Protest and thrown bricks disrupt San Francisco mayor’s hearing on drug crisis response
An outdoor public hearing into San Francisco’s drug crisis came to an abrupt end on Tuesday after protesters broke up the event, with a participant later arrested on suspicion of assault after a brick was thrown.
The event, held at the United Nations Plaza in the city’s downtown area, was part of a monthly question and answer session with Mayor London Breed held during the regular meeting of San’s Board of Supervisors. Francisco. Board Chairman Aaron Peskin hosted the hearing to highlight Breed’s plans to reduce drug sales and overdoses on city streets.
Breed was greeted with boos from the crowd and hecklers continually shouted over her dialogue with Peskin. As protesters chanted ‘no more cops’, Breed said the outdoor audience would not be ‘the right forum’ to answer Peskin’s questions, and the event was suspended after 10 minutes in the rooms of the Supervisory Board.
As officials left the scene, someone in the crowd threw a brick, hitting a juvenile passerby, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The girl’s injuries were described as not life-threatening.
Aaron Reskin, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, left, tries to calm the audience as San Francisco Mayor London Breed takes to the podium to speak during a Q&A with the Supervisory Board , outside United Nations Plaza.
(Yalonda M. James/AP)
Witnesses helped police arrest the suspect, whom police identified as Elysia Katet, a 26-year-old San Francisco resident.
Katet was incarcerated in San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment. Online prison records contain an alternate spelling of her first name: Elijsia.
Before the sudden cancellation of the event, Breed made some remarks on the issue of open drug use and its effects on public safety.
Breed – who could face an uphill re-election battle next year, according to a recent poll – said the issue of open drug use was “nothing new” to the city, having it- same view growing up.
However, she said the problem persisted despite various interventions and programs, leading her to seek alternative solutions, including the arrest of drug dealers and users.
“I’m putting everything on the line to change what we need to do,” she said.
Los Angeles Times
