August 30, 2023

Dear Neighbors,

The recent incident at Richmond Market on Balboa Street and the tragic passing of Yohannes "John" Tewolde has deeply impacted his family and our community.

Merchants and neighbors have reached out to me and my team asking for information on the incident and what more can be done to ensure safety in the Richmond.

First and foremost, our condolences go out to John's family and the Richmond Market store owner and crew. I am grateful to our neighbors who have come together to provide them support. To help us heal, I encourage you to join the community for a vigil gathering tomorrow, Thursday August 31st at 9pm, at Richmond Market, on the corner of 41th Ave and Balboa Street.  

Everyone deserves to be safe in San Francisco and violence is not acceptable. I urge anyone with information about the incident to please contact the police, you can share the information anonymously: call 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411.

I have lived with my family in the outer Richmond since 2011. I am raising our 10 year-old son with my partner, who is a firefighter for our City, in our neighborhood. We love the Richmond, it has been a safe and vibrant neighborhood. But the Richmond is not without the challenges to public safety and quality of life issues that the rest of our City faces. Often though, it seems that we are not given the same resources that our neighborhood needs and deserves.

The Richmond will continue to stand united in our demand for resources for crime prevention, we will continue to fight for increased Richmond Police Station staffing, retired police officer ambassadors, street crisis team deployment, and more. Click here and here to read more about my plan demanding public safety resource for the Richmond. 

Together, we will make the Richmond safer.

Best regards, 



Connie

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