San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who accused white progressives of projecting beliefs onto African American residents after the fallout from the death of George Floyd in 2020, is criticizing them once again.
During an appearance on the New York Times’ “Sway” podcast with Kara Swisher, Breed was asked about her emergency declaration in the Tenderloin and some of the backlash she received from District Attorney Chesa Boudin and others, who argued that an increased police presence would not improve conditions.
Breed said that her own “experiences of growing up in poverty and growing up in war zones similar to the Tenderloin” informed her decision-making process and took a shot at critics she perceives to be overly ideological.
“I think a lot of people, like some members of the Board [of Supervisors], like Boudin, did not grow up in poverty in San Francisco,” she said. “They did not grow up in these kinds of conditions. They have a theory as to what they believe based on their ideology. But they’re also white. They are not Black people who’ve had these unfortunately traumatizing experiences in communities where there’s not trust with the police, but also there’s a desire to be safe, right? And I’ve worked many of my years of growing up in this community to really turn that around because of the violence. “
The unnamed members of the board she’s referring to are likely Dean Preston and Hillary Ronen. The former voted against Breed’s Tenderloin emergency declaration, while the latter threatened to undo the emergency ordinance if the San Francisco Police Department’s budget increases. Later in the interview, Breed specifically mentions District 5, which is Preston’s district.
On the topic of Boudin, Breed said she and the district attorney “have different perspectives on things,” and would not say how she plans to vote in the upcoming June recall election.