Comments for CALIFORNIA BEAT

Comment on CAUGHT ON TAPE: BART police officer sends man crashing through glass during arrest by Morsales

Morsales — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:02:11 +0000

Hope the officer is not hurt badly.. He needs to return to continue to protect and serve from the drunk crazies. I can only imagine how bad a situation it could have been. Yet he became a victim of this person being amung us while making poor choices.

Comment on CAUGHT ON TAPE: BART police officer sends man crashing through glass during arrest by Andrew Leonard

Andrew Leonard — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:51:32 +0000

My letter to BART internal affairs director, the Board of Directors, and the SF Chronicle:

Dear Sergeant Chlebowski and the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle,

I find the actions of BART Police officers to be absolutely reprehensible at best. In the last year alone, the public has captured footage of BART Police officers maiming or murdering two individuals who were not resisting officers.

It’s amazing what the public has done to out these incidents so that others can see the sheer lack of reservation BART officers have in using force. What is even more amazing is that BART seems to take no accountability for their officers’ actions. The press conference given today to members of the media after a BART police officer smashed an intoxicated patron into a plate glass window at West Oakland station demonstrates this arrogance. It seems the phrasing the media is using – which accurately describes the incident that took place last night – is too accurate for BART to acknowledge outright. It is unfortunate that BART belittles the media for doing its job (by denouncing the media’s spot-on portrayal of the incident).

Not only are officers going above and beyond what they are entitled to do in handling law enforcement situations, BART station attendants attempt, in the depth of their ignorance, to enforce laws that don’t exist. For example, I was told by an attendant – via loudspeaker at the Powell Street station in San Francisco – that my photographing the inside of a bart station (even as a paying passenger inside the ticket gates) was not allowed. There are no laws against doing so, and the US Supreme Court set a precedent in 2003 saying that non-invasive photography taken from a public space is not illegal (see Barbra Streisand v. Kenneth Adelman et al, 2003). Why does BART continue to harass its patrons against all law and logic?

It is with great hesitation that I continue to support BART with my patronage. I really shouldn’t have to be writing this letter.

Respectfully concerned,

Andrew Leonard

Comment on Anger boils at UC campuses after tuition hike; Students protest, clash with police over increase by libhomo

libhomo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:12:04 +0000

If the rich were made to pay something a little bit closer to their fair share in taxes, the state budget cuts easily be avoided.

Comment on Anger boils at UC campuses after tuition hike; Students protest, clash with police over increase by Javier Arbona

Javier Arbona — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:47:23 +0000

I was there for a little while yesterday and I did not see students “clash” with police, as your headline says. I saw police shove students so that they could bring in their shipment of soda and a cooler. And I have friends that report agro treatment from the bunch of cops that descended upon our campus. Why did Oakland and Alameda footsoldiers need to be there with their rubber-bullet guns? What does the chancellor have to say about this now? We had brave faculty showing leadership and peacefully negotiating with the students. So let’s be clear about this: police assaulted students. Not vice versa.

Comment on NEWS ANALYSIS: Effectiveness of SF Mayor’s office threatened by turmoil by Larry Roberts

Larry Roberts — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:34:40 +0000

I think Ballard probably left because he enjoyed being acting mayor in Gavin’s absence, but now that Gavin’s back maybe he can start being mayor himself again. The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice consisted of Ryan and a secretary and was completely pointless.

Comment on Once a historic landmark, concrete ruins of Sutro Baths now a focal point for curious visitors by Mike

Mike — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:36:10 +0000

Im amazed at the long term durability of this concrete. We have a difficult time today making concrete last more than 10 years with deicing salts and such.

Comment on Is the Bay Bridge S-Curve safe enough? by art

art — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:13:42 +0000

If I make a product and sell it to the public and it causes deaths, the governement either forces me to recall it or stop selling it completely. not to mention I would probably be tied up in lawsuits up the ass….even though it was there choice to buy it.
Seriously why would traffic think to slow on a freeway from 55 or 65 to 40? that’s almost a 15- 25 mph difference… who was the jackass that couldn’t make a straight line on a freeway?

Comment on Is the Bay Bridge S-Curve safe enough? by Des

Des — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:15:33 +0000

16 million trips vs. 43 accidents? I’d say that’s quite safe.

I’ve driven over it several times now, and it’s really difficult NOT to notice the BIG YELLOW SIGNS and FLASHING LIGHTS warning drivers of the curve.

If you miss those signs, you are simply not paying adequate attention to the road. That is the fundamental problem, and no amount of additional signage will fix it.

Comment on Trauma: When the going gets tough, destroy more stuff by Whole Wheat Toast

Whole Wheat Toast — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:01:53 +0000

The facility is in Treasure Island, off California Avenue, I believe. Easily accessible through the 108

Comment on Trauma: When the going gets tough, destroy more stuff by richard Y

richard Y — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:23:01 +0000

Just out of curiosity, where was that facility that the copter landed at that was supposed to be the receiving hospital?