Crime

Michael Brown Sr. Tells SF: “Stand strong and fight.”

Published

10 years ago

December 18, 2014

Nearly 800 community members and faith leaders packed into the pews of Third Baptist Church on Sunday to hear remarks from Michael Brown Sr. father of the 18-year-old who was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer, sparking a national movement against police impunity.

Speaking briefly, Brown expressed gratitude to people for their support.

“I’m tired. But I’ll sleep when it’s over. Enough is enough,” he said before taking his seat.

The audience applauded wildly. Cries and groans were heard throughout the sanctuary from community members overcome with grief and sorrow for all those who are bereaved by loved ones lost to gun violence.

Pastor Amos Brown of Third Baptist issued a “love offering” collecting donations, 100 percent of went to the Brown family for travel and other expenses.

Brown visited the church as part of a multi-faith, multi-racial assembly organized by Christian leaders and the Nation of Islam to denounce the excessive force perpetrated by police and resulting in the recent deaths of Brown, Eric Gartner and closer to home Oscar Grant. It ignited spirited discussions on the need for improved community-police relations in San Francisco and nationally.

“The police should be proportionately representative of the community that they police, and the image of the police needs to be changed,” said Pastor Brown.

“It is time this city listen to these speakers who have come today presenting a work plan to put San Francisco in therapy so that she may be made whole,” he said.

The program brought testimonies from mothers of males killed by gun violence. Mattie Scott, whose son George C. Scott was shot and killed in 1996, gave emotional address.

“This is a national health epidemic, and we need to do something about it. We shouldn’t have this many people standing because they’ve lost someone due to senseless gun violence,” she said.

Added District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen, “To the protestors, thank you for being the disruption that you’ve been. Thank you for being the conscience we need.

On Monday evening, Brown Sr. met with hundreds of San Francisco high school students from across the city at Mission High School. .

Also speaking were Rev. Amos Brown and Cepheus Johnson, “ Uncle Bobby,” uncle of Oscar Grant III, who was shot and killed by police in Oakland at the Frutivale BART station on New Year’s Day 2009.

**News reported also contributed to this article.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 28 – April 1, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 28 – April 1, 2025

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

Oakland Post

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Group Takes First Steps to Recall District Attorney Diana Becton

The group, called “Recall Diana Becton,” says they have lost faith in her prosecution decisions and her lack of transparency. On their social media post, they say: “We the victims of crime, their families, local business owners and employees, as well as residents of Contra Costa County, have reached our limit and are initiating the recall of District Attorney Diana Becton,” the notice states. “We are increasingly concerned about the persistent cycle of unaddressed criminal activity. We are frustrated by her continuous empty promises to victims and their families that justice will prevail while she permits criminals to roam free.” Becton, 73, is a former judge who was appointed district attorney in 2017 by the Board of Supervisors and then won election in 2018 and again in 2022.

Published

1 week ago

March 24, 2025

Oakland Post

Diana Becton has served at the Contra Costa County District Attorney since 2017. Richmond Standard photo.

By Post Staff

After gathering more than 100 verified signatures, a group led by crime victims delivered a ‘notice of intent’ to the offices of Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton seeking her recall.

The group, called “Recall Diana Becton,” says they have lost faith in her prosecution decisions and her lack of transparency.

On their social media post, they say:

“We the victims of crime, their families, local business owners and employees, as well as residents of Contra Costa County, have reached our limit and are initiating the recall of District Attorney Diana Becton,” the notice states.

“We are increasingly concerned about the persistent cycle of unaddressed criminal activity. We are frustrated by her continuous empty promises to victims and their families that justice will prevail while she permits criminals to roam free.”

Becton, 73, is a former judge who was appointed district attorney in 2017 by the Board of Supervisors and then won election in 2018 and again in 2022.

Becton has seven days to respond. According to the East Bay Times, her office spokesperson said her “answer will be her public comment.”

After Becton responds, according to the Contra Costa County Elections Office, Recall Diana Becton must then finalize the petition language and gather signatures of a minimum of 10% of registered voters (72,000) in 160 days before it can go on the ballot for election.

She is the third Bay Area district attorney whose constituents wanted them removed from office. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was removed from office in 2021 and last year, Pamela Price lost her position in a recall election.

Of the top 10 proponents of Becton’s recall, three are the families of Alexis Gabe, Thomas Arellano, and Damond Lazenby Jr.

In each of those cases, the families say Becton failed to pursue prosecution, allowed a plea deal instead of a trial in a slaying and questioned the coroner’s report in a fatal car crash.

Some political science experts suggest that, in the Bay Area there may be a bit of copycat syndrome going on.

In many states, recalls are not permitted at all, but in California, not only are they permitted but the ability to put one into motion is easy.

“Only 10% of registered voters in a district are needed just to start the process of getting the effort onto the ballot,” Garrick Percival, a political science professor told the East Bay Times. “It makes it easy to make the attempt.”

But according to their website, the Recall Diana Becton group express their loss of faith in the prosecutor.

“Her lack of transparency regarding crime in this county, and her attempts to keep her offenders out of jail have left us disheartened,” the recall group wrote.

Petitioners say they are acting not just for themselves but other crime victims “who feel ignored, exasperated and hopeless in their pursuit of justice for themselves or their loved ones.”

KRON TV, The East Bay Times, and Wikipedia are the sources for this report.