Petrelis Files

4 White SF Cops Pat Down Black Homeless Man: Video

Here's one suggestion for better community policing for the San Francisco Police Department. Don't always assume the worst in dealing with any civilian. When a fly-swatter is needed, use it, but refrain from sending in a SWAT crew.

On May 4, around 10 pm, after I came out of the Sundance Kabuki theater where I'd seen two movies at the San Francisco International Film Festival, I saw four SFPD officer questioning and patting down a black homeless man up in years. Why, I do not know but I turned on the camera and began filming the situation in front of the Burger King at Fillmore and Post Streets.

I'd seen the homeless man a lot of times with cohorts at the nearby Geary and Fillmore bus stops over the course of the festival and wondered what reason could have caused him to be searched and questioned by the police.

It's so reflective of me to now just start filming whenever I see members of the SFPD force in such scenes around the City, and I'm thankful, as is the homeless man I'm sure, that he wasn't harmed or mistreated or arrested by the cops.

In my view, this was an instance where fewer cops could have done the job and provided community policing without an excess number of officers. Here is my video:


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