December 15, 2016 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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Trial begins in woman’s suit against SF police

Vol. 46 • No. 50 • December 15-21, 2016

SF parks dog plan sparks howls

by Seth Hemmelgarn

trial involving a queer ArabAmerican woman who claims San Francisco police severely injured her during a 2013 traffic stop got under way this week in Oakland. Courtesy Facebook In her lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Nyla Moujaes Court for Northern California, Nyla Moujaes, an attorney who advocates for homeless people in Berkeley, claims that police Officer David B. Wasserman and Sergeant Gary Buckner were already pointing their guns at her when they approached her “allegedly” for making an illegal left turn at Mission and 16th streets July 14, 2013. Moujaes says she complied with their request to show her hands. When she asked why she’d been stopped, Wasserman “pulled her and threw her to the ground,” dislocating her shoulder. Other officers who arrived at the scene “failed to mediate the brutal assault,” and after police handcuffed her, they delayed in getting her medical help, Moujaes, who also goes by the name “Tru Bloo” and often works as a hip-hop fusion emcee, claims. “Ms. Moujaes did not resist arrest,” her complaint says. “She was not combative. She did not know why she was stopped; and at no time did officers tell her why she was arrested.” Police took Moujaes into custody and charged her with resisting arrest, but officers had “gathered incomplete and inaccurate statements and made false reports,” she says in her lawsuit. A news release indicates Moujaes wasn’t formally prosecuted in the case. Along with Wasserman and Buckner, the San Francisco Police Department and the city are also named as defendants, along with Sergeant Flint T. Paul, Officer Brent Dittmer and another officer whose name is listed as “Barry.” In their motion for summary judgment, defendants say that when Wasserman and Buckner first tried to stop Moujaes for the illegal turn, she “pulled her car over for a minute, pulled back into traffic, then started driving again. After a multiple-block slow-speed chase” with their lights flashing, the police got out of their car and went up to Moujaes when she finally stopped at a red light. She “remained uncooperative” when they told her to turn off the car and get out, and when she “turned her body and reached toward the center console of her car instead of complying” with Wasserman’s commands, he See page 11 >>

The dog park in McLaren Park includes stunning views across the bay to Mount Diablo. Rick Gerharter

by Matthew S. Bajko

plan to be voted on Thursday that would regulate dog access in natural areas in San Francisco’s city parks is

sparking howls from dog owners. Known as the Recreation and Park Department’s Natural Resources Management Plan, it covers everything from the forests of Mt. Davidson to the grasslands of Bernal Hill to

the coastal scrub of Twin Peaks to the creek in Glen Canyon. It also covers the wetlands of India Basin and Lake Merced, and portions See page 7 >>

POH looks to expand food services by Seth Hemmelgarn

who are monolingual and “not fully connected” with the community and roject Open Hand, the San what services are available. Francisco-based nonprofit in the She estimated that 70 to 80 percent Tenderloin that provides meals of the clients are gay, and that half of to thousands of people living with them are at least 45 years or older. AIDS and other diseases, is working to Many of the clients also live in singleexpand services to neighborhoods inroom occupancy hotels without cookcluding the Mission and Bayview. ing facilities or places to store food. “We’re going to start going to where “A lot of these meals are very essenthe clients are, not asking them to come tial for them,” Martinez said of the asto us,” Mark Ryle, POH’s CEO, said. sistance POH offers. He hopes to have vans equipped with Another potential site for a van is freezers and ovens delivered by ChristSoutheast Health Center, at 2401 Keith mas and launch the program January 1. Street in the Bayview. A staff person The days and times the vans will be availwasn’t available Tuesday to talk about able for clients haven’t been determined. the project. “We’ll be able to sign them up right Courtesy Project Open Hand Ryle said his nonprofit has a budget on site,” Ryle said, and “they’ll be able Kia Walls stands next to an existing Project Open Hand van. of $11.2 million. It also offers some to take food with them.” services in Oakland. Clients will just need to share wheth“This was our highest-revenue year “I would love to do that,” Martinez said of the er they’re HIV-positive, which can be in our history of operating,” he said. “... van, but “we haven’t sorted out the details.” confirmed on site, and that they’re a San FranWe raised more money last year than we ever “I think it will be great,” she said. “A lot of cisco resident. did before.” “The city has identified a few hotspots for our clients are in this side of town. ... Often we What made the difference is “I think we’re mortality and infection rates around HIV,” and lose people in the referral process because they telling our story better,” including by sharing don’t make it” to POH’s headquarters at 730 research that shows a 63 percent reduction in “where the infection rates are still high,” Ryle Polk Street because it’s “an extra step they have said. hospitalizations, Ryle said. to do.” One of the agencies POH is in discussions “If you’re eating well, you’re less likely to get “Having it on site would be fantastic,” she with is Mission Neighborhood Health Center, sick,” he said. said. which is at 240 Shotwell Street. The cost of buying, stocking, and staffing the Martinez said that about 80 percent of clients Shaddai Martinez, the center’s HIV clinic direcvans will be at least $150,000 “to get everything who get HIV services through the center are tor, said plans aren’t definite yet, but her agency set up,” Ryle said. The money’s coming from Latino. Many of them are recent immigrants will meet with POH this week to discuss logistics. private funds, as well as government sources.t

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