California Proposition 36: Rallies in the Bay Area both for and against controversial crime prevention ballot measure

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — There were opposing rallies on opposite sides of the San Francisco Bay.

Both involved Proposition 36, a ballot measure that voters will decide on in next month’s election.

If passed, Prop 36 would increase penalties for certain drug and theft offenses and reverse previous criminal justice reforms passed by voters in 2014.

“We are currently in a situation in San Francisco where public drug use is at a level that we cannot tolerate. It doesn’t help our neighborhoods. It doesn’t help our economy. “But at the very least it doesn’t help anyone who is struggling with a substance use disorder,” said San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey.

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Dorsey was part of the “Yes on 36” rally.

He said that in addition to reinstating harsher penalties for some crimes, Prop 36 would also establish a new, treatment-focused court system for some drug possession-related crimes.

It’s a proposal that Dorsey says is popular with many in the rehabilitation community, of which he counts himself.

“The bottom line is that sometimes treatment has to be ordered or forced. “Sometimes up to 90% of treatment experiences involve some form of coercion,” Dorsey said.

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Across the bay in San Leandro, people gathered for another Prop 36 rally.

This asked people to vote “no”.

Jose Bernal of the Ella Baker Center was one of the speakers.

Bernal believes Prop 36, if passed, would undo hard-fought criminal justice reforms and return the state to failed tough-on-crime policies.

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“We know it has catastrophic consequences. We know it has filled our prisons. We know it hasn’t made us any safer. And if that happens, we will definitely be sent back,” Bernal said.

Also in attendance was Addie Kitchen.

Kitchen’s grandson, Steven Taylor, was killed at a Walmart in San Leandro in April 2020.

The rally took place there on Thursday.

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Kitchen tells me she worries if Prop 36 passes it will lead to more violent police attacks and prison sentences for people like her grandson.

“They accused him of stealing. He didn’t steal. He was in a mental crisis. He was unhoused and addicted to drugs at the time. He was black. “That shouldn’t be a reason to be executed,” Kitchen said.

Recent polls from the Public Policy Institute of California show that up to 71% of Californians plan to vote yes on Prop 36.

They’re numbers that Bernal attributes to companies like Walmart, which have spent millions of dollars to push through the measure.

However, he believes that with hard work these numbers could be turned around.

“I think once voters hear what it does, what it will do and what it will mean, I think the polls will have a lot more impact,” Bernal said.