Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 2:05 PM
From: Althea Kai
To: Stephen Zollman <[email protected]>; Jill McLewis <[email protected]>; Phill Carter <[email protected]>; Sandra Maurer <[email protected]>; City Council <[email protected]>; Neysa Hinton <[email protected]>; Mary Gourley <[email protected]>;
Althea Kai
Cc: ; Laura Hagar
Subject: Re: Agenda Item--New request for August 4th
We wanted to follow up on this email. After requesting to have this added as an agenda item two weeks prior to the July 7 city council meeting, the mayor asked to meet with us prior to adding it as an agenda item. That meeting was to include the mayor, affected residents, the city manager, and the chief of police. We agreed and set up a meeting for July 14. Two hours before the meeting, the chief of police had a schedule change and the meeting was canceled. We requested that we still meet as we all adjusted our schedules and it took a lot of planning to find a time that worked for all of us, which is likely not going to be feasible again.
We also believe the city could help address this situation in a variety of ways beyond police action alone.
We were told the meeting would be rescheduled for next week, but we have not heard anything further.
A few of us plan to attend today's city council meeting for public comment and hope that this item can be scheduled as an agenda item for August 4th. We have been trying to address this situation before the Analy school year begins (August 13th). There has been no further communication from Safeway, Analy, or the police department.
It is important for the community to be included in this very important and serious discussion, to help find solutions and spread awareness about the hateful rhetoric that has been happening here in Sebastopol. We demand action and solutions in dealing with the ongoing racism, anti-semitism and other forms of hate and harassment in our community.
We are attaching the previous letter with a few updates about further communication with Safeway and Analy.
Althea Kai
Dezi Rae Kai
Chelsea Atkins
Sarah O’Brien
Bonnie Summers
Lisa
On Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 10:28:01 AM PDT, Althea Kai > wrote:
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We would like to request that the racist and antisemitic graffiti and other racially motivated incidents that have been happening behind Safeway/increased incidents in Sebastopol be an agenda item for the July 7th City Council Meeting.
Please see attached email for context if needed.
This is a request from the neighbors living across the street.
Althea Kai
Dezi Rae Kai
Chelsea Atkins
Sarah O’Brien
Bonnie Summers
Lisa
Safeway
On 6/25 Althea followed up with Safeway about the letter I sent being forwarded on to cooperate as she hadn’t heard back. She was told that Micael no longer worked there. Sean FauntLeRoy shared that Marcy Day was the new manager. We resent the email, asked for confirmation that it was received and she and several other left messages for Marcy and have not heard back.
We have been taking pictures of behind Safeway as there is broken glass, debris and it is generally uncared for. At times there is furniture dropped which stays for weeks and often alcohol bottles and we wonder if Public Works could keep that area clean if Safeway does not take responsibility-also, if they won’t put in a camera or fence can the city do one of those things or request or require Safeway to?
Analy – Althea interaction (other neighbors had interactions too) I talked to the principal's secretary on May 28th. I shared that I lived across where the racist and antisemitic vandalism was and she said she had not heard about it. I gave her the names I had of the boys who made monkey sounds at our home-she said she would share this with the principal and asked if I wanted a call back and I said “yes,” I did not hear back.
June 16th
Virgil (owner of apartments behind Safeway), Chelsea, Sarah, Althea went to the police station in hopes of meeting with the chief of police. He was not available and we met with Andy Bauer from Sebastopol Police department and shared our concerns. **Letter to Safeway sent June 16th
Hi Michael,
This is a follow up from our talk on May 28th. I had called to request a meeting with Safeway and the neighbors behind Safeway on Pitt Ave. I was advised to email regarding our conversation so it could be shared with Safeway Corporate in hopes of addressing it in some real and rapid way. On May 28th I was upset about an incident which happened that day in which there were at least three calls to the police
department regarding a group of kids behind Safeway who were monkey calling toward people of color, and screaming for a significant amount of time. Since that call my neighbors and I have met and discussed our thoughts and requests of Safeway. This is a letter from all of us.
There has always been graffiti and transient folks and teenagers hanging out in that area. It is something that probably should have been fully addressed years ago. This was an area in which a woman was raped in 2015 and an area which has been continually vandalized and full of trash and debris, including large furniture items that stay out there for weeks. Things have been escalating there and things have begun feeling unsafe for those of us living directly across the street from this little inviting area in which folks can hide behind a concrete block and sit on the areas of concrete ledges.
On April 27th there was an incident in which there was hate graffiti: “N---a Killer,” “Hitler was right,” “N----r = bad,” nazi signs, white supremacy hate group symbols and more. This is directly across the street from where people of color, several of them children, and Jewish people live. Michael stated that covering these images within 24 hours feels reasonable, we would like there to be a more immediate response. Whether that is allowing the police to cover it, putting temporary covering, permission for community members to cover or having a plan in place to address immediately should hate graffiti happen there again. Having these symbols up for any length of time is extremely distressing to those they target and far more serious than graffiti.
We don’t know all the solutions but some ideas are: put a fence around the area which is inviting behind Safeway, put a no trespassing sign up, put a camera up, clean it up at least weekly, have security or Safeway employees walk through the area at key times (before and after school times when school in session), have police presence at key times, hire security, dismantle the concrete area so that it’s not hidden from the road view.
We are concerned that Safeway is considering this vandalism and a “teen” issue much like they are working to address what happens in front of and inside of Safeway. This is much more serious than that and deserves a swifter response and continued attention as these are hate crimes, violent and escalating in a specific inviting location behind Safeway-where there are less customers, workers and authority figures to intervene and more opportunity for these incidents to continue.
To have seen nothing visibly happen behind Safeway since the original incident over a month ago, despite several calls, complaints and requests by neighbors is upsetting. A community member cleaned up the area, which was great, but it has begun to fill up with trash and vandalism again, which has not been addressed. To now have another racially charged interaction with people in the same spot-another hate crime-with no cameras, no barriers to access the area, no indication of them not being welcomed in this area etc. is disturbing. This is something that could have been avoided and could now be addressed before things escalate to violence or continue to make those who live directly across the street continue to feel unsafe.
Althea Kai
Dezi Rae Kai
Chelsea Atkins
Sarah O’Brien
Bonnie Summers
Lisa
**Letter from police of chief regarding Althea Kai’s request to set up a meeting to talk with him (see below)
Althea,
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns. I understand why the incidents you described would be upsetting, particularly given your personal connection to the issues involved and your concerns for your family and neighbors.
While I am limited in what I can discuss regarding juvenile matters, I can assure you that the department took the graffiti incident seriously from the outset. In fact, the swift identification, apprehension, and enforcement action taken against the juveniles involved should demonstrate the department's commitment to thoroughly investigating and addressing criminal behavior, regardless of the nature of the offense or the age of those involved. I can also assure you that, as Chief of Police, and as someone whose brother is also a person of color, I take criminal conduct very seriously and have a no nonsense approach to enforcement, particularly when it comes to matters of this nature.
My expectation of our officers is that when the facts, evidence, and legal requirements support enforcement action, they take that action. Regardless of the type of offense, our responsibility is to thoroughly investigate allegations, determine whether the elements of a crime can be established, and pursue appropriate enforcement measures when the evidence supports doing so. On the incident above that you referenced, I personally assisted our officers with the investigation and arrest, and we traveled to another municipality to effect the arrest of one of the involved juveniles. As such, it has been a swift team effort from the outset.
With regard to your concerns about police response, I respectfully disagree with the characterization that these matters have been treated without urgency or seriousness. Our officers respond to calls for service as quickly as circumstances permit, while balancing the realities of staffing levels, call volume, and the priority of incidents occurring throughout the city. When officers are committed to other calls, particularly those
involving immediate threats to life or safety, non-emergency calls may experience delays.
That does not mean they are being ignored or considered unimportant. It is simply the reality of providing police services with limited staffing resources.
When I began serving as Chief of Police in early March 2025, I inherited a department that was short four officers, one of which frozen by our city council. In a department of our size, that represented a significant staffing deficit and had a substantial impact on our ability to provide the level of service that both the community and the department desired. Working alongside the department's leadership team, we have made significant progress in recruitment and retention and are approaching full staffing, less the one frozen position.
This addition of officers should make quite the impact once these new staff are onboard, fully trained and able to operate as solo units.
I also want to assure you that the issues occurring in the vicinity of Safeway have not gone unnoticed or unaddressed. For several months, the police department has been actively engaged with Safeway management, Analy High School, city administration, city elected officials, and other stakeholders regarding concerns that have been identified in that specific area. Considerable time and effort have been invested in identifying problems, sharing information, discussing potential solutions, and taking appropriate action where available. While no single organization has the ability to eliminate every undesirable behavior that occurs in a public space or on private property such as Safeway, please know that the matter has received significant attention and continues to do so, so please inform your neighbors of the work we are performing in this area. We will continue to address it.
I understand your desire for certainty and reassurance. However, I would caution against assuming that a lack of publicly visible action means that action is not occurring behind the scenes. Much of the work performed by law enforcement, schools, businesses, city officials, and others in addressing these issues is not always visible to the public.
I appreciate your advocacy for your neighborhood and your willingness to bring concerns forward. The department remains committed to responding to criminal activity, investigating allegations when appropriate, and working collaboratively with our community partners to address public safety concerns throughout Sebastopol. I urge you and your neighbors to call in any potential or active criminal conduct in the area and we’ll continue to address it to the best of our ability.
Thank you again for reaching out.
Sean McDonagh | Chief of Police
Sebastopol Police Department
6850 Laguna Park Way | Sebastopol, CA 95472
Tel. (707) 829-4400 | Fax (707) 829-0967
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 1:59 PM
From: Althea Kai
To: Cameron Fenske <[email protected]>
Cc: Sean McDonagh [email protected]
Cc: Sandra Maurer,<[email protected]>, <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Following up
I called the police department at about 6:30 on Monday April 27th. I shared that I lived across the street from where the racist and anti-sematic graffiti was and I was not happy with what I heard regarding the police response. I wanted to make sure an incident report was made and I expressed my concerns being Jewish and having a daughter who is of color that we were not the target of the graffiti. I was not sure if it was random or targeted and despite this message and talking to Cameron Fenske on May 28th, I have not been given any information on this. I am aware that there are juveniles involved and you cannot share much information, but I don’t see why they or their parents couldn’t share the answer to this with the police who could share it with us. I did not receive a call back from this message I left this message on April 27th.
On May 28th, I called and talked to Cameron Fenske regarding an incident which happened that day in which there were at least three calls to the police department regarding a group of kids who were monkey calling and screaming and making a scene for a significant amount of time. I expressed that there were escalating and scary behaviors behind Safeway and that I had heard that there were going to be more patrols of the area after the 27th incident, and I have not noticed any. Cameron Fenske reported being unaware of the incident on the 27th and wanted to share information about what a hate crime is with me-which I know to include graffiti stating: “N---a Killer,” “Hitler was right,” “N----r = bad,” nazi signs and more as well as that making monkey noises at people of color is harassment (a crime) and I would want the police to take a call regarding this seriously and consider investigating it as a hate crime. I am concerned by the lack of urgency and seriousness taken with these incidents which are not vandalism and mischievous teens but an escalating situation involving racism, antisemitism and white supremacy in a little nook of diversity in our very white town. It continuing to be unaddressed is condoning it and I have serious concerns that violence is next.
This is a community issue and Safeway, Analy, the police and the larger community need to be involved in fully addressing it. I am disappointed at the lack of contact I have had with the police despite reaching out and I am again requesting to have a meeting with some of the tenants living on Pitt Ave to find some solutions in which the police are able and willing to do to help address these incidents and our concerns.
Thank you,
Althea Kai
On Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 05:55:08 PM PDT, Cameron Fenske <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Ms. Kai,
I'm following up on our phone conversation from a short time ago. I talked with Police Chief Sean McDonagh about your request for a meeting and he's planning to connect with you when he's back to work next week to discuss it. I'm CCing him on this email so you two have contact information for each other.
As far as the incident from this afternoon is concerned, I'm still looking into the matter to see what reports were made to our dispatch center, when they were made and what the timing looked like in relation to the availability of the officers.
As I said on the phone, please have your neighbors or family members call us at (707) 829-4400 if they believe there's a need for a police response or a criminal investigation. We'll be happy to look into it.
Thanks,
Cameron
Cameron Fenske | Sergeant
Sebastopol Police Department
6850 Laguna Park Way | Sebastopol, CA 95472
Tel. (707) 829-4400 | Fax (707) 829-0967
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Laura Hagar
Date: Tue, Apr 28, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Subject: Fwd: Racist, anti-semetic graffiti
To: Todd Swindell
On Tue, Apr 28, 2026 at 10:04 AM Sean McDonagh <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Todd,
I received your email from the Interim City Manager this morning and wanted to provide you with an update regarding this incident and the work our officers have undertaken.
I was personally the first officer on scene when the call was received, as I was already on my way to perform a patrol of Safeway, which is something that all officers from this department are required to do. On arrival, the involved parties had already left the area. Since that time, officers have conducted a thorough investigation and have identified and charged three juveniles in connection with this incident. The investigation remains ongoing, and we are currently working to identify and pursue charges against an additional involved juvenile for vandalism, conspiracy, and applicable hate crime violations. Due to the involvement of juveniles, not to mention that the investigation is not yet complete, we’re not able to share further details with the public.
With respect to Safeway, I, along with other city leadership, have been meeting with their representatives to address ongoing concerns related to youth behavior in the area. Vandalism in this specific location has been a recent focus of those discussions. We will continue working collaboratively toward a meaningful resolution and are hopeful Safeway will assist in addressing conditions on their property that contribute to these issues.
Sean McDonagh | Chief of Police
Sebastopol Police Department
From: Todd Swindell
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2026 10:02 PM
To: City Council <[email protected]>; Mary Gourley <[email protected]> Cc:
Subject: Racist, anti-semetic graffiti
Dear Council Members,
I'm contacting you regarding an extremely disturbing incident which occurred today, April 27th, on Pitt Avenue behind the Safeway store. Threatening racist, anti-sematic graffiti was sprayed on the back of the store in an area where high school students often hang out. (see attached photos) My niece, who is African-American, lives across the street and has for some time dealt with threatening behavior and racial slurs from this spot behind the grocery store. There are other young black girls that live across the street who shouldn't have to be subjected to this.
The incident was reported to the SPD and Safeway in the early afternoon but the vile message remained there all day. Eventually I brought some spray paint so the young girls could cover it up and reclaim their neighborhood.
Soon after it was covered over, the Safeway manager Michael Drake came out with spray paint. I spoke with him about my distress over the ongoing problem and the extremely violent nature of this current incident.
While sympathetic, he seemed to feel a security camera would not stop the graffiti, given that it still occurs in other areas where the store has cameras.
This area has been an eyesore for some time. Many of the residents agree that even if a camera doesn't prevent it, there would at least be a chance to try and identify those responsible and hold them, and their parents, accountable. I've also heard residents speak about having some sort of fencing that could prevent access to this area.
I'm not sure what the best outcome could be but it's a discussion that needs to occur. For now, we need to make citizens aware of what's happening downtown. Additionally, I feel like attention should be paid by staff at Analy High School where the culprits are likely students.
Todd Swindell
Sebastopol resident for 23 years
CC: Sebastopol Times editors
From: Sandra Maurer <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 7:56 AM
To: Todd Swindell
Cc: Mary Gourley <[email protected]>; Sean McDonagh <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Racist, anti-semetic graffiti
Dear Todd,
The last time I talked to the Police Chief he said it was in the hands of the juvenile system. I am c’ing the Chief and City Manager in case they can answer your questions and inform us both of the status.
Thank you,
Sandra Maurer
Vice Mayor of Sebastopol
Cc: Chief McDonagh, City Manager Mary Gourley
On May 28, 2026, at 5:38 PM, Todd Swindell wrote:
Hello Sandra,
I'm reaching back to you about the incident of racist, Nazi graffiti last month behind Safeway.
Was the fourth juvenile perpetrator identified and charged along with the other three? What is the status of the criminal case against them?
Also I'd like to know why Safeway drags their heels on installing a security camera at that troublesome location?
Just this afternoon, around 4pm, four teenage boys were at the same location as last month. They taunted an elementary-school aged black girl at her home, ridiculing her with monkey noises.
I arrived there shortly after it occurred and heard at least two residents calling the police. Despite the fact that the four of them continued to circle around Safeway and pass the apartments, grinning with pride at their disgusting conduct, it took the Sebastopol police at least an hour for a patrol car to arrive. By that time they had left the area.
I've attached a short video clip of the young men who were involved in today's racist intimidation.
There's mounting frustration, anger and fear from many residents in those units. Are these children supposed to just ignore it and hope it stops?
It seems, at the very least, Safeway should install a security camera so we can better document these racist threats targeting black children who live in Sebastopol.
Sincerely,
Todd Swindell