. He's in Acute need of an Independent Psych Evaluation.


As for the other uniformed/armed 'rubber-neckers', they're in need of refresher courses in 'Police Work' (W/emphasis on both Human Rights and How To Tell The Difference Between A Criminal and A Civilian.)

Stand Up & Speak Out Against Police Brutality In All Its Forms!
Peace.
L.