The San Francisco Police Commission within the San Francisco Police Department has passed a resolution
ordering every district station to put up a Black Lives Matter sign within 30 days, according to NBC Bay Area.
The controversial move has faced criticism from the San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA), which questioned whether it was right to endorse political organizations in a letter sent through a law firm to the police department.
"This resolution is merely a small gesture to show that this commission and our department stands in solidarity for the support of Black lives," the commission said in a statement to local news outlet KGO.
The resolution was passed last Tuesday and has been supported by Black police officers who say it will help them feel more at home within the city's police department.
“It opens the opportunity for someone who looks like me to feel like they’re going to be understood and not prejudged,” Yulonda Williams of Officers for Justice told NBC Bay Area.
Local news outlet KPIX reported that the 32-by-24 posters were approved unanimously by the commission, but union members are already expressing extreme opposition to the move.
The SFPOA, which boasts 2,000 members, sent a letter last Wednesday to the commission criticizing the decision, writing that the “directive that the San Francisco Police Department prominently display posters in support of that same political organization, establishes a new precedent that raises concerns about introducing political agendas and wedge issues into the safe harbor of police stations.”
SFPOA President Tony Montoya had even harsher words for the decision, telling KPIX that the police commission "should put away their soap boxes and stop their political grandstanding. … It’s time for the commissioners to get beyond hashtags, posters and politics.”
Both Police Chief Bill Scott and Commission Vice President Damali Taylor have had to reiterate that the signs are in reference to the idea that Black lives matter, not the specific political organizations that have the words in their names.
KTVU noted in its reporting that the sign will have "Black lives matter" in lowercase letters, as opposed to capping the first letter of each word, a small reference to the political movement.
“What we are talking about here is not about the Black Lives Matter organization or entity. We are talking about an expression of values that Black lives matter to the San Francisco Police Department,” Taylor said.
Taylor later addressed the letter specifically, saying in an interview with KGO that "the letter talked about this being political speech which is absolutely horse s**t, if you excuse my French."
Police Commissioner John Hamasaki added that the leadership of the SFPOA "simply does not get it."
Scott echoed that sentiment, telling KPIX that, “I can speak on behalf of the command staff and members of this department. Black lives do matter and they matter to this police department. This is not at the expense or in lieu of anybody or anyone else’s life. That’s not what this is about. We will support and are fully committed to implementing this resolution.”
The author of the rule, Police Commissioner Dion-Jay Brookter, said he got the idea from people within the Black community, but other commissioners said they had much more to do.
Despite opposition to the move, police officers across the city have been promoting political messages during the protests over the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others.
Damali recently criticized officers for wearing face masks with insignias referencing the "thin blue line" movement, a political response from police officers and conservatives to the Black Lives Matter movement, both of which have garnered more support amid recent protests against police brutality.
