San Franciscos police union started a social media spat over police brutality with the citys transportation agency on Wednesday, telling Muni it can look elsewhere for help when a crime occurs on one of its buses or light-rail cars.
The bold words made on Twitter came after the Municipal Transportation Agency announced in a series of tweets that it would no longer transport SFPD to anti-police brutality protests.
Muni also halted service across its lines Tuesday for eight minutes and 46 seconds to honor George Floyd, who died May 25 when a Minneapolis police officer put his knee on Floyds neck for that amount of time. Floyds funeral was held Tuesday in Houston.
In response to Munis tweets, the San Francisco Police Officers Association told Muni officials to lose our number in a post Wednesday morning.
Hey Muni, lose our number next time you need officers for fare evasion enforcement or removing problem passengers from your buses and trains, union officials wrote in a tweet. Shouldnt be a (San Francisco police) officers job anyway. (Chief Bill Scott) should stop using us for this.
Tony Montoya, president of the San Francisco police union, defended the online reaction in an interview Wednesday with The Chronicle, saying he was taken aback by the Muni tweet when someone forwarded it to him.
Muni seems to be jumping on the bandwagon, buying into and spreading the rhetoric thats not true, he said. But if Muni doesnt want us, maybe we shouldnt be responding to the person sleeping in the back of the coach at the end of the night. Maybe we shouldnt respond to fare evasion. ... They cant have it both ways.
In response to inquiries about the unions tweet, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said he wanted to assure San Franciscans that when his officers are called to respond to emergencies, Were coming.
Any suggestion otherwise whether in social media or elsewhere is mistaken and irresponsible, he said in an email. Whenever were needed, the San Francisco Police Department will be there. Thats a promise from me as your Chief of Police, and its a promise to which every officer in this department is sworn.
San Francisco police work on a range of efforts with Munis Security, Investigations and Enforcement division. The Police Department has a Muni response team, where uniformed officers ride throughout the railway system and respond to Muni-related calls. Police also have a Muni task force, which includes plainclothes enforcement on and around Muni property.
Montoya said that his members will continue to follow orders and respond to calls for service, but policymakers should take a hard look at where they want a police presence.
I thought the citys supposed to be united right now, he said. It seems apparent that theyre trying to drive a very deep wedge not only between the police and the community, but between the police and other city departments.
San Francisco transportation chief Jeffrey Tumlin on Wednesday said that although his agency had a longstanding practice of transporting police as it would any other city department he didnt know that Muni buses were being used for protest enforcement until he heard about it on social media.
The revelation prompted many very powerful internal conversations ... about what is our rightful role in promoting justice and equality in San Francisco, Tumlin said as he addressed reporters outside the Kirkland bus yard near the citys northern waterfront.
Tumlin acknowledged that San Francisco police have provided important services for Muni, particularly at a time when assaults on transit operators are increasing. But he added that Muni passengers find the sight of police in riot gear unsettling.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin condemned the tweet from the police union, calling it a dereliction of duty and applauding Muni for taking a bold stance on the day of Floyds funeral.
Supervisor Dean Preston agreed, saying that when a Muni bus pulls up to a protest and unloads police officers it can create a perception that the transit agency has chosen the side of police.
The San Francisco Police Department issued a statement Wednesday saying it will respect and honor the actions SFMTA is taking to advance the cause of racial justice and equity.
We recognize we are all in the midst of a difficult, emotionally charged time as we come to terms with painful truths about the kind of policing that took George Floyds life in Minneapolis, said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a department spokesman. SFPDs commitment to the safety and First Amendment rights of those we serve remains undiminished, of course, and weve adjusted our transportation and operations accordingly.
Montoya said the Minneapolis Police Department shouldnt be compared to San Franciscos, which has checked off all eight of the 8CantWait campaign policies known to reduce violence between police and citizens. He called on Chief Scott to outline how the two city departments will work together going forward.
Im sure your average citizen and (officers) would probably rather free themselves out to respond to more serious crimes, rather than someone drinking a Coke on 14th and Mission, Montoya said. Were OK with them not wanting us to respond to those incidents, but the chief needs to be very clear and give our members direction.
Alejandro Serrano, Rachel Swan and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: alejandro.serrano@sfchronicle.com, rswan@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @serrano_alej, @rachelswan @meganrcassidy
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