The Coalition of San Francisco Neighborhoods recently honored Stop Crime SF for its efforts to give residents and victims a voice while making sure police, prosecutors, judges and politicians are doing their jobs to keep us safe. Read the remarks that Stop Crime SF Vice President Joel Engardio gave at the award ceremony.
Read MoreIt’s hard enough to get through a day in San Francisco unscathed by smashed car windows and Muni meltdowns. But what can you do when city planners threaten to destroy your entire neighborhood? We should all care about what’s happening on Kensington Way.
Read MoreAn open letter to Chesa Boudin, the public defender who will be San Francisco’s next district attorney and top prosecutor.
Read MoreA personal story of Joel Engardio’s relationship with Mark Lim, who died of liver cancer at age 31 in 2001.
Read MoreIt’s easy to get away with car burglary in San Francisco because of a loophole in state law. Car break-ins can’t be charged as felony theft unless it can be proven that the door was locked. Smart criminals simply unlock the door after smashing the window. No wonder San Francisco’s epidemic of auto burglary has resulted in so few convictions. Yet a bill to fix the loophole has failed twice in Sacramento. It defies explanation why California’s legislature would encourage crime.
Read MoreFrom Emperor Norton to Willie Brown, big personalities and unique characters have defined San Francisco politics since the Gold Rush. Is Conor Johnston the next mythical figure in the making? Meet the muscled man in Styrofoam costumes and short shorts who will troll to the ends of social media for Mayor London Breed.
Read MoreJoel Engardio speaks to KPIX CBS-5 news on behalf of Stop Crime SF to explain why San Franciscans feel unsafe regardless of what crime statistics say. Stop Crime SF is a group of San Franciscans working together to reduce and prevent crime in our neighborhoods while holding public officials and the criminal justice system accountable.
Read MoreThe brazen and violent attack of a young woman in San Francisco and a judge’s refusal to hold the suspect in custody became a highly publicized case that poses some important questions: How many crime victims without a Twitter account suffer in silence? How do we know which judges care more about the rights of the accused than the victim? And is there anything we can do to get better judges?
Read MoreVideo of San Francisco District Attorney debate sponsored by Stop Crime SF and moderated by Joel Engardio. Featuring candidates Chesa Boudin, Leif Dautch, Suzy Loftus and Nancy Tung. Be an informed voter and learn where they stand. The stakes are high. San Francisco ranks #1 in property crime among large U.S. cities. The district attorney sets the agenda for what crimes will and won't be prosecuted.
Read MoreHere are a few things San Francisco politicians don’t like to talk about: Billions in unfunded pension liabilities, police no longer part of the FBI’s terrorism task force, and not enough water to fight fires after an earthquake (the Westside could be left to burn). The civil grand jury is speaking out — but will anyone listen?
Read MoreIn San Quentin on a life sentence, Markelle Taylor ran a marathon (105 non-stop loops around the prison yard). Paroled in March, his first act of freedom after 17 years was to finish the Boston Marathon. What’s the next step for Markelle and the inmates still running for their lives on the inside?
Read MoreWhy should San Francisco allow local press to report the inconvenient truths of Public Defender Jeff Adachi’s death? Because eroding the First Amendment, even slightly or righteously, only makes life more difficult for journalists when we need them to reveal the truths that really matter.
Read MoreA short story with personal reflections on the terrible-to-be-gay year of 1992 and what it means to see presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and his husband on the cover of Time magazine in 2019.
Read MoreA funny short story about going to the dentist and fielding a flood of interview requests from the New York Times, AP, Reuters, Forbes, Wired, CNN, NPR, BBC, CBS radio, ABC Channel 7 News, the local papers and news outlets from Australia to Sweden.
Read MoreInstead of an outright ban, a moratorium would have been more appropriate. There are problems with facial recognition ID technology and it should not be used today. But the technology will improve and it could be a useful tool for public safety when used responsibly and with greater accuracy. We should keep the door open for that possibility. Especially when facial recognition technology can help locate missing children, people with dementia and fight sex trafficking.
Read MoreThe uglier national politics get, some seek solace in local matters. But what happens when local concerns end up feeling as divisive as the national ones? Two women trying to beautify San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood offer some inspiration and cautionary tales.
Read MoreAmending legislation is a messy process of horse-trading words. One of the amendments in San Francisco’s new video surveillance law is still missing a vital word. Police can receive private security video, but will they be able to use it to solve crimes? Words matter when we have the highest rate of property crime among the nation's largest cities.
Read MoreIf presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg can pick a running mate as well as a husband, America will be in good hands. It’s just one of many impressions from my lucky dinner with Pete and Chasten Buttigieg.
Read MoreFighting Big Brother and Big Tech might feel good when privacy is a concern. But a proposed law to ban facial recognition and severely impede San Francisco’s use of security cameras is full of unintended consequences that won’t keep us safe or free.
Read MoreIf a defendant is re-arrested awaiting a court appearance, the sheriff needs to know. Yet she often doesn’t because San Francisco lacks a fully interconnected criminal justice database that shares information in real time. After 20 years and tens of millions spent, will City Hall ever get it to work?
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