Why Should Immigrants Trust the SF Police Department?Barbara Lopezbyline‚ Jul. 10‚ 2008On the 4th of July, hundreds of people sunned themselves at Dolores Park while grilling burgers and drinking six packs of beer. San Francisco is no different than any other City on our nation’s holiday. As many sat watching the mime troupe, most sipping on Trader Joe’s wine or the nearby liquor store purchase, a pack of police officers descended onto the Park, to keep the peace, but mostly to cite individuals for drinking in public. The officers quickly moved through the crowd, making their way to a group of Latino migrant workers. They began to cite the workers. A group of us noticed this and approached the officers, reminding them that most everyone in the Park had open containers of alcohol, but one female officer was quick to ask us to mind my own business. After they cited the workers, the officers proceeded to hang out and then left-apparently with no interest of citing anyone else in the park, not even people that had grills that had been outlawed years ago for fear of fires. This is one of the worst years for fires in California. |