San Francisco Youth Commission
Youth Justice Committee
Minutes
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
4:30-6:30pm
City Hall, Room 345

There will be public comment on each item.

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

The meeting was called to order at 4:33pm. Committee members present: Commissioner Rene Ontiveros, Commissioner Angel Carrion. Staff present: Mario Yedidia. There was quorum.

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

Commissioner Carrion, seconded by Commissioner Ontiveros, moved to approve the agenda. This motion was approved unanimously by acclamation.

3. Public Comment on Items not on Agenda (Discussion Only)

There was none.

4. Business (All Items Below Discussion and Possible Action)

A. Preparation for joint hearing with Police Commission regarding youth/police relations

Commissioner Ontiveros updated his colleague on the meeting he had had the previous Friday Police Commission President Thomas Mazzucco and Police Commissioner Angela Chan. At this meeting, which was itself a preparatory meeting for the upcoming Youth Commission-Police Commission joint hearing, Commissioner Ontiveros shared the Youth Commission’s three shared goals for the hearing (more on that below); Commissioners Mazzucco and Chan thought these goals were fine. However, they made clear that the Police Commission and Police Department do not want a hearing that is full of youth purely hating on the Police Depatment. In general, the Police Commissioners want to hear directly from youth regarding how to improve interactions between the police and the youth.

Commissioner Ontiveros outlined the following three goals for the joint hearing:

(1) Getting the Police Department trained on de-esclation tactics & communication tactics, for the following reasons:
(a) will decrease situations (“extraordinary circumstances”) where Police take youth to from the filed to district stations (as opposed to CARC, JJC, Huckleberry); the whole argument is that CARC and Huckleberry and JJC provide early intervention services that will reduce the likelihood of a young person from getting locked up again, etc. (this is the argument of the DGO); and
(b) right now, SF Police get 3 hours of training on how to deal with young people—let’s give them more!
(2) Establishing clear procedures/policies for what happens when youth get arrested on SFUSD campuses (maybe by rewriting the MOU, so that the goal of the SRO program is not only to decrease violence but also to increase the community policing/relationship building goals); and
(3) Really setting up a good system for Police and SFUSD to inform youth about their rights & responsibilities by distributing Know Your Rights pamphlets, increasing web traffic to the pamphlets, etc., for the following reasons:
(a) So that young people understand Police officers’ tone/body language and vice-versa; and
(b) so that parents can understand what happens when young people get arrested.

Commissioners Ontiveros and Carrion agreed that, given that the hearing was only two weeks away, it was critical for the Youth Justice Committee to do the following ASAP:

• Identify key questions for youth speakers to discuss (both in expert testimony and public comment).

• Identify who will give expert testimony: (both youth—including, possibly, committee members—and academics and/or community workers).

• Finish flyer & Facebook invite & start general CBO outreach & other youth empowerment organizations (divide up the list and start calling/facebooking).

• Begin outreach to get at least 100 youth to come.

5. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 6:05pm.

Any materials distributed to the members of the Youth Commission within 72 hours of the meeting or after the agenda packet has been delivered to the members are available for inspection—along with minutes of previous Youth Commission meetings and all supplementary information—at the Youth Commission office during regular office hours (9am to 6pm, Monday—Friday). The Youth Commission office is located at:
City Hall, Room 345
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 554-6446, Fax: (415) 554-6140
Email: youthcom@sfgov.org
www.sfgov.org/yc

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE SUNSHINE ORDINANCE
(Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)
Government’s duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people’s business. This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE SUNSHINE ORDINANCE OR TO REPORT A VIOLATION OF THE ORDINANCE, CONTACT THE SUNSHINE ORDINANCE TASK FORCE, please contact:
Sunshine Ordinance Task Force
City Hall, Room 244
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102‐4689
Phone: (415) 554‐7724, Fax: (415) 554‐5784
E‐mail: sotf@sfgov.org
Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Ordinance
Task Force, at the San Francisco Public Library, and on the City’s website at
http://www.sfgov.org.

The ringing and use of cell phones, pagers, and similar sound‐producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. The Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound‐producing electronic device.

In order to assist the City’s efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity, or related disabilities, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical‐based products. Please help the City accommodate these individuals.

To obtain a disability‐related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, to participate in the meeting, please contact Mario Yedidia, Youth Commission Director [phone: 415-554 6254; email: mario.yedidia@sfgov.org] at least 48 hours before the meeting, except for Monday meetings, for which the deadline is 4:00 p.m. the previous Friday.