Michael Blasi was the supervising officer on Aug. 21. Tiburon Police Chief Ryan Monaghan, who was hired after the clash at Yema, believes the reforms in the agreement will bring substantive benefits to the entire community. A Tiburon couple reached a $150,000 settlement with the town after they were apparently racially profiled by police in August 2020. Comments. The couple also received a $150,000 payment, a portion of which they say will go to a scholarship fund they run through the store. Khalif and Awash will each serve separate one-year terms on the panel. I dont want to argue, the officer said. Khalif and Awash havent reached a settlement with the neighboring city of Belvedere, which also had an officer at the store that night. Khalif and Awash said that since their interaction with police, they've received threatening messages. TIBURON, Calif. - The town of Tiburon agreed to pay $150,000 a Black couple to settle their racial profiling lawsuit. As part of the reforms announced Tuesday, officers are expected to begin carrying business cards with information about how to raise concerns over interactions. The $150,000 settlement was in response to an August 2020 racial profiling incident. Black couple reaches settlement after white officers ask them to prove they owned their store. "But instead it was more like, 'Who are you? He said incidents like what happened to him and to Khalif and Awash happen more often than people realize. Last week, Khalif and Awash, who are married and own the store called Yema, reached a settlement agreement with Tiburon. The changes proposed by Yema and Hawi are very positive, and will help make the Town of Tiburon a leader in the areas of diversity, inclusion, and transparency, Welner said in a joint news release with Khalif and Awash. The couple owns the downtown clothing boutique, Yema. The Black owners of a business in Tiburon have settled a racial profiling claim with the town for $150,000 and the establishment of a police advisory council. Not everybody has that kind of access, she said. Many alleged racial profiling and called for reforms, while others expressed support for the police, saying the officers were doing their jobs and that Khalif should have complied. And prove yourself.'. Khalif and Awash have already secured spots on the board. The morale at the Tiburon Police Department has suffered since August 2020. The situation diffused when a white neighbor yelled out to the police that it was, indeed, their store. This is important to the citizenry in policy matters, and my hope is since the committee will be independent, it will truly represent the people. In addition to sparking an online joint community forum attended by hundreds and two local Black Lives Matter protests, the exchange resulted in the creation of a Diversity Inclusion Task Force, which is made up of all five Town Councilmembers and five members of the general public appointed by the Town Council and aims to address issues of race and bias in the community. A police sergeant resigned amid the backlash. 2022 The Ark, AMMI Publishing Co. Inc. | 1550 Tiburon Blvd. Black store owners reach settlement after white cops demand proof it's their store. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- Nearly two years after Yema Khalif and his wife Hawi Awash say they were racially profiled by police while working inside their own store in Tiburon, the couple. Three more police officers who responded to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol including two who aided the evacuation of lawmakers have sued Donald Trump, seeking . The request was denied and the report deemed exempt from disclosure because it was a record of an investigatory file, Town Clerk Lea Stefani said. Most Californians can put off filing taxes until Oct. 16 but should they? Khalif and Awash filed a $2 million suit for alleged emotional distress and potential loss of revenue, as well as punitive damages. Registry of Corporate Directors. For the complete story, pick up this week's edition of The Ark on newsstands or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery. The Living and Growing Together series included five forums held from August to October, with sessions targeting Tiburons business community, faith-based groups, underrepresented populations and the general public. The changes dont end there Tiburons police department has also agreed to better serve the community by increasing the frequency of racial bias training. Michael Blasi arrived and suggested Khalif put his key in the door lock to prove he and Awash belonged there. It is the ultimate expression of democracy and the democratic process.. Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. A message left with the city manager wasnt immediately returned Tuesday. D, Tiburon, CA 94920 | 415-435-2652 | Privacy Policy| Designed by Kevin Hessel. Michael Blasi noting that late-night activity in downtown Tiburon is unusual and repeatedly asking Khalif to provide proof of his identity and that he is the storeowner. Khalif said he and his wife never wanted to involve the courts. However, Town Manager Greg Chanis confirmed a racial-bias complaint listed on the towns police-transparency website was related to the incident. Email: joshua.sharpe@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joshuawsharpe. They would prefer to resolve the issues with Belvedere directly. Khalif and Awash were working in their store late at night when police came in and asked them to prove they were the store owners. The couple was joined by Marin County activist Paul Austin who believes his house appraisal was lowballed because of his race. The epic California snowpack is inching toward record levels, Massive Tahoe avalanche 'engulfed' 3-story apartment building, Opinion: The our city is broken and Im not gonna take it anymore screed, San Francisco is at its most unaffordable point in at least a decade, S.F. The incident happened in late August 2020. My hesitation with town- appointed committees is, more often than not, they are just performative.. Bonner said the couple hopes to engage in continued negotiations with the city. Two Black business owners in California have been awarded $150,000 two years after they were racially profiled inside of their own store. Yema Khalif and Hawi Awash, owners of the Yema clothing shop. The reforms include establishing a Citizens Advisory Panel, increasing bias training for officers and requiring officers hand out business cards after an interaction with a member of the public. He enjoys hiking, playing pedal steel guitar and gardening. Madfes is still a Tiburon Police officer. Khalif and his attorneys made multiple references to seeking similar reforms in Belvedere. The coupled, who filed a lawsuit last year, said they were working late at the store when a Tiburon police officer entered the building in August and asked them to identify themselves. One person questioned why they use black mannequins. Reach Tiburon reporter Deirdre McCrohan at 415-944-4634. In addition to increasing its foot patrols in the downtown area to better engage with business owners and residents, the department has implemented a requirement that officers hand out business cards with identification information to members of the public after most interactions; those cards include contact information including a website to allow residents to provide public feedback about police interactions. Was it reasonable to suspect they were committing a crime? Burglars dont go into a store and turn all the lights on. Board members will assist in vetting candidates for the Tiburon police department to help ensure that these kinds of incidents dont happen again. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal), TIBURON CA - APRIL 19: Yema store owner Yema Khalif listens as an attorney speaks during a press conference outside Yema in Tiburon, Calif., on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. They also donate 20% of Yemas sales to the cause. Khalif and Awash have also received hate mail and disturbing phone calls. Court of Appeal Decision On appeal, the Appellants argued that the Stipulated Judgments impermissibly compromised the County's exercise of its duties under CEQA, resulting in a truncated environmental review with a preordained outcome. Khalif and Awash confirm that they havent been stopped since the August 2020 incident. Thier and Welner, who has since become mayor, noted Awashs input was instrumental in the town creating the committee; however Fredericks and Ryan, who has since become vice mayor, said the $2 million claim and the threat of litigation could undermine the groups work and create the appearance of a conflict of interest. Aug. But instead it was more like, Who are you? Khalif repeatedly declines, saying he doesnt have to explain his presence or produce identification if the officers cant articulate suspicion that a crime may be occurring, though at one point Blasi argues Khalif was required to do so. Police Chief Michael Cronin also announced his retirement, which he and town officials said was already in the works. The tense standoff, which was captured on video, ended when a neighbor said, Thats his store. The officers left. Officers from the Tiburon Police Department went to the singer's Marin County home after receiving a call at 3:30 a.m. Saturday from an apparently intoxicated man who said a drunken woman was . It appears the home was targeted in the past week while the homeowners were out of town and the home may have appeared vacant. Two Black merchants who allege racial profiling by police in Tiburon and Belvedere are demanding $2 million from the municipalities. Supporters dropped off flowers at Khalif's store "Yema" as others . Who do you call when the police are harassing you? Attorney Charles Bonner, who is representing Khalif and Awash, also declined to comment, noting his clients were set speak at a press conference at their store on April 19, after The Arks press deadline. State storms arent letting up. How can we advocate for change if we pack up and go away? Awash asked. Stock said at the time the town was committed to avoiding a lawsuit and encouraged Khalif and Awash to move forward in a positive direction fostering an open dialogue rather than litigation.. You have entered an incorrect email address! Shortly after, the city's police chief announced his resignation. Michael Blasi was the supervising officer on Aug. 21. If Biden wins me and the boys gonna go raid yemma, the person wrote. Marin County, theres so much more work we can do in order to make this place a true melting pot, Austin said. Yema Khalif and his wife Hawi Awash said the claims stem from an incident that occurred in August 2021. Awash previously applied for a seat on the task force, but her nomination was rejected in a 2-2 vote, with then-Mayor Holli Thier and then-Vice Mayor Jon Welner backing her appointment and Councilmembers Jack Ryan and Alice Fredericks opposing. SistersInc. EVENTS Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. There are pictures of Yema and Hawi all over the store. Yema store owner Yema Khalif of addresses Black Lives Matter demonstrators during a rally at the Tiburon Police Department in Tiburon on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. Ste. Awash said they plan to donate a portion of their settlement money to a charity that helps educate orphans in Kenya and Ethiopia. Tiburon police Chief Ryan Monaghan said in an email he was glad the town found a resolution. The Black owners of a business in Tiburon have settled a racial profiling claim with the town for $150,000 and the establishment of a police advisory council. Updated: Dec 14, 2022 / 07:59 PM PST. He said the incident provided an opportunity to proactively reevaluate the departments community relations. The Tiburon Town Council held an approximately two-hour closed session on April 13 related to the potential litigation posed by the couples claim. TIBURON (KPIX 5) -- The Marin County town of Tiburon is buzzing about a video that shows police in an early morning confrontation over the weekend with an African-American business owner. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Thanks for Not Procreating: Making Census of the Moment. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal), TIBURON CA - APRIL 19: Yema store owners Hawi Awash and her husband Yema Khalif with attorney David C. Anderson listen to a reporters question during a press conference outside Yema in Tiburon, Calif., on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. The agency also increased the frequency of bias training from every five years to every two. 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