Supervisor Leland Yee: Aggressively Combating Gang Extortion

The recent firebombs in the Richmond District over the course of the Chinese New Year have left merchants and residents shaken. The suspected arson attacks at the Mayflower Seafood and Tong Palace Chinese restaurants occurred on the first day of the Chinese New Year.

The attacks have been linked to gang extortion and both restaurants reported that they had been approached in the past to pay for protection of their property.

Every year during the Chinese New Year, merchants are exploited by Asian gangs who deliver kumquat trees and azalea plants, a traditional symbol of prosperity. In this case, it is a sign to merchants that they must pay hundreds of dollars in protection money or they will be visited by misfortune in the form of vandalism or physical violence.

In this case, the Tong Palace reported its misfortune to the tune of $200,000 in damages and the Mayflower had $15,000 worth. Though gang extortion intensifies during the Chinese New Year, it is not limited to the Chinese New Year holiday ­ it is a year-round occurrence.

In late January, many of my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, the mayor, Chief of Police Fred Lau, police department inspectors and community leaders held a City Hall press conference. A reward was offered in the amount of $25,000 from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for information leading to the arrest of the individuals involved in the firebombings. All at the press conference pledged to work together to put the safety of the community in the forefront and address these crimes aggressively.

The City stands firmly against these kinds of terrorist attacks and we are going to do all we can to bring these individuals to justice. Our local police force and members of the San Francisco Neighborhood Safety and San Francisco SAFE (Safety Awareness for Everyone) have been visiting business owners and residents now and prior to the Chinese New Year holiday to educate them about the extortion plots and remind them of safety tips and reporting procedures.

The police force urges merchants to contact police, and progress has been encouraging. When merchants contact police as soon as they receive threats the police department's quick response leads to the arrests of criminals within seconds of delivering the plants.

Supervisor Jake McGoldrick and I have been working with the local police force and raised the issue at the recent Neighborhood Services Committee, which I chair. Detectives, Lt. Mike Jeffries and officer Eddie Chow at the Richmond Station, Lt. Kit Krenshaw at the Gang Task Force and many neighborhood and community leaders attended the hearing to discuss preventative measures.

Committee members, Supervisor McGoldrick, the mayor and the police department are committed to working with community organizations and individuals year-round to ensure that gangs will not terrorize our community.

Editor's Note: Supervisor McGoldrick will conduct a neighborhood meeting/press conference concerning the recent firebombings at the Mayflower Seafood restaurant, located at 6255 Geary Blvd., on Friday, April 5, at 1 p.m.