From: Kalicia Pivirotto
Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 11:48 AM
To: Mayor Kate <[email protected]>; Maribeth Bushey <[email protected]>; Rachel Kertz <[email protected]>; Eli Hill <[email protected]>; Maika Llorens Gulati <[email protected]> Cc: Lindsay Lara <[email protected]>
Subject: Justice for Matteo
Dear Mayor Kate, City Council members, and City Clerk,
Because I'm unable to attend the City Council meeting tonight, I ask you to please read/submit my statement as part of the public comment at this evening's meeting, and to commit to taking responsibility for holding those responsible for the recent police assault accountable.
My name is Kalicia Pivirotto and I'm a Novato Resident who works in San Rafael. I was appalled to see the video of recent police brutality against a Canal District resident. SRPD has promised to protect and serve, but as residents and community members we don’t feel protected or served with Officers like Nail and Mazariegos and those on the force who stood and watched events on 7/27 with “Mateo” unfold without intervening. We are afraid for our neighbors and friends, and for ourselves.
In the Race Counts study, Marin County is the 2nd most racially disparate County in California. One of the indicators is crime and justice in which BIPOC are disproportionately impacted by police contacts, arrests and incarceration.
In the newly released Police Scorecard, Marin County Law Enforcement agencies scored low because policing in Marin exacerbates existing racial disparities and targets residents of color.
SRPD’s interactions with “Mateo” were disrespectful and brutal. This coupled with the recent dropping off of a person experiencing a mental health crisis in San Francisco points to patterns and a culture that supports “above the law” behavior and not the case of “a few bad apples.” That this incident is not just a problem of ‘bad apples’ but a department-wide culture is evidenced by the apparent failure of several (how many?) police officers and Fire Dept/ EMT’s witnessing the aftermath of the incident to report anything to their superiors. The incident was not carried by ABC7 until Sept. 1
The only thing unusual about this incident is that the police department was caught - caught abusing their power, caught using excessive force, caught taking a “trophy” photo, caught lying about what happened in their report, and joking about what happened on camera afterward. This is not a unique incident and as much as the SRPD likes to say that this is not reflective of their department it absolutely IS reflective of their department. This behavior took place in a culture of policing that is illegal, unacceptable, and morally reprehensible. It does not happen in a vacuum.
The City can hire a neutral party to do an analysis of training,policies, interactions with the public, complaints, and work with the Chief on an action plan to transform the culture in service of serving and keeping all residents safe.
The City and the PD need to listen to what the community needs to be safe and organize plans to do that. You must hold these officers accountable. There is a need for a community oversight board with subpoena power to ensure PD accountability. As resident and community member I want justice for Mateo. The officers who participated in or watched without intervening must be held accountable for violations of Department policy, the law, and Mateo’s dignity.
Thank you for taking concrete actions to address the legacy of police brutality against people of color that is a stain on our county and country's past and present.
Sincerely,
Kalicia Pivirotto
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Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. - James Baldwin