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Colorful protest signs, dome tents and graffiti had proliferated across the Cal Poly Humboldt campus on Wednesday, the second full day of an ongoing student demonstration in support of Palestine. Hand-painted signs and chalk slogans on concrete called for a free Palestine, an immediate ceasefire and an end to the Israeli occupation of Gaza, among other messages.

The campus will remain closed through the weekend as an untold number of students continue to occupy Siemens Hall, which was the site of a violent confrontation with police Monday evening. Three protesters were arrested.

The entrances to the building have since been barricaded with picnic tables, garbage dumpsters, metal desks, wooden benches and more.

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Outside the main door this morning, a few masked protesters stood behind portable tables that had been stocked with coffee, snacks, paper plates and cutlery. Loaves of bread sat next to a rice cooker and some large pots and pans had been stacked next to a propane cookstove. Underneath one of the tables, a supply of bottled water was placed alongside a bullhorn and a coiled extension cord. 

Reporters were not being allowed inside the building, but outside on the university quad, several dozen students had gathered to speak with each other and make new protest signs ahead of a scheduled “teach in” from the faculty association scheduled for noon.

Student protesters who’d assembled at a side entrance to Siemens Hall sat in a circle of camp chairs. One had an orange dog on his lap. 

“I’ve had him since I was seven,” the young man said. None present wanted to speak about the protest in any official capacity but several of them stressed that their demonstration was completely non-violent and peaceful until law enforcement arrived, and it has been peaceful since the cops left. 

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Another student protester, who wore a face mask and asked to remain anonymous, told the Outpost that while this protest has no official organization and no firmly established terms, students’ determination is unwavering.

“We’re seeing a genocide happen in real time,” she said. “And I feel like —  we, as a community, feel like — we have to do what we can to try to stand up … and stop it. History is watching and our actions since October 7 will be remembered.” 

What’s their goal?

“We do have a general list of five demands that are agreed upon,” the protester said. Those demands, as she explained them, are as follows:

1. “First, the divestment of anything profiting off of or associated with Israel, including weapons manufacturers, exploitation of the West Bank as well as any firms that invest in those activities.”
2. “Boycott all Israeli academic institutions.” Asked how Cal Poly Humboldt is currently involved in such institutions, the student referenced a study-abroad program that includes the University of Haifa in Israel.
3. “We want the university to publicly call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”
4. “We want the University to promise that there will be no charges, either criminal charges or disciplinary action … taken against any protesters.”
5. “We want the university to either amend or remove the time, manner or place clause [of its free expression policy] which allows them to call the police on students for organizing in ways that they deem inappropriate.”

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Back down on the quad, a woman with a bullhorn addressed the gathered crowd. 

“I just want to thank you for joining us on this historic event,” she said before acknowledging that all present were standing on the stolen land of the Wiyot people.

“And Palestinians are fighting for their right to exist on their land. This is all indigenous land, and our struggles are connected,” she said.

She then called for a round of applause for the brave people occupying the building across the quad.

“There are important lessons going on here in Siemens Hall, and we are here to learn,” she announced. “We also thought that the fact that the buildings were closed could be an opportunity for us to build the university we would like to see.”

She launched a call-and-response chant: “Whose university?”

”Our university,” the crowd replied in unison.

Later that afternoon, a DJ on student radio station KRFH put out a call for items that the barricaded protesters had requested, including milk of magnesia, tourniquets, paper cups and bowls and more sidewalk chalk.

Press release from the Arcata Fire District:

On Wednesday, April 24 at 12:46 P.M., the Arcata Fire District was alerted to a multi-family structure fire on the 4000 block of Valley East Blvd.

The first of Arcata Fire’s engines arrived on scene to find a two-story apartment building with smoke alarms sounding and smoke coming out of the window of the bottom-right apartment.

Firefighters made entrance to the apartment building and began searching for any occupants. No occupants were inside the apartment, and the source of the fire was contained to one bedroom. The fire was then promptly extinguished.

After investigation, the fire was determined to be accidental in nature. Due to the loss of property and belongings, the occupants were given a SAVE card. SAVE is a program of the California Fire Foundation that provides immediate, short term relief to victims of fire or other natural disaster.

This is a perfect example of smoke alarms activating and functioning properly. The neighbors heard the alarms sounding, smelled the smoke and called 911.

Arcata Fire would like to urge residents to check that their smoke alarms are functioning properly by testing them on a monthly basis – just press that ‘test’ button.

Arcata Fire District would like to thank Blue Lake Fire District, Humboldt Bay Fire and CalFire for responding, and Samoa Peninsula Fire District for covering AFD’s stations during the call.

Press release from the Rio Dell Police Department:

On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at approximately 12:54 am, officers from the Rio Dell Police Department were dispatched to the area of Pacific Avenue and Monument Road for a disturbance. Upon arrival, officers located two victims with injuries consistent with a stabbing. Both victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Based on the subsequent investigation, Benjamin Mitchell Sanchez Jr. was arrested and transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked for PC 245(a)1) Assault with a Deadly Weapon and VC 23152(a) Driving While Under the Influence. His bail has been set at $35,000.

This investigation is continuing. If you have any information regarding this incident please call the Rio Dell Police Department at 707-764-5642. The Rio Dell Police Department would like to thank the Fortuna Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and the Rio Dell Volunteer Fire Department for their assistance in this matter.

Press release from Cal Poly Humboldt:

Protestors continue to occupy Siemens Hall, plus another building at Cal Poly Humboldt. Campus will now be closed through the weekend, and work and instruction continue to be remote. The University is making various contingency plans, including possibly keeping campus closed beyond that. The safety, health, and wellbeing of our students is paramount as the situation has become increasingly complex. There are unidentified non-students with unknown intentions, in Siemens Hall. This creates an unpredictable environment. In addition, all entrances to the building are barricaded, creating a fire hazard. Adding to health and safety concerns, many toilets are no longer working.

The occupation of Siemens Hall causes complex operational challenges that require the closure of other facilities on campus. In particular, there is a risk of other buildings being occupied, as protestors have shown a willingness to enter unlocked buildings and either lock themselves in or steal equipment. The occupation is also having a negative impact on other students, who are trying to complete classes at the end of the semester. Campus officials are communicating with protestors and continuing to encourage them to leave as soon as possible.

As protestors have been told, the continued occupation of the building is causing the ongoing closure of other campus facilities. Upcoming activities and events are being canceled, while other important events such as IdeaFest are in question.

In recent days, hateful graffiti has been painted on university property. The University condemns in the strongest terms all forms of hatred, bigotry, and violence. Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, hatred, and bigotry in all forms have no place at Cal Poly Humboldt. The University is actively offering support to all students and has been in touch with local Jewish community leaders.

The University supports free speech through open dialogue that is respectful and constructive. That does not include behavior that involves destroying and damaging property, and disrupting students, faculty, and staff from learning, teaching, and working. Everyone deserves to be in an environment where everyone can feel safe, included, and respected.

Numerous laws have been broken, including resisting arrest, destroying and damaging property, criminal trespass, and more.

Multiple local, state, and federal agencies are providing additional resources and support.

For additional updates check humboldt.edu.

The Lost Coast Outpost is saddened to report that it has lost a little bit of its soul this week, as our longtime writer Stephanie McGeary recently elected to move on to the next thing.

An Arcata native, Stephy came to us right outta J-school in 2018 and very quickly placed her stamp on the Outpost brand. Her first big splashy story for us was about the big set-to over the “Cat Food” utility box mural that a nearby Eureka business owner viscerally loathed, which caused quite a fuss at the time, making it to the Reddit front page.

That set the tone. Through she did great reporting on plenty of hard-news stories — the closure of the Singing Trees Recovery Center comes to mind, as does all of her work on Arcata city government — Stephy’s heart has been in features, which is another way of saying that she liked writing about amazing things. For instance: The guy who busked Old Town with his singing dog. Or the guy who was trying to sell his giant statue of Predator. Or the Fortuna-based camel (RIP) who was friends with a donkey. Or herself, attempting to stalk Leonardo DiCaprio through Northtown.

Sometimes Stephy liked to think in terms of miniseries. She went on a burst of writing about local theater companies, one after the other. Though she is one of the least sporty people you will ever meet, somehow circumstances conspired to compel her to write about Humboldt people making it big in strange sports — rugby, paintball, Ultimate, paracycling and more. And of course she co-hosted our pandemic podcast.

Anyway, she’s great. Just go browse down her author page, if you like. You pretty much can’t go wrong.

During her time at the Outpost she got married, had a child, lived through earthquakes and wildfires and a global plague. Through her work she brought dignity and empathy to the downtrodden, and she celebrated her people — the Humboldt weirdos who make this place a special place, of whom she herself is a prime example.

Stephy will always be family, and she will be missed. If you see her around, say hi.

Medical insurance delays can keep someone in a hospital bed much longer than they need to be waiting for after-care services like home health care. Those delays can also block hospitals from using beds needed for new patients.

California hospitals have long complained about those delays, and in a new lawsuit, they’re suing one of the state’s largest health insurers to force it to speed its approvals of secondary treatment.

The California Hospital Association, which represents more than 400 hospitals, filed the complaint against Anthem Blue Cross in Los Angeles County Superior Court Tuesday. The complaint alleges Anthem is violating the state’s long-standing patient protection laws, which require insurers to provide health care in a timely manner, and engaging in unfair business practices. It also claims that Anthem refuses to pay for the excess hospital days caused by its delays.

“Anthem’s misconduct creates an impossible situation for patients and hospitals,” the lawsuit states.

Although the lawsuit targets Anthem, hospital association President Carmela Coyle said delayed discharges are an industry-wide problem.

“This is a long time coming,” Coyle said. “California has some of the strongest laws in the nation governing insurance protection of patients, and these laws are violated every day.”

A spokesperson for Anthem said the company did not have an immediate response and would be investigating the allegations.

Anthem is the largest health insurer in the state, excluding Kaiser Permanente which contracts almost exclusively with its own hospitals. Anthem represents approximately 6 million Californians, nearly twice as many as the next biggest insurer.

Every day, 4,500 Californians spend unnecessary time in hospital beds waiting for health insurers to approve their discharge to a secondary facility, a recent report from the California Hospital Association says. That results in 1 million days of needless hospital care annually, the report said.

Coyle said the association has raised the issue with the Department of Managed Health Care, which oversees most health insurers.

In a statement, department spokesperson Kevin Durwara said the agency has been meeting with the hospital association to address hospitals’ “concerns and challenges” with insurance delays since 2021. The meetings resulted in a letter issued to insurers in Fresno County, where hospital capacity was particularly limited, instructing them to make it easier for hospitals to discharge patients.

State law does not specify how quickly insurers must approve hospital discharges to post-acute care and that complaints about delays are addressed on a case-by-base basis, the statement said. State law does however define how quickly patients need to be able to see a doctor for appointments.

Anthem met the access standards for urgent and non-urgent appointments 66% of the time in 2022, according to the most recent state data.

How insurance delays hold back patients

In general, health insurers are required by law to arrange for and authorize post-hospitalization care for patients in a timely manner. For example, a stroke patient may no longer need to be hospitalized but may need to be sent to a skilled nursing facility to continue recovering. Hospitals are not allowed to discharge patients who need additional services without authorization from insurers.

Patients who no longer need to be hospitalized spend an average of 14 extra days in the hospital as a result of insurance delays, according to a recent point-in-time survey from the hospital association. Those who need to be transferred to a mental health facility are stuck for even longer, spending 27 unnecessary days in the hospital on average.

Medi-Cal patients fare the worst, accounting for 46% of all unwarranted hospital days, according to the survey.

“This is basically a daily occurrence,” said Vicki White, chief nursing officer at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Santa Clarita.

Across the state, the hospital association estimates delays cost hospitals an estimated $3.25 billion in unneeded hospitalization each year and contributes to overcrowded conditions in hospitals and emergency rooms.

Last winter during the seasonal respiratory virus surge, White said her emergency department had between 20-30 people waiting for a bed daily, in part, because discharge delays prevented the hospital from freeing up bed space.

“We are blocking 4,500 beds a day for people who need care,” Coyle said. “That is a serious problem.”

California doctors see long waits

The average number of days patients spend in hospitals increased by 9% in 2022 compared to 2019, partially because of discharge delays, according to a report from the California Health Care Foundation.

Dr. Sean Mairano, chief medical officer at Enloe Health in Chico, said in his experience insurance denials and delays have gotten worse over time. Frequently insurers will take days to respond to a request from a physician or won’t respond at all.

For example, the lawsuit describes a patient with “catatonic schizophrenia” that needed to be admitted to a full-time psychiatric treatment center. The lawsuit alleges that Anthem’s delays in finding an appropriate facility for the patient to be discharged to resulted in eight extra days of hospitalization.

“In extreme cases, people will be here for weeks or months on end awaiting decisions from insurance companies,” Mairano said.

What results is patients not getting the speech or physical therapy or other services they need to fully recover. Sometimes, patients get so frustrated they leave the hospital against medical advice and end up back in the emergency room days later, Mairano said.

“From the clinician’s standpoint it’s obviously frustrating (but) it’s really the patients who are stuck in the middle. It’s not their fault. They’re just trying to get well,” Mairano said.

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Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

The Calmatters Ideas Festival takes place June 5-6! Find out more and get your tickets at this link.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

The money at Colonial Donuts was gone before dawn, again. This time, so was the cash register.

Three people had walked in just before 6 a.m on March 1. One jumped over the counter and ripped out the register. Another held up a golf club. The other used the shop’s yellow “wet floor” sign to keep the front door open.

It was the fourth time in 10 months the 24-hour donut shop — a local haunt on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland — was robbed, enough for store owner Phing Yamamoto to tell her employees: “Do not even try to risk it or question it. Whatever they ask for, just appease.”

Hits on Yamamoto’s shop — and many other retailers big and small — are fueling a growing frustration about crime in California. While violent and property crime rates have increased statewide since 2020, they remain relatively low compared to the 1980s and 1990s, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Recent rising crime — highlighted by tales and videos of shoplifting, robberies and “smash-and-grabs” — has reignited a policy debate among local and state elected officials, who are vowing to curtail retail crime.

Much of their focus is on whether to overhaul Proposition 47 — a voter-approved law in 2014 that lowered penalties for petty thefts and minor drug offenses.

But the proposed changes would only address a sliver of the concerns among many Californians: By primarily targeting petty crimes, they do not address robberies or other violent felonies, which some residents and business owners now confront more frequently. Without a clear answer in sight, they are considering different solutions.

Critics of Prop. 47 have long blamed it for a rise in crime, even though data on its effectiveness is far from conclusive. Statewide associations representing district attorneys, police chiefs and sheriffs — as well as mayors in San Francisco and San Jose — are backing a proposed ballot measure to roll back Prop. 47. Last week, the anti-Prop 47 campaign turned in 900,000 signatures, making it likely the measure will qualify for the November ballot.

Meanwhile, California’s top Democrats, reluctant to change Prop. 47, are instead pushing legislation that would create new crimes and toughen penalties for organized retail theft and repeat offenders. Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters earlier this month the legislation is necessary even though data on retail theft is mixed.

“We have seen with our own eyes and our own lived experiences the unacceptable, brazen, bold organized retail crimes,” he said. “We can’t have flash mobs going into a store and stealing.”

A security guard works the front entrance of a Neiman Marcus store in downtown San Francisco on April 15, 2024. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters

Those bills put legislative leaders at odds with more progressive Democrats, who argue that rehabilitation programs, not incarceration, are the solution to crime. Putting more people behind bars could send the state back to the 1980s and 1990s, when the prison population swelled so much that the California Supreme Court ordered the state to reduce it, they said. They also point to studies showing that the likelihood of getting caught, instead of the severity of punishment, is what deters people from crime.

Yamamoto, however, has not heard of Prop. 47. Nor has she followed the debate in Sacramento. The repeated robberies forced her to step up security: more lights in the store, locked gates in the back, and a service window open when employees feel unsafe at night, even though that meant less business.

What could policymakers do to help?

“I don’t know what the answer is,” Yamamoto said. “But something’s got to change. We can’t continue on this road.”

‘Infuriated and feeling defeated’

Donuts are Yamamoto’s family business. Her parents, both Chinese immigrants, bought the donut shop in the 1980s. It now has two locations — one on Lakeshore Avenue and another in the Montclair neighborhood.

In 2017, Yamamoto left a full-time job with Apple to take over the donut shop, where she started working when she was 9. “It’s second nature to me,” she said.

Being open 24 hours is a big selling point: When the Raiders and the Warriors still played in Oakland, the donut shop was bustling after night games. “Most of the fans would come out like, ‘Hey, what’s open?’ We are open,” she said.

But nighttime business isn’t what it used to be. And over the years, families Yamamoto knows have left the city for better schools or “somewhere that is safer,” she said. Some fast food chains — such as Denny’s and In-N-Out Burger — have closed stores this year in Oakland, citing crime concerns.

In Oakland, violent crime has climbed since 2018, although it’s nowhere near where it was in 1992, when the city recorded more than 10,000 cases, according to the California Department of Justice. Over the past decade, the number of reported property crimes was mostly trending downward, but after a dip during the pandemic in 2020, the number of cases steadily increased, with the biggest spike in auto thefts, data shows.

Last year, violent crime in Oakland spiked by 21%, city data shows. Robberies jumped by 38% and car thefts, 45%. In response, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent 120 California Highway Patrol officers to Oakland and the East Bay in February. Earlier this month, the agency reported making 181 arrests and recovering 414 stolen vehicles and 31 “crime-linked firearms,” the governor’s office said.

Last June, three men robbed Yamamoto’s shop. One man dragged the cashier across the bakery, pointed a gun at him and forced him to open the cash register. Six months later, the shop was robbed twice in the same week. One of the robbers grabbed a donut on the way out, Yamamoto said.

She said she never filed an insurance claim for the losses, worried it would hike her premiums. On top of the robberies, her delivery van was stolen, and someone attempted to steal her backup van, she said. The incidents scared workers, and Yamamoto is worried she won’t be able to retain staff in the future.

“(My dad) has never been more infuriated and feeling defeated at the same time,” Yamamoto said. “He’s like, ‘I work so hard, I come to this country, I own a business, and then this is what happens.’”

Why not just leave Oakland?

That would be the easy way out, Yamamoto said.

“We are such a dynamic city, and vibrant, and I want us to be in a better light,” she said. “This is a community that I want to be a part of, and I kind of want to just see it through.”

‘Every theft impacts us’

Across the Bay in San Francisco, Anthony Bernardo has been lucky. His customers tell tales of apartment break-ins. He sees people getting arrested around the corner “every other day,” he said. A liquor store down the street had been robbed a few days ago, and the employee was too terrified to speak to a CalMatters reporter.

Bernardo works at the Magic Flower Cannabis Dispensary, across the street from one of San Francisco’s busiest fire stations, in the Tenderloin District. Fire trucks whoosh by every 45 minutes or so, Bernardo said. And as if on cue, one of them raced by, the blaring sirens drowning out Bernardo as he spoke.

While the store hasn’t been robbed in the seven months Bernardo had worked there, he said his car had been broken into. The only thing missing was his lunch (chicken teriyaki), he said: “Maybe they needed the food more than me.”

Anthony Bernardo welcomes customers at a cannabis dispensary in downtown San Francisco on April 10, 2024. Photo by Laure Andrillon for CalMatters

From robberies to car thefts, crime is falling in the city this year, according to a San Francisco Standard analysis of police data this spring.

But Bernardo, a city native, said crime is receiving more attention now because word travels fast through social media. In March, San Francisco voters approved two ballot measures to subject welfare recipients to drug screening and loosening restrictions on police chases and surveillance. On Tuesday, Mayor London Breed proposed an ordinance that would require a curfew among some Tenderloin District businesses between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m.

But Bernardo is skeptical that any new laws would fix much, especially if they are not followed up.

“You don’t really see no change,” he said. “I think it has a lot to do with election years and just trying to win over voter appeal.”

For Bernardo, the solution to petty crime is more rehabilitation centers.

“Because after you get out of jail downtown, you walk right back up the street, you are in the mix of everything again,” he said, pointing in the jail’s direction. “It’s like a never-ending cycle.”

He also said that retailers should hire those who were formerly incarcerated. “It’s tough dealing with all the losses that you take as a business, but then at the same time, people are out there hungry, and they don’t have jobs and they don’t have money,” he said.

Ten minutes east of Bernardo’s business is Postscript, a gift shop a block away from the pyramid-shaped Transamerica skyscraper. After two shopliftings within the same week, shop owner Chandler Tang posted the security camera footage on TikTok, voicing her frustration. Videos showed two well-dressed women quietly picking up items and stuffing them in the bag or underneath the coat.

“We are a small business, so every theft impacts us,” Tang said on the TikTok video.

The women looked like they “come from means,” but still stole gifts, she said. “While I don’t support stealing, there’s something a bit different when someone might not be able to afford to eat or afford baby formula to feed their children,” she said.

Now, Tang only displays a set amount of merchandise, so it’s easier for staff to spot missing items. She added cameras and plans to have a video stream customers can see when they shop. She has put up “Smile, you are on camera” signs but wants to add a fun twist: “Make it like a selfie moment.”

Changing Prop. 47 isn’t top of mind for Tang, either. While she agrees the threshold for charging petty thefts as felonies should be reduced from $950 to $400, Tang wondered how a small gift shop like hers would ever reach that threshold.

What would help: Better networks where business owners share tips and tools to prevent shoplifting, or grants for small businesses to offset the cost of stolen goods, Tang said.

“I feel like we have to be the ones to take in our hands for something to actually be done,” she said.

‘Facing the consequences’

But some of those directly affected by more violent crimes have a different perspective.

“People may not understand the impact of crime unless you became the victims yourself,” said Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. While Chan and the chamber support rehabilitation programs helping formerly incarcerated people, he argued prison sentences are a necessary penalty and deterrent.

In 2021, Chan was punched in the back of the head by James Ramsey, who was on parole and was arrested the same day. Chan said his attacker shouted an anti-Asian slur. In February 2022, Ramsey was sentenced to 18 months in jail, according to The Mercury News.

Ramsey was homeless and diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia when the attack occurred. A GoFundMe page raised $12,000 in 2022 for his treatment, food, clothes and housing. But last year, Ramsey was arrested again for assaulting an 88-year-old Asian woman in San Francisco. Chan argued that the incident sends a message that crime was “financially rewarded.”

“There are certain people that will not change. They should not be out,” he said.

Carl Chan, president of Oakland’s Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, near his office in Oakland on April 11, 2024. Photo by Laure Andrillon for CalMatters

Chan is applying the same philosophy to retail crimes. While he’s a critic of Prop. 47, Chan argued that enforcement under existing law is a problem. Eventually, more police presence would help prevent crimes from being committed in the first place, he said.

In Oakland, the number of funded sworn police officers held steady between 1991 and 2022 at about 710, according to data from the California Department of Justice. As of October, the department had 909 officers, with another 67 positions unfilled, according to a city staffing report last year.

Chan also blamed Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, a progressive Democrat, for seeking lower sentences and dismissing cases, so much so that some prosecutors in her office quit their jobs. Price and her supporters have stood by her restorative justice approach to crime, even though her office has not released data on her charging record, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Chan is leading the charge to recall Price from office, arguing a lack of penalties emboldened offenders to repeatedly commit crimes. “I think the law is supposed to protect the people and the victims,” he said. “But I think we are seeing the reverse. We are seeing the law actually protecting the criminals more.”

Karina Velásquez, an immigration lawyer and president of the anti-crime group Stop Crime San Francisco, agreed. A Venezuela native, she said she represents undocumented immigrants who are victims of violent crimes.

The group has volunteers watching court proceedings and grades judges on their sentencing. It has taken aim at progressive judges and mayoral candidates while supporting those tougher on sentencing, though the group’s critics say that judges should not cave to political pressure.

Velásquez — who deems herself a moderate Democrat — said that incarceration can deter crime and that repeated offenders must also face harsher penalties. “If you commit a crime, the moral responsibility is to face the consequences,” she said.

“It should be something that tries to make people think twice about committing these crimes.”
— Manny Yekutiel, owner of event venue Manny’s in San Francisco’s Mission District

For Greg Carey, chairperson of the self-organized neighborhood group Castro Community on Patrol, what’s important is not necessarily passing new laws, but enforcing those already in place and “make that as effective as we can.”

The group was born in 2006 out of street robberies and date rapes in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, Carey said. Volunteers conduct street patrols in the historic LGBTQ district — sometimes a target of hate crimes — to deter crime and sometimes serve as witnesses, he said.

Carey, a self-described conservative Democrat, contended that social media posts about smash-and-grabs in San Francisco are part of ultra-right propaganda. “Every four years, you will see that ramped up. And at least in recent history, San Francisco has always been the worst example to put in front of middle class America as to what we don’t want,” he said.

The key, Carey said, is still for businesses to report crime to law enforcement.

But Manny Yekutiel, owner of event venue Manny’s in San Francisco’s Mission District, said there’s no silver bullet. He said his business was burglarized within a few years of opening in late 2018. Police woke him up at 3 a.m. and sped to the crime scene with him in the car after the thieves had stolen his safe and video cameras, he said.

“The status quo is not working,” Yekutiel said, and “the word on the street” is that people can get away with stealing less than $950 worth of goods without severe penalty.

Yekutiel said he wants to see more foot patrols. And while he said thefts should not mean long-term prison sentences, incarceration should be a deterrent.

“It should be something that tries to make people think twice about committing these crimes,” he said. “I think what’s really important is once you’ve served your time you should be given every opportunity to change your life.”

‘Why are we married to incarceration?’

One of those opportunities turned Julia Arroyo’s life around.

At age 15, Arroyo said, she was arrested for stealing clothes and spent 90 days in jail. She had been in foster care since she was 4 and went in and out of jail until she turned 18. “I became very good at just doing my time,” she said.

“As a young person, I needed a hug. I needed love,” she added. “But instead, I was placed in places where I was not safe.”

After aging out of foster care, Arroyo said she got her first job at a nail shop passing out hot towels, sweeping up toenails and doing airbrush tanning. With the money she made, Arroyo signed her first apartment lease. But Arroyo said the landlord raised the rent beyond what she could afford, and she was evicted.

Arroyo began staying at a shelter with a shared bathroom down the hall. There, she was propositioned for sex all the time, she said. She had a daughter in her early 20s, while she was homeless. To raise her, Arroyo stood in line for a bed at shelters, where her property was sometimes stolen. She worked three jobs cleaning homes, caring for seniors and working at a rape crisis center, to feed her daughter, she said.

Connecting with the Young Women’s Freedom Center — an advocacy group guiding women and transgender youths through the legal and foster care systems — gave Arroyo a job helping others in similar situations.

Julia Arroyo, executive director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, in downtown San Francisco on April 10, 2024. Photo by Laure Andrillon for CalMatters

Arroyo argued that incarceration perpetuates a “punishment culture” that disproportionately affects Black and brown communities, especially if they are released from prison without basic skills to survive.

“Everytime you get out, you have to start from square one,” she said.

Data from the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office shows that of the 47 people it has represented who were charged with organized retail theft since the Legislature created the crime in 2019, 38 were Black. That’s 80%, even though Black people account for just 5% of the city population.

The office is opposing proposed legislation that would toughen penalties on retail crime.

Liz Camacho, a public defender since 2011, said the increase in retail theft is “an indictment on our own economy and how we have not been able to really help our community recover from COVID.”

While the push for tougher laws could win votes, Camacho argued the move could have lingering ripple effects for those who steal out of desperation.

“A law that further criminalizes the poor does not create more choices. It creates more restriction, more inability to get yourself out of that rut, to pull yourself up from the bootstraps,” she said.

Camacho said the state should invest in workforce development, counseling services and expungement programs to help people rehabilitate.

“Why are we married to incarceration?” she asked.

In Oakland, donut shop owner Yamamoto pondered the solutions. Could more surveillance cameras on the street help catch every culprit? And would rehabilitation programs help everyone back on their feet?

“It’s a tough question,” she said.

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The Calmatters Ideas Festival takes place June 5-6! Find out more and get your tickets at this link.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.