A video that San Francisco police officers produced was recently discovered, and it caused a nationwide furor about police professionalism. The video ridiculed the citizens who pay police salaries, and displayed the contempt these officers showed for the profession. The "parodies" that the SFPD video shows demean women and people of color, as well as homeless and transgender people. While there is a certain self-mockery to the video, there is a serious side. A coalition of SF residents and activists held a press conference in the Bayview District on Dec 7th, 2005, to decry the scenes depicted in the video. Overzealous, poorly trained or outright racist police have killed an inordinate number of people. The entire community of Bayview-Hunter's Point is poorly served by these same officers, who intended to play the video at their Christmas party this year.

Eighteen officers are under suspension, including a Captain. Out-take clips not included in the video have also been discovered, with scenes such as a black officer eating out of a dog dish. That officer had gained the nickname 'dog' because he complained about being treated like one by a sergeant. The Captain is claiming he was not aware his image was included in the video, saying the video-clips were from years earlier. He is also apparently claiming his children will need therapy due to exposure of this video.

The speakers in the press conference made it plain that the crime situation in the area is exacerbated by the poor attitude of the officers, who demean the residents rather than treat them as citizens. Two mothers of slain young men spoke at this press conference. Bay Area PoliceWatch has issued several demands, including that the officers responsible for the video be fired, that people who have been convicted of crimes based on testimony of these officers be notified; that a bias review of all legal proceedings that involved these officers be conducted; that the backlog of wrongful death disciplinary cases be dealt with by the end of 2006; and that grassroots voices be included in the Mayor's "Blue Ribbon Commission" that is examining the video. Read more from PoliceWatch

David Grace's Audio and report from 12/7 press conference | Statement from Mesha Monge-Irizarry | Randy Shaw's Analysis in Beyond Chron | More background about the video and other clips