On Thursday, January 16, 2014, Taraval’s Captain Lum and SF SAFE (Safety Awareness For Everyone) Director Brent Sverdloff held a press conference at Irving Street and 22nd Avenue regarding the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations that are commonly observed by Asian communities throughout the world. They warned the celebratory atmosphere can create an opportunity for criminals to take advantage of the large amount of money and gifts being exchanged as part of the observance. In the past, criminals have demanded bribes or tributes in the form of cash or valuables during the Lunar New Year celebrations. Asian merchants were often targeted and faced threats of violence. This extortionist practice was under-reported by the Asian community in the past due to language barriers and the commonly-held belief that the police was indifferent to minorities.
Today, however, the SFPD employs a significant number of bilingual officers and has a telephone interpretation service. Additionally, the Department makes every effort to remind immigrant and minority communities that police services are accessible regardless of language or cultural barriers. As part of the campaign, SFPD captains of police stations that have large minority communities hold press conferences. Such events attract the attention of ethnic and mainstream media members whom can reach-out to their respective audience.
Supervisor Katy Tang of District 4 joined members of the Outer Sunset Merchant and Professional Association–Mr. Benny Yee and Mr. Bill Barnickel, during the press conference. Captain Lum, Director Sverdloff, Supervisor Tang, and Mr. Yee each spoke and reminded the large Chinese community of the Sunset District as well as all other communities in the Taraval District that the police will be on heightened alert during the Lunar Year celebrations. Additionally they spoke in length that no one should hesitate to contact the SFPD if he or she believes a crime has occurred.
