(published to Indybay.org on 5/8)
During the first meeting of the newly expanded SF Police Commission on May 7th, Cammerin Boyd, a 29 year-old African-American man, was shot and killed by the SFPD after a car chase that ended in the Western Addition. A woman has alleged that Boyd had attempted to kidnap her and her child. Boyd, whose legs had been amputated below the knee following a previous car chase by the CHP, had allegedly pointed a gun at police during that day's pursuit by the SFPD. However, witnesses to the killing have said that Boyd had his hands in the air in an attempt to surrender. The media has reported that, following a similar car chase on May 2nd, Boyd had asked police in Oakland to kill him.
Community reponses to the killing: Neighbors have pointed out that several children had been playing very close to the place where the shooting took place. Mayor Gavin Newsom has told Boyd's mother that he intends to "make sure justice is done." Many activists in the African-American community in San Francisco wonder if the killing of Boyd was payback for the April 10th killing of police officer Isaac Espinoza by a black man in the Bayview. Disability rights activists are asking questions about relations between disabled people and the police. A high school friend of Boyd's who is now a police officer told a community meeting about his memories of a happy young man who had been a star athlete in school. He also said, "The whole department is hurt, obviously. Nobody takes pleasure in this, it's a tragedy."
There will be a police accountability press conference at the Green House on May 14th.
posted by mahtin @ 10:54 PM
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