By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis
(Since we cross-posted this to our campaign site on Sept. 3rd, the medical examiner has released the autopsy and it shows that Alex Nieto was struck by police bullet more than a dozen times.)
In response to our public records request, Mayor Ed Lee's office today released 14-pages of emails related to the fatal shooting of Alex Nieto in March by a member of the San Francisco Police Department and we learned that three investigations were conducted and have ended. News to us.
Mayor Lee's director of communications Christine Falvey on August 14 responded to San Francisco Chronicle columnist Caille Millner, who asked if he had issued any public statement of sorrow about the officer-involved death, and Falvey said:
"There were three separate investigations and the police were extremely transparent with the family and the community throughout. The mayor has had confidence in these investigations and the focus is to make sure the City does everything it can to prevent a similar incident."
If they were so transparent why is it we and so many others not only weren't aware of the multiple investigations but also that they've concluded?
We are greatly displeased Mayor Lee can't properly express sorrow in public about the killing of Alex and that nothing in the Falvey statement on behalf of the mayor relates to justice being served over the fatality.
Instead, Mayor Lee's focus is to prevent another officer-involved fatal shooting, which is a goal we certainly support, but social justice is denied when the mayor can't say those words and instead under-values Alex's death when calling it a mere "incident".
Among the email exchanges between mayoral staffers is one involved Falvey asking Paul Henderson, deputy chief of staff in charge of public safety, "Did we send a condolence letter or anything?"
The communications director, whom we would expect to know if any condolence note were sent to Alex's surviving family and friends, apparently doesn't recall one being sent revealing, we believe, just how little impact this tragedy has had on the Mayor's Office.
Henderson replied, "I have a draft of one to send, but we didn't send one in that case."
As part of our longstanding commitment to delivering accountability over the police and City Hall, we've posted the 14-pages of emails released to us here: tinyurl.com/SF-Mayor-Alex-Nieto-emails.
The tragic loss of Alex's life at the hands of a San Francisco police officer is painfully compounded by the fact that the names of the cops involved have not been released, the District Attorney's Office hasn't charged anyone over the killing, the Office of the Medical Examiner has possessed the corpse since March and hasn't released their autopsy report, and Mayor Lee and his staff haven't had the simple common human courtesy of sending the survivors a condolence letter.
When will San Francisco's City Hall and law enforcement agencies deliver justice for Alex Nieto?
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