S.F. continues to show its bad side when it comes to Blacks

By Frederick H. Lowe
Guest Columnist

London Breed recently was sworn in as mayor of San Francisco, making her the first Black woman to hold that post in one of the nation’s most beautiful cities that has a filthy underbelly.

Breed’s election indicates some degree of racial tolerance in San Francisco, but recent events also reflect intolerance for Black men and for Black children.

The latest insulting and terrifying incident involves Viktor Stevenson, who was opening the door to Gourmonade, his gourmet lemonade business in San Francisco, when someone called the police alleging that he was a burglar.

Police showed up, including one with his hand on his gun, demanding to know what he was doing in the gentrifying neighborhood. Stevenson told the cops he owned the business. He used his keys to open the door. But the cops weren’t satisfied. They demanded his ID, saying individuals often claim to be who they are not.

Stevenson showed his ID, mindful that police shoot and kill Black men for anything less.

Since he opened his store, it has been the target of racists or at least one racist who wrote “monkey juice” on the building.

In this nation’s history, police aligning themselves with racists, have closed or burned down Black-owned businesses so African Americans would always be dependent on whites and others. Of course, Blacks have supported this form of racism by ignoring and not supporting Black-owned businesses.

This time the police didn’t win. After what happened to Stevenson was reported on social media, Gourmonade sold out in two hours, shipping product as far as Virginia and Missouri.

What happened to Stevenson comes in the wake of Black men suing a company for racial discrimination at a construction site. A white woman called 911 on a Black girl selling bottled water near AT&T Park where the San Francisco Giants play their home games. And a woman in Oakland, California, called police on Blacks barbecuing in the park.

Individuals calling the police on Black men are mostly white women. Racism’s foundation is based on supporting white women.

The San Francisco police, which is led by Chief William “Bill” Scott, a Black man, has not commented.

This article originally published in the July 30, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.