San Francisco

Mayor Breed, SFPD Lay Out Chinatown Safety Plan

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Elected officials and members of the San Francisco Police Department gathered with the community in Chinatown Wednesday night, restoring a sense of security in the AAPI community. 

“Nothing is more important to us than investing in your safety and investing in your well being,” said Mayor London Breed.

She was telling members of the community she's working to improve safety -- an important message for people who are not feeling safe.

“I don't feel totally safe. I wear no jewelry, no nothing. I think a lot of us are not quite there yet,” said Vanita Louie. 

She said the attack that killed her neighbor Vicha Ratan-Apak-Dee still has her feeling uneasy about going out.

Elders in Chinatown say they are afraid to shop.

“Scary sometimes,” said Judy, adding she'd like to see more police. “Pay for more policemen.”

Elected officials and the police chief told the crowd Wednesday that retired police officers are now patrolling tourist areas like Chinatown, alerting SFPD to trouble. 

New security cameras are going up at Portsmouth Square and on Grant Avenue.

“They serve as a deterrent for prevention but also importantly when incidents do occur we can ID people and hold them accountable,” said Daryl Fong of the police department.

Mayor Breed is also meeting with the state attorney general Thursday to discuss the rise in hate crimes and how to combat them.

As work continues to prevent violence, some are hopeful a brighter future is ahead.

“As we slowly try to heal it's events like this that give us hope,” said Louie.

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