{"id":39910,"date":"2025-03-01T12:03:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T20:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=39910"},"modified":"2025-03-01T12:03:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T20:03:48","slug":"mayor-lurie-picks-anti-violence-activist-mattie-scott-for-police-commission-some-advocates-shocked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/03\/01\/mayor-lurie-picks-anti-violence-activist-mattie-scott-for-police-commission-some-advocates-shocked\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Lurie picks anti-violence activist Mattie Scott for police commission. Some advocates \u2018shocked.\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gun-violence prevention advocate to replace ousted progressive Max Carter-Oberstone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\" by\u00a0ABIGAIL V\u00c2N NEELY<\/a><\/strong> FEBRUARY 27, 2025 (MissionLocal.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Mattie Scott, as seen in a photograph on the Brady United website.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Comic<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Mattie Scott, a gun-violence-prevention activist, will be Mayor Daniel Lurie\u2019s choice to replace ousted reformist police commissioner Max Carter-Oberstone, according to several sources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott (no relation to Police Chief William Scott) has considerable expertise in community organizing around gun violence. She has pushed<\/a> for reinvestigations into homicide cold cases and supported gun buy-back programs<\/a>, accountability<\/a> for irresponsible gun sellers and dealers, and community violence intervention programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Scott does not have, at least according to several Black community advocates who backed the ousted Carter-Oberstone, is specific expertise in police departments and how they function. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven the qualifications of the two people, there\u2019s a vast difference,\u201d said Cheryl Thornton, co-chair of the Harriet Tubman African American Democratic Club. \u201cI don\u2019t see the legal background or the labor background.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scott is the president of gun control group Brady United and the founder of Healing 4 Our Families & Our Nation, a violence prevention organization. She writes and speaks about her personal connection to these issues; her youngest son, George Scott, was shot and killed<\/a> almost 30 years ago at a graduation party in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattie Scott has received several awards for advocacy in her neighborhood and beyond. She has served with local groups like the San Francisco Chief of Police African American Police Advisory Forum<\/a>, and has been recognized by high-profile California Democrats like Kamala Harris<\/a> and Nancy Pelosi<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe turned her agony into action, working to save lives from the scourge of gun violence,\u201d Pelosi<\/a> wrote in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t be a better person,\u201d said the Rev. Amos Brown, a member of the African American Reparation Advisory Committee, regarding Scott\u2019s selection. The reverend, who noted that he had baptized Scott\u2019s murdered son, said that Scott would exercise common sense, be balanced, and pay attention to police reform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had \u201cnothing but praise\u201d for the activist he said had always been committed to her community and concerned about its people. In interviews with the San Francisco Chronicle<\/em><\/a>, other activists echoed Brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Late<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Brian Hofer<\/a>, a reform activist and Carter-Oberstone supporter, said he felt Scott was \u201cqualified on paper\u201d and that she had the subject-matter expertise needed for the role as someone personally affected by gun violence. Not everyone needs to be a lawyer or civil rights advocate, he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hofer\u2019s only concern, he said, stems from the fact that Lurie removed a commissioner who acted independently. \u201cDoes that mean she won\u2019t be that?\u201d he asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others, however, worry that Scott could become a \u201cyes person\u201d for the mayor because of her lack of experience on policing issues that aren\u2019t directly related to gun control or homicide investigations. Carter-Oberstone, in contrast, is an attorney<\/a> who has studied police reform, an applicable skill in a body meant to oversee the police department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHe would prefer commissioners who follow his orders and do as they\u2019re told,\u201d says police commissioner Max Carter-Oberstone of Mayor Daniel Lurie, who has motioned for his removal from the commission. Photo on Feb. 24, 2025 by Abigail Van Neely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A police commissioner, said Thornton, must be able to analyze data regarding the disproportionate impact of policing on Black residents. They must be able to understand union contracts and the complicated disciplinary process for police officers who violate protocol. They must have knowledge of the 272 reform initiatives<\/a> the Department of Justice ordered the SFPD to adopt. As volunteers, commissioners are not given support staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Birite<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scott did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Lurie\u2019s team also did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outspoken<\/a> Carter-Oberstone notably sparred<\/a> with his appointing authority, Mayor London Breed, who both appointed and re-appointed him to the Police Commission. In a letter to the Board of Supervisors announcing his intent to oust Carter-Oberstone, Lurie wrote that he would seek a replacement \u201cwho will work collaboratively to make our city safer.\u201d The supervisors sided with Lurie in a 9-2 vote<\/a>. Multiple supervisors and community members said that Lurie privately told them Carter-Oberstone had been rude and disrespectful<\/a> to his staff, which Carter-Oberstone denied.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the mayor can unilaterally fire the chief of police, the replacement must be drawn from a list of names advanced to the mayor by the Police Commission. This is usually a formality, as four of the seven commissioners are appointed by the mayor and customarily receive direction, on issues both great and small, from the mayor\u2019s office. But Breed and Carter-Oberstone\u2019s public break in 2022 vastly altered the status quo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former SFPD captain Yulanda Williams, who spoke<\/a> at a rally Monday in support of Carter-Oberstone, said her reaction to hearing about Scott\u2019s appointment was \u201cshock\u201d and \u201cdisbelief.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Brava.<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scott, Williams said, is a \u201cwonderful community activist\u201d whom she respects. Still, Williams worried that Scott does not have the technical know-how required for the job by the time her term was over; the \u201clearning curve is far too great.\u201d With the city\u2019s public safety on the line, \u201cAre we willing to risk it?\u201d the former captain asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need qualified people of color in commissioners\u2019 seats,\u201d Williams added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Paulette Brown, seated to watch Daniel Lurie\u2019s inauguration on Jan. 8, 2024. Photo by Abigail Van Neely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m appalled,\u201d said Paulette Brown<\/a>, who has attended police commission meetings since her son was shot and killed<\/a> in 2006. Brown, who also spoke at the rally<\/a> in support of Carter-Oberstone, said she rarely sees Scott attend the meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday evening, Scott was seated at the end of the first row of chairs set up in City Hall for San Francisco\u2019s Black History Month Closing Ceremony<\/a>, attendees said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"USF<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In front of the standing-room-only crowd gathered around City Hall\u2019s marble staircase, Lurie presented Scott with a certificate of honor for her advocacy work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott, in her acceptance speech, thanked Lurie and other city officials for their love and support of her advocacy. She also recognized the female leaders who had come before her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a lot of work ahead of us,\u201d she told the crowd. \u201cIt\u2019s about all of us and none of us\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MORE POLICE NEWS<\/mark><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Support the Mission Local team<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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We’re a small, independent, nonprofit newsroom<\/strong> that works hard to bring you news you can’t get elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABIGAIL V\u00c2N NEELY<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

abigail@missionlocal.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abigail covers criminal justice, accountability, and behavioral health. She’s originally from New York City, where she was a youth advocate and watched hundreds of arraignments. Now, she enjoys foggy San Francisco mornings with her cat, Sally Carrera. (Yes, the shelter did in fact name the cat after the Porsche from the animated movie Cars.)More by Abigail V\u00e2n Neely<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gun-violence prevention advocate to replace ousted progressive Max Carter-Oberstone by\u00a0ABIGAIL V\u00c2N NEELY FEBRUARY 27, 2025 (MissionLocal.org) Read Mission Local often? Help grow our newsroom, joining the hundreds of San Franciscans who support us by giving below. Donate today! Mattie Scott, a gun-violence-prevention activist, will be Mayor Daniel Lurie\u2019s choice to replace… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39910"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39910"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39911,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39910\/revisions\/39911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}