FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Debbie Mesloh

November 20, 2018 415-867-2243 cell

San Francisco’s Leading Justice Advocates, Criminal Justice Reform Activists Announce
Support for Suzy Loftus as SF’s Next DA

​SAN FRANCISCO -- A group of justice leaders, criminal justice reform activists and community 
advocates announced their support of Suzy Loftus as San Francisco’s next District Attorney 
today. Citing Suzy’s strong relationships with communities throughout San Francisco, her 
experience as a leader at the Center for Youth Wellness in the Bayview, and her work to reform 
SFPD’s policies and protocols on use of force, the following leaders have outlined their 
perspective on changes they would like to see in San Francisco’s justice system and why they 
support Suzy. 
 
The following letter below is signed by: 
 
James Bell 
Kathy Black, La Casa  
Hillary Blout 
Vinny Eng 
Roma Guy 
Jill Habig 
Venus Johnson 
Leslie Katz  
Kim Shree-Maufus, PhD 
Ben McBride 
Eva Paterson 
Shawn Richards 
Sunny Schwartz 
Tim Silard 
Lateefah Simon 
 
“The first open election for District Attorney in more than 100 years has left many in San 
Francisco wondering who will step up as the next progressive visionary that can reform our 
broken criminal justice system while providing the voice and restoration to those harmed by 
crime. We write as advocates and activists, who for decades have been fighting for an overhaul 
of our system and a radical departure from mass incarceration. For us, Suzy Loftus is the clear 
choice. She has always been there for all of San Francisco’s communities – always in search of 
the best solution. She is deeply progressive, effective, tough and compassionate. 
  
First, we have to face one hard truth: the despair and inequality we see in our communities 
won’t start or end with any one individual – regardless of how our ears perk up when Suzy talks 
about restorative justice, bail reform, alternatives to incarceration, or believing survivors of 
sexual assault.  
  
There is tremendous work to be done. San Francisco’s criminal justice system is one of the 
most racialized in the nation (for example, while African Americans make up less than 6% of the 
City, they are nearly 53% of the jail population and a shocking 11 times more likely to be 
incarcerated.) Despite its progressive reputation, San Francisco still has a criminal justice 
system mired in the failed policies of the past where everyone suffers – victims and those who 
offend and our community.   
 
We need to effectively expand alternatives to incarceration and provide comprehensive 
treatment and support instead of jail and punishment for youth and for people struggling with 
addiction and mental illness. Moreover, in the spirit of authentic restorative justice, we must 
provide meaningful support to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child assault and 
elder abuse as a rule, not as an exception. Above all, we need our criminal justice system to 
focus single-mindedly on preventing crime in the first place.  
  
We know Suzy will work with our communities to tackle all of these challenges and more. We 
trust her precisely because she trusts us. She believes in our ability to change the system 
together. 
  
It’s rare to see such broad community support for a District Attorney’s race – and we mean 
grassroots community support from people doing the tough, gritty, often unrecognized 
organizing work required to transform neighborhoods for the better. Suzy makes it easy for us 
to support her because she has been right there with us every step of the way. 
  
Even in her early days as a neighborhood prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s 
office, Suzy worked alongside community leaders in the Western Addition to reduce street 
violence and make our parks and playgrounds safe. Her priority was to partner with the 
community to expand economic opportunities and redirect offenders into programs that would 
prevent them from committing an offense again. 
  
It was this experience working toward solutions outside the courtroom that propelled her to 
take her next big step. After years as a prosecutor, Suzy stepped out of law enforcement to 
work in the Bayview because she wanted to do more to address the root causes of what she 
was seeing every day. She gets that we will never simply arrest and prosecute our way to 
safety. She gets that there is a better way to address what causes crime in our communities – 
like exposure to poverty and the trauma of violence. 
  
So Suzy joined renowned pediatrician Dr. Nadine Burke Harris to help build the Center for 
Youth Wellness – a ground-breaking center for kids in the Bayview that treats the physical and 
emotional impacts of trauma. Suzy understands that young people who experience violence in 
the community and their homes are those most likely to commit crimes themselves and, 
without strong supports, the odds are heavily stacked against them.  
 
Suzy understands that far too many young people across our city’s neighborhoods face those 
painful odds and she is a leader in the work to ensure that every young person can thrive. One 
young patient at the Center, Michael, had witnessed 3 homicides by the time he was 6 years 
old. Suzy helped build the Center for Youth Wellness so that children like Michael would have 
a chance to heal and thrive instead of being ignored and set up to fail.   
  
When a string of police shootings resulted in the tragic death of several of our neighbors, our 
communities flooded the streets demanding “not one more.” Suzy took action. Serving as the 
President of the San Francisco Police Commission, she met with families and activists 
one-on-one, heard hours of public testimony from members of our community, and took to 
heart the stories of hurt and mistrust. She took swift action. In the end, standing up to the 
police union, Suzy successfully championed significant reforms that have resulted in a 
significant reduction in police use of force. She also led the charge to ensure accountability and 
discipline for police officers, including firing officers accused of sending shameful racist and 
homophobic text messages. This is what it means to represent the people and what a real 
advocate looks like. 
  
We have an opportunity in the November 2019 election to rethink the role of the DA’s office 
and chart a path forward that does the most good for those who most need our help. 
Community voices must be at the center of these conversations. It’s about people, not politics. 
With Suzy’s experience inside and outside of the courtroom, we trust no other candidate for 
DA to champion justice and equity. She’s one of us. She’s for all of us.” 
 
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