Marin Independent Journal:
Tiburon has released footage from a police officer’s body-worn camera of a controversial Friday night confrontation between police and a Black business owner who was working late inside his downtown clothing store.
Town officials released the video on Wednesday ahead of a virtual town hall meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m on Thursday. During the meeting, hosted by both the Tiburon and Belvedere councils, officials will invite the community to comment on the incident, which occurred just before 1 a.m. on Friday at the clothing store Yema on Main Street.
A video depicting Tiburon police officers in heated exchange with the owner of the town’s only Black-owned business while working late in his downtown shop has sparked outrage in the community.
The incident was recorded by Yema Khalif’s wife and business partner Hawi Awash from inside their clothing store Yema on Main Street around 1 a.m. Friday.
“After it was over I was shaking,” Awash said. “My whole body was shaking and I could not make it stop. It was fear. It came from knowing that in one split second they could end someone’s life.”
Store owners Yema Khalif and Hawi Awash were inside the shop with a friend when police approached them. Khalif and the officers then argued over whether the people inside the store needed to prove their right to be there.
