Human Rights Commission releases citywide public‑safety landscape analysis; coalition urges language access and community‑led responses

The Human Rights Commission presented a citywide public‑safety landscape analysis at the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee on April 14, framing the report as a follow‑up to a resolution the Board passed a year earlier asking for a comprehensive violence prevention and victim support plan.

Chair Supervisor Gordon Marr opened the hearing by citing national and local reporting: nearly 11,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander incidents were reported to Stop AAPI Hate nationally through December (including more than 4,100 in California and 905 in San Francisco), and SFPD preliminary data showed anti‑AAPI bias incidents reported locally rose from 9 in 2020 to 60 in 2021. "Reports of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in San Francisco increased dramatically last year," Marr said, noting officials believe incidents remain undercounted.

Human Rights Commission Director Davis told the committee the project cataloged hundreds of programs described by departments as violence prevention or victim services but found inconsistent reporting, limited coordination between agencies and community groups, and gaps in language access. Director Davis and HRC staff recommended a citywide response protocol for racial violence and hate incidents, better centralized language access, prioritizing funding for emergency victim needs, and stronger coordination with community‑led organizations.

Community Coalition for Safety and Justice representatives — including Cynthia Choi (Chinese for Affirmative Action) and Sarah (Community Youth Center) — presented and strongly supported HRC's near‑ and long‑term recommendations. They emphasized language access, culturally competent victim services, a victim and survivor fund to cover immediate needs (not addressed quickly enough by state compensation programs), and the creation of restorative and transformative justice pathways and community‑led response teams. "We fully support centralizing and prioritizing language access," Cynthia Choi said, and coalition speakers urged that the report not become "another report on the shelf."

HRC and coalition speakers also said the city should build accountability and follow‑up: the HRC plans to publish the report, issue an RFP for community‑led response services, and work with a project lead (Felicia Jones, assigned part‑time to HRC) to convene departments and community partners to develop a citywide response protocol.

Supervisors thanked the HRC and coalition and asked about next steps, including leadership for systems work and timelines for follow‑up hearings. The committee continued the matter to the call of the chair so staff and community partners can present updates and implementation plans.