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[Please don't send this to your own media contacts without checking with us
first, to avoid pissing off pressfolks. Thanks, Chris.]
Michael Denny for Mayor Media Release
DENNY WANTS NEIGHBORHOOD ACCOUNTABILITY FOR POLICE AND FIRE
March 11, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christopher R. Maden
E-mail: chris@...
Telephone: (415) 845-8202
San Francisco, March 11, 2003 - Libertarian candidate for mayor Michael
Denny yesterday called for a radical restructuring of the San Francisco
Police and Fire Departments, relying on competitive "citizen volunteers"
instead of paid employees.
In an unpublished letter to Savannah Blackwell of the San Francisco Bay
Guardian, Denny lamented the government's detachment from the citizens and
residents of San Francisco. "The poor can never beat the rich in City
Hall. So the best thing we can do is dramatically reduce the power of the
Mayor's office and the police," he wrote.
While most police officers and firefighters are hard workers and dedicated
to public safety, they serve under leadership that is increasingly beholden
to political interests and not the public safety. Denny's friends in the
Police and Fire Departments privately say the system has become so
politically influenced that departments can't hire the best people, which
puts our community at serious risk. They feel the job would be done much
better if the police officers and firefighters had more control at the
neighborhood level.
Denny proposes a radical solution: "We should be considering a more
'citizen volunteer' approach to our Police and Fire Departments, including
their privatization. We should give the police and fire stations to the
officers who currently work out of them, and let them compete with each
other to provide service to the community, their customers."
The police officers and firefighters with whom Denny has spoken understand
and appreciate that the community benefits from competition among service
providers. "They are much more entrepreneurial and confident in their
abilities than the politically connected top brass," he says. "We should
be helping these valuable workers build their ability to serve us instead
of subjecting them to this politically correct nightmare that serves
special interests instead of our neighborhoods."
Denny also called again for abolition of the Vice Squad; "Vices are not
crimes anyway."
After recounting an encounter with an absurd celebrity motorcade, Denny
concluded, "But of course, it's never been about 'service' or
'protection.' It's about an arrogant display of City Hall and police power
at the expense of the citizens and tax payers. In short, it's business as
usual."
About Michael Denny:
Michael Denny is a husband, a father of four children, a small business
owner, and a Libertarian candidate for mayor of San Francisco. His
campaign Web site is michaeldennyformayor.com. Libertarians believe in
personal freedom, in both social and economic spheres, and in minimal
government to protect those freedoms.
- - end -
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Denny's letter to Savannah Blackwell
Savannah Blackwell
San Francisco Bay Guardian
Dear Savannah,
Your March 5th article, "It's the Corruption Stupid," stated that Tom
Ammiano was the only mayoral candidate who believed the Mayor's control
over the police should be shared. I am also running for Mayor. And I also
want to distribute the Mayor's power to the supervisors including control
over the police. In this race, it seems both the left and right are
calling for a "strong mayor." I am the only candidate supporting a
managerial rather than imperial role for the Mayor's office. District
elections gave more control to the people, where it belongs. The Mayor's
office needs to be more respectful of the people and rule of law. And the
police department needs to be more responsive to our community. I'm going
to tell you a little story.
Last Friday, I was on my motorcycle on the corner of Second and
Mission. All auto and pedestrian traffic was stopped in both
directions. I asked the police officer what was going on. He barked at me,
"police escort." I asked who it was for. He looked at me with a look that
said, "Shut the f--- up," and ignored me. So I waited for about 5-10
minutes and nothing happened while everyone was waiting around wondering
what was happening. Then one motorcycle officer came through with sirens
scanning the crowd for threats to the "parade." He was followed by 15-20
motorcycle officers and a squad car with lights and sirens blazing. Behind
him was a small group of cars, most young twenty-somethings in BMWs wearing
cool shades and a couple of larger limos with rich looking "swells" who
were enjoying that they could drive at high speeds through the city without
concern for traffic and the people. It was very clear that this police
department and Mayor are in it for themselves and the "swells" they
serve. We can't provide bathrooms so San Franciscans can pee, but we can
rudely delay our citizens while showing off our power to the rich and famous?
The poor can never beat the rich in City Hall. So the best thing we can do
is dramatically reduce the power of the Mayor's office and the police. We
should be considering a more "citizen volunteer" approach to our Police and
Fire Departments, including their privatization. We should give the Police
and Fire stations to the officers who currently work out of them, and let
them compete with each other to provide service to the community, their
customers. With that, Police and Fire Departments not perceived as serving
citizen needs would soon be out of business. The Vice department should
simply be cut. Vices are not crimes anyway. And these silly and arrogant
police escorts should not be performed unless their entire cost is born by
the visitor including the lost time of thousands of our citizens. If the
true cost was charged, someone would have to feel pretty threatened to get
a police escort. And who wants someone like that around here anyway? But
of course, it's never been about "service" or "protection." It's about an
arrogant display of City Hall and Police power at the expense of the
citizens and tax payers. In short, it's business as usual.
Thanks to Tom Ammiano for his position on the police. Please let him and
your readers know that he has allies.
Thank you for your excellent article.
Michael F. Denny
Libertarian Candidate for San Francisco Mayor