Chesa Boudin by the Numbers Since Taking Office, District Attorney Has Tried 23 Cases with 16 Convictions
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After the pandemic April Events John Zipperer previews post-pandemic politics. p. 5 Boating season kicks off, museum reopenings, Liz Farrell on vaccines and grandparents. p. 10 cherry blossoms, cooking Garey De Martini on the post-Covid classes, livestream events, real estate market. p. 11 and more. p. 8 MARINATIMES.COM CELEBRATING OUR 37TH YEAR VOLUME 37 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2021 R R Opinion Chesa Boudin by the numbers Since taking office, District Attorney has tried 23 cases with 16 convictions BY SUSAN DYER REYNOLDS T MA a stolen car that struck and killed 60-year-old Elizabeth Platt and 27-year-old Hanako Abe Won Dec. 31, 2020, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson in Dune. IMAGE: CHIABELLA JAMES / 2020 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. Boudin blamed everyone else, including the San Francisco Police Department. Boudin said SFPD should have warned him about McAlister after a Dec. 20, 2020 arrest for sus- Spring awakenings on screen and stage picion of driving a stolen vehicle and possessing burglary tools, but in fact the officer who wrote up the report noted As restrictions lift, the entertainment venues slowly reopen McAlister had been arrested for “73 felonies and 32 misde- meanors in San Francisco alone, with multiple charges for BY MICHAEL SNYDER tion companies, and gallery spaces In mid-March, San Francisco robbery, burglary and possession of stolen property,” hop- closed or were put on hold while movie houses and concert venues ing to get the district attorney’s attention. It obviously didn’t ’ many who worked in the arts, began to open up like spring blooms work. After the New Year’s Eve tragedy, Boudin charged much of the world locked down, whether on the creative or tech sides, and accommodate limited atten- McAlister with unlawful driving, taking of a vehicle, leaving and so many things changed were unable to pursue their careers dance. The increased distribution the scene, second degree burglary, possession of a firearm Iso swiftly in all walks of life — as usual. But there seems to be a of Covid vaccines and a continuing with prior conviction, sale of controlled substance, and two including in the entertainment light at the end of the tunnel — and respect for protocols in serious cir- counts of voluntary manslaughter. A check of McAlister’s industry. Movie theaters, live per- it’s a projector or a follow spot — cles had resulted in a decrease in case at press time, however, revealed the manslaughter formance venues, film, TV produc- or both. SNYDER, continued on 7 REYNOLDS RAP, continued on 4 S Opinion R Reopening San Francisco Stop AAPI hate Guide to the orange tier reopening BY CATHERINE STEFANI, SELINA SUN, AND MICHAEL CHEN BY LYNETTE MAJER two tables with 12 people maximum; Museums indoor: Open at 50 per- (but no mingling between tables), and cent capacity with interactive exhibi- M , A A P- S F- allow alcohol without a meal. tions, coat check, and indoor dining ic Islander (AAPI) community and allies reacted cisco! It’s been a tough year, Family entertainment outdoors: and auditoriums may reopen follow- with horror upon learning that an individual but thanks to our diligent Roller and ice skating rinks may ing protocols. Ohad shot and killed eight people, including six Asian C(yet challenging) adherence to Covid expand to full capacity with physical Personal services: Open indoors at women, at spas and massage parlors in Atlanta, Ga. guidelines, the city moved into the distancing; standalone amusement 50 percent patron capacity. A law enforcement spokesperson said the suspect was less-restrictive “moderate” orange tier park rides may open with members Retail indoors: Open at 50 per- having a “really bad day.” on March 24, and is expected to prog- of three households allowed inside cent of maximum patron capacity To many, news of the Atlanta shooting and the local ress further to the “minimal” yellow enclosed spaces (yes, that means the (includes stand-alone retail, shop- law enforcement’s response was unsurprising, after a tier in mid-April. Here are some high- SkyStar Observation Wheel in Gold- ping centers, financial institutions, year of heightened racism against our AAPI neighbors lights of what has changed and will en Gate Park). laundromats, etc.); customers’ reus- and community members. Across the United States, change in the orange tier: Fitness indoors: Capacity may able bags and containers allowed. from even some in government, the AAPI community Bars: Open outdoors only with increase to 25 percent up to 100 Spectator sports/large entertain- has been under unrelenting attack. table service and a maximum of patrons; locker rooms and show- ment facilities outdoors: Begin- Last November, Americans voted out of office a six people per table without meals. ers may open; youth restrictions are ning April 1, venues with assigned president who openly and repeatedly scapegoated the Includes wineries, breweries, and dis- removed; group fitness may resume seating may reopen with capaci- AAPI community for Covid-19, using racist, erroneous tilleries. Establishments without meal to the lesser of 25 percent capacity or ty restrictions and other operating rhetoric to link the spread of the disease to Chinese service remain closed. 100 people; pools may open up to 25 guidelines. Americans. Not coincidentally, hate crimes against Dining indoors: Now allowed is 50 percent capacity for general use only members of the AAPI community sharply spiked over percent occupancy (patrons only, not (no fitness classes). Remember that to progress to addi- the course of the past year. Although Trump exacer- to exceed 200 people). Tables limited Fitness outdoors: May increase to tional less-restrictive tiers, it is man- bated anti-Asian racism, removing him from office did to six people from three households, 25 participants from three house- datory to continue to mask and fol- not, and could not be expected to, reverse this deadly and dining must end by 11 p.m. holds; 25-person limitation lifted low protocols, and to continue testing trend on its own. Includes bars serving meals, cafes/ with physical distancing maintained; when needed. For a complete and Even in San Francisco, when a member of the Board coffeeshops, hotels, museums, food pools may open at 50 percent capacity up-to-date list of changes, directives, of Education’s anti-Asian tweets from 2016 were uncov- courts. with distancing requirements; gentle and guidance, visit the San Francisco ered, and community and elected leaders called on her Dining outdoors: Restrictions lift- water aerobics classes allowed. Office of Economic and Workforce to resign, she claimed her words had been taken out of ed for number of households per table; Movie theaters: Capacity may Development (oewd.org). context and declined to step down. In a time when our tables remain limited to six guests expand to 50 percent or 200 people, DISTRICT 2 SUPERVISOR, continued on 2 with group reservations allowed up to whichever is less. [email protected] District 2 Supervisor That’s why, in March, we joined leaders continued from cover from San Francisco’s AAPI community to rally against anti-Asian racism, and it’s communities must unite to combat rac- why we must continue to stand together ism, we cannot have elected officials that in solidarity against anti-Asian racism will further divide these efforts. and all acts of hate. If you would like to support the AAPI WORDS MATTER community in the effort to #StopAAPI- Bigoted language has real, tangible Hate, we encourage you to learn more consequences. Stop AAPI Hate, a nation- about and consider supporting the fol- wide coalition that formed in 2020 in lowing organizations: response to increased racism against the The Community Youth Center (CYC) AAPI community, recorded 3,795 anti- of San Francisco serves youth with aca- Asian incidents in the United States demic counseling, employment training, between March 2020 and February 2021. job placement, violence prevention edu- Verbal harassment, shunning, and phys- cation, crisis intervention and media- ical assault were the three largest catego- tion, leadership development, and more. ries reported, and there were more than CYC gives San Francisco’s youth the twice as many attacks against women tools to learn about, organize, and fight than men. But these incidents were not racial hate. limited to more conservative parts of the Stop AAPI Hate is a project of the country; California accounted for more Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Coun- than 40 percent of the total incidents cil, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and reported. the Asian American Studies Department We must remember that each of these of San Francisco State University, and it reports is from an event that actually tracks, responds to, and supports efforts happened to somebody, and many inci- to eradicate racism and discrimination dents go unreported. Sadly, San Fran- against the AAPI community. cisco has not been immune. In just the Asian Americans Advancing Justice is first few months of 2021, the city has a national organization that has fought already seen many previously unimag- for the civil and human rights of Asian inable attacks on our AAPI neighbors. Americans since 1991. On Jan. 28, Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84, Hate Is a Virus was founded in was taking his morning walk in Anza April 2020 in response to the rise in Vista when an individual ran toward him Covid-19-related hate crimes against the and violently shoved him to the ground AAPI community; it has raised more — out of the blue, and in broad daylight. than $30,000 to support community He died from his injuries. The suspect in organizations throughout the country. Ratanapakdee’s killing was described by Act to Change is a national nonprofit the district attorney as being in “some focused on combating bullying against sort of temper tantrum.” Last month, the AAPI community, empowering stu- Danilo Yu Chang, 59, was pushed and dents, families, and educators with tools beaten unconscious in the Financial Dis- and knowledge to stop and prevent bul- trict, and Xiao Zhen Xie, 75, fended lying in their communities.