B12 THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE SUNDAY • JUNE 21,2020 APATH FORWARD WOMEN CONTINUE TO LEAD DURING TOUGH TIMES BY STEVEN P. DINKIN Ihave four Black female the city’s police chief. Bot- unions to increase account- curred during the protests, bring to their cities and con- leaders in mind. They are all toms shared the anguish she ability. Breed has already including the burning down stituents a blend of skills: big From pandemics to pro- mayors of large cities: felt watching the video, shifted the duties of officers of the Wendy’s where ideas and pragmatism, ur- tests, it is women who con- Keisha Lance Bottoms of thinking, “Just let him go. in her city so they no longer Rayshard Brooks was shot. gency and resolve, along tinue to flex their leadership Atlanta, Lori Lightfoot of Let him call somebody.” As respond to non-emergency She understands and empa- with a strong desire to lead muscles and demonstrate Chicago, London Breed of Bottoms spoke, it was evi- situations. Bowser wants to thizes with the protesters and take care of people. And their skills as warriors or San Francisco, and Muriel dent that the other mayors invest in and work on police but worries that their mes- they are also informed by healers. Sometimes both. Bowser of Washington, D.C. who had watched the video and community relations. sage will be lost amid the their identity. When coronavirus took All four were featured in a also hoped for a different They all agree: The mayhem. Drawing a con- As Bottoms told the audi- hold, it was countries led by recent CNN town hall, called outcome. You could see the underlying problem is disin- trast with the civil rights ence at the CNN town hall, women that fared best. New “Mayors Who Matter.” pain on their faces. It wasn’t vestment in communities of movement — which was im- “I’m a mayor, but a Black Zealand Prime Minister The program aired just orchestrated for the camera: color over many decades, re- bued with the spirit of Dr. woman first.” Jacinda Ardern, German after another tragic inci- Bottoms said she heard sulting in what is now an ur- Martin Luther King, Jr. — Black women have long Chancellor Angela Merkel dent, this time in Atlanta. from Lightfoot, Breed and gent need for additional re- Bottoms said, “This is chaos. been the most powerful vot- and Norwegian Prime Min- Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year- Bowser within 24 hours of sources to close disparities Aprotest has purpose.” ing bloc in America. Now ister Erna Solberg, among old Black man, was shot the news of Brooks’ killing. in education, health care Like Ardern and other fe- they are stepping up to be others, have been signifi- dead after police tried to ar- That’s a powerful — but un- and employment. male leaders in the co- among our nation’s most cantly more successful than rest him on suspicion of driv- surprising — sisterhood As America debates how ronavirus fight, these may- powerful leaders. Our coun- their male counterparts in ing under the influence. Vi- right there. to end police brutality while ors succeed not just because try will be better for it. fighting the pandemic. Sign deo shows Brooks taking an United in their belief that not undermining the es- of what they have working me up for a woman-led team. officer’s Taser during the at- the status quo has failed sential role that police play for them but because ofwhat Dinkin is president of the National And now, as our country tempted arrest and then fir- their respective communi- in ensuring public safety, they don’t have working Conflict Resolution Center, a San is torn asunder by protests ing it as he ran away. ties, each of these mayors is these mayors are straddling against them. Diego-based organization working to —in response to the killing Officer Garrett Rolfe, taking a different approach: two sides of a deep chasm. They lack two things that create innovative solutions to of George Floyd and too who is White, responded Bottoms is accelerating They’re striving to support can be kryptonite to good challenging issues, including many other Black men and with three shots, hitting planned police reforms, civil rights but also support leaders: bravado and ego. intolerance and incivility. NCRC is women — I once again want Brooks in the back. which include Atlanta’s use- the police departments they Male leaders are often their nationally recognized for its conflict to follow a female leader in By the time the CNN pro- of-force and duty-to-inter- oversee. own worst enemies. There management and communication the battle for racial justice. If gram aired, Mayor Bottoms vene policies. In Atlanta, Bottoms has are too many examples to strategies. To learn about NCRC’s the leader I’m following is had already fired Rolfe and Lightfoot will focus on re- called for an end to some of list here. programming, visit ncrconline.com Black, all the better. accepted the resignation of structuring the police the actions that have oc- Instead, these women environmental activist who SMOLENS later was elected to the council, was opposed. FROM B1 What SeaWorld had in buildings were constructed mind for the exemption was in La Jolla and Pacific vague, at best. The cam- Beach. paign in favor leaned heavily This makes the redevel- on the image of SeaWorld opment of the Midway providing ocean-wildlife District a citywide issue education and its efforts to because the height limit can rescue stranded and injured only be changed by all San animals along the coast. Diego voters, not just those When its Orlando, Fla., who live in the area. The park opened a roller-coaster City Council likely will put it ride called Journey to At- on the November ballot. lantis earlier that year, Frye The height limit has and others warned that’s often been called a third rail what was coming to San in San Diego politics — Diego. touch it and bad things will SeaWorld officials had happen. That’s not surpris- said at community meetings ing, given San Diegans’ love that roller coasters weren’t of the coast and desire to in the plans. But eventually protect it. anew ride made possible by But again, the politics the exemption was built — a may be different for the Journey to Atlantis. Midway District, which “It’s not a roller coaster,” NELVIN C. CEPEDA U-T certainly won’t be mistaken then-SeaWorld General Protesters begin their protest in front of the La Mesa Police Department headquarters on May 30. for La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Manager Dennis Burks told Ocean Beach or Point The San Diego Union-Trib- over a wide variety of cases whenever He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in Loma. une in 2004 when it opened. CHARGES they want to. He said in this case there March 2019 and was placed on probation Campbell proposed the “It’s a splashdown ride.” might be an additional reason. for a term of three years. height exemption along Adecade later, the Voice FROM B1 “They might be trying to send a little Michael Crowley, a criminal defense with council member Chris of San Diegonoted that by the San Diego County district attor- bit of a signal,” he said. “The feds are the lawyer, said a conviction in federal court Cate and it is supported by “SeaWorld itself calls the ney. But that case was dismissed when big dog. When they say they want some- carries lifelong consequences and can’t the Midway-Pacific High- attraction a ‘water coaster federal prosecutors stepped in. thing they get together with the DA and be expunged. He said federal prose- way Planning Group, ride’ on its website, and U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer did not say we really want to prosecute this, we cutors likely selected the cases for a rea- among other organizations. websites like Wikipedia and respond to questions about why the two can getmore(prison) time on the federal son. “They obviously handpicked two “This is our opportunity Yelp refer to it as a roller cases have become federal matters and side.” good cases that they think they can to redevelop the city’s prop- coaster.” why the state is not prosecuting the two BothKarasandAlvarezhavepleaded make some hay out of,” he said. erties and the entire com- Frye said that should men. Instead he issued astatement simi- not guilty and are free on bond. Alvarez’s Around the country, federal prose- munity, and to change it serve as a lesson. She added lar to the one issued when the charges attorney did not respond to several re- cutors have filed at least 50 cases, some from a blighted commercial- that the lack of specifics of were announced. quests for comment. The lawyer for involving several defendants, stemming industrial zone into a vital what the Midway height- “U.S. Attorneys are vested with the Karas also did not respond. from protests that turned violent, ac- community that embodies limit exemption would clear discretion and authority to bring According to the complaint in Karas’s cording to a search of published reports. the city’s and the communi- bring, and that no guaran- federal charges where they are war- case, he and his girlfriend were sitting on The charges include arson, assault, riot- ty’s vision,” Cathy Kenton, tees of affordable housing ranted by facts and the law,” he said. the street at the corner of Allison Street ing and some weapons charges. chair of the Midway-Pacific come with it, “gives me “They are also the chief law enforcement and Spring Street in La Mesa around 2 On May 31, U.S.