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Reposted by Scott Hechinger

Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

What's happening in San Francisco is now a national scandal. Mayor Daniel Lurie's decisions on public safety are now national news. No different than Trump. Making decisions on fear & politics. Not reason or data. In the bluest of blue cities. Thread: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

washingtonpost.com

A fight over a San Francisco nonprofit tests how far Democrats will move on crime

The fate of SF Pretrial, a group that runs diversion programs, reflects the tough-on-crime sentiment emerging even in liberal cities.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

There should be a political price for this. San Francisco should know what its Mayor did behind closed doors and refused to defend in the light. What its courts chose. What is being taken. Read Katie Mettler's piece. Share it. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

washingtonpost.com

A fight over a San Francisco nonprofit tests how far Democrats will move on crime

The fate of SF Pretrial, a group that runs diversion programs, reflects the tough-on-crime sentiment emerging even in liberal cities.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Reyna Serrano. Client support manager at SF Pretrial. "It took us 50 years to build these relationships and community trust. And now it's going to be taken away. For what?" That is the question the Mayor and the courts refuse to answer.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Teresa Perryman. Housing case manager at SF Pretrial. Shares her own story — couch-surfing, hotel hopping, getting sober — with clients. So they feel compassion, not judgment. "I treat my clients like family. That's my extended family that needs help right now."

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Charles Ryan. "Mr. C." Leads SF Pretrial's therapy, job training, and anger management groups. Went to prison as a teenager. Now: godfather to several of his clients' children. "I've been through it." You cannot police your way to that relationship. It has to be earned.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Sharon Rose. Known to her clients as "Mama Bear." 34 years in this work. The city's longest-serving pretrial worker. "I really, really believe in the work we do. That's why I've stuck around so long." Probation officers cannot replace her. This is what SF is throwing away.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The @WashingtonPost piece does something else important. It introduces you to the actual people doing this work. The people SF is throwing away. The next few posts are for them. This is what community-based pretrial looks like. This is what probation cannot replace.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The courts want this because they care about expediency over fairness. Speed over support. Punishment is cheaper to administer than actual care. Easier than doing the work. But it makes the city less safe. That is what the SF Sheriff — who runs the jail — tried to tell them.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Probation makes punishment faster. Easier. When someone struggles, punishment is the only option. Quick. Easy. And at the end of the day — less safe and more costly. It pushes people to the margins. That is what Mayor Lurie is allowing for San Francisco.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Here is what the piece shows so clearly. SF Pretrial cares about the people it serves. When they relapse. When they cannot find housing. When they need help. It connects them to what they need. That is how you keep people safe. It is how you actually reduce crime.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

They have nothing to say. Because there is nothing to say. This decision is indefensible. And they know it. They did it in the dark. And they will not defend it in the light. Because they cannot.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

And yet — as @WashingtonPost documents — this decision was made behind closed doors. Ignoring every person who knows what they are talking about. The reporter reached out to the Mayor, the courts, Probation, and the Board of Supervisors. Every one of them refused to comment.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Everyone in the country who understands public safety knows that SF Pretrial is one of the most successful community safety programs in the nation. 93% public safety rate. 96% court appearance in 19,000+ court dates. 1,800 people supervised daily. 630,394 jail bed days saved. A model.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Beyond the Sheriff, everyone with expertise on pretrial or public safety in the US knows SF Pretrial works. The ACLU. Vera Institute of Justice. NAPSA — the national accreditation body. The Bar Association of San Francisco. Care First California. Every serious institution.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

San Francisco's own Sheriff further expressed his concern that abruptly shutting down SF Pretrial would not only hurt individuals but could increase jail overcrowding & put the city in legal jeopardy. This is why you don't make public safety decisions based on politics.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Don't take my word for it. San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto spoke out publicly against the Mayor. Raised his concern that "emotion or personal feelings, or interest in change" was "supersed[ing] & overrid[ing] the processes." Read that again. From the Sheriff of SF.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Here is what happened. Mayor Daniel Lurie is handing the department of probation the entire budget of SF Pretrial — a 50-year, community-based organization that has been the national model for supporting people released pretrial. No hearing. No vote on the merits.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

washingtonpost.com

A fight over a San Francisco nonprofit tests how far Democrats will move on crime

The fate of SF Pretrial, a group that runs diversion programs, reflects the tough-on-crime sentiment emerging even in liberal cities.

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Reposted by Scott Hechinger

Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

READ: A short story that's happening right now. Something deeply dangerous in SF. A waste of taxpayer dollars. A decision driven by greed. One that will undermine community health & safety. No one knows about it. Please read & share. There's still time to change how it ends.

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Reposted by Scott Hechinger

Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

I get it. It's hard to take your mind off of the daily crises in Washington. Trump's injustices move at breakneck speed. But we can't lose sight of local horrors. In blue states & cities. Inflicted by Democratic politicians. In San Francisco right now is the worst I've seen:

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Reposted by Scott Hechinger

AkivaMCohen @akivamcohen.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

A short story about deeply dangerous science fiction that wastes taxpayer dollars? I'm hooked!

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

The story isn't over. Don't let SF quietly dismantle one of the most effective community pretrial programs in the country. Not without a fight. Not without a hearing on the merits. Not in our name. There's still time to change how it ends. dontdismantlesf.org

dontdismantlesf.org

Don't Dismantle What Keeps Us Safe in SF

San Francisco's most uniquely effective public safety program — a 50-year community-based innovation that doubles every city dollar and is 7.7× cheaper than the probation alternative — is being handed...

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

What you can do. Under 5 minutes. → Email Mayor Lurie's office → Email all 11 Supervisors with one click → Show up May 27 or submit public comment → Share this thread The emails are pre-written. Everything is at dontdismantlesf.org

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

The window to stop this is short. Today (!!): Budget & Finance Committee hearing. June 2 (confirmed). Full Board of Supervisors votes. July 1: SF Pretrial dissolves. The Board has the authority to preserve it. Public pressure is the lever. Weeks, not months.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Local corruption hides in plain sight while the national conversation focuses on federal abuse. Working public systems get killed by people who profit from their replacement. In a budget memo. Without a hearing. Right under everyone's nose. This is one of those moments.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

This isn't a Trump story. It's not in a red state. It's happening in the bluest city in the bluest state — quietly transferring tens of millions of taxpayer dollars from a program that works to one that doesn't. Waste isn't partisan. Greed doesn't pick a party.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Follow the money. The prison-industrial pipeline benefits when public safety dollars get rerouted from community care to law enforcement. This is a multimillion dollar transfer from something that works to a system that has spent decades failing the same people.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

We focus so much on Trump. But in the bluest city in the bluest state, while the federal government dismantles community-based public safety nationally, SF is transferring one of its strongest programs to an armed law enforcement agency. A political decision. Who benefits?

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

There's no legal cover. SB 129 and AB 102 — the state laws being cited — EXPLICITLY exempt SF. The Judicial Council confirmed it in writing on April 24, 2026. APD and the Court also tried this exact transfer in 2019. The entire political establishment opposed it. APD lost.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

How do we know this decision is based on any actual evidence? The kicker: Just 2 months ago, the city awarded SF Pretrial a new 5-year contract through its own competitive RFP process. Weeks later—no hearing, no vote, no process —it's dissolving the org it just hired.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

What SF loses if Daniel Lurie gets his way: ×Behavioral health groups —100s of hours & clients served. Ends. ×Neighborhood Courts—restorative-justice model. Ends. ×1,500+ therapeutic referrals—pipeline severed. ×Over 150+ community partnerships—built over half-century. Gone.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

What SF loses if Daniel Lurie gets his way: ×On-demand temporary housing — a night or two to stabilize. Gone. ×$3.5M in local private funding & 2 federal/MacArthur housing grants — forced voluntary termination. ×Federal pass-through grant with UCSF Citywide — terminated.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

What SF loses if Daniel Lurie gets his way: ×OpenJustice—the case-management platform other counties are asking for loses its home. ×Primary Caregiver Diversion—keeps parents w/ their kids. Ends. ×Medi-Cal Enhanced Care Management + revenue—for justice-involved Medi-Cal recipients. Ends.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

What San Francisco loses if Daniel Lurie gets his way: ×SF Pretrial dissolves as an independent nonprofit after 50 years. × ~105 jobs--many staff with lived experience in the system they now serve ×1,800 presumed-innocent people—transferred mid-case to probation supervision.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

The collateral damage of Mayor Daniel Lurie's move to gift armed, expensive probation officers a job that requires care, trust, & community knowledge is far too great to fit into a single tweet. So I'll just list out what SF will lose if Lurie has his way over the next few:

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

The story of the agency trying to rob SF taxpayers of their most trusted public safety program gets shadier: Probation's caseload has shrunk 78% since 2011. But its budget has nearly quintupled—$12M to $58M. An investigation found 2,700 defunct cases. Including dead people.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

In case the human story doesn't move you-the math doesn't math: Taxpayers are being asked to pay MORE. Hire FEWER. Deliver WORSE safety outcomes. To try to "supervise" people presumed innocent w/ guns. As if they were already convicted. 7.7x more expensive. Demonstrably worse.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

But — SF Mayor Daniel Lurie has a different idea of "public safety." Kill off the jobs of 105 SF pretrial staff with lived experience in the system. Trust. Replace them with: 27 armed Adult Probation officers. With one "solution" -- punishment (violence, jail, prison).

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

As a public defender in Brooklyn fighting for bail reform and pretrial freedom, we looked to San Francisco as a model for how to get it done and persuade those hardest to persuade in NY that pretrial freedom was actually consistent and causally related to safety.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Every institution with relevant expertise has formally objected. The ACLU of Northern California. The Bar Association of San Francisco. l. National pretrial experts. Even the Sheriff's department!

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Even career police know how important SF Pretrial is: "I came to SF Pretrial as a skeptic. Most cops are. We've seen too many alternatives that turn out to be expensive ways of doing nothing. Then I learned what this one does." Toney Chaplin, fmr SFPD Assistant Chief 30 years

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Everyone who knows about public safety knows that SF Pretrial is one of the most successful community safety programs in the nation. 93% public safety rate. 96% court appearance across 19,000+ court dates. 1,800 people supervised daily. 630,394 jail bed days saved. A model.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

When someone in SF is arrested, SF Pretrial provides critical community supports until their case resolves. Ensures people: -Get needed help -- housing, addiction, mental health -Show up to court. -Don't get re-arrested. The numbers are staggering:

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Here's what's happening: Quietly, hoping no one will notice, SF Mayor Daniel Lurie is dissolving SF Pretrial—a 50-year community-based public safety program—& handing its entire budget to armed probation officers on July 1. No hearing. No vote on the merits. A scandal.

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

If you’re voting in the CA governor’s race, you should know the current front runner, Xavier Becerra, fought to sidestep the constitutional ban on executing intellectually disabled people —by trying to artificially inflate a Black man’s IQ. Sadistic. More: theintercept.com/2026/05/19/x...

theintercept.com

Xavier Becerra Pushed to Inflate a Black Man’s IQ to Execute Him as California AG

Becerra, a front-runner for California governor, has a history of blocking police accountability and seeking to uphold the death penalty.

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Reposted by Scott Hechinger

Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

READ: A woman was forced to give birth in Brooklyn criminal court 2 nights ago on a courtroom bench. Shackled. All while courtroom personnel gawked. And the judge ultimately refused even to dismiss her case—trespassing on her own rooftop. This is "justice" in America. More:

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Scott Hechinger @scotthech.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

If those in power in a so-called "progressive" city, with a "progressive prosecutor," with "progressive judges," treat even people giving birth like this … just imagine what it's like for all. Our criminal legal system is a cruel, costly waste.

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