San Francisco mayor apologizes for saying ‘a lot of’ drug dealers are Honduran
The San Francisco mayor and her staff apologized on Friday for referring to a lot of violent drug dealers as “incompetent,” “inept” and “lazy.”
“We would not describe a large number of individuals, most of which have committed very serious crimes and are convicted felons, as incompetent and lazy,” San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The comments were made during a council meeting last week and were quickly criticized by fellow council members and San Francisco police officials.
“They’re idiots,” said Councilman Max Anderson, who was at the meeting and heard the comments. “Why would a city that is running at a deficit and is on the verge of bankruptcy say that?” Councilman David Campos, who also attended the meeting, told the Chronicle he also heard Lee say “a lot of those bad guys are in Honduras.”
“You do not insult your constituents by insulting them,” Campos told the newspaper, adding that Lee had also used the term “incompetent” and said the city “needed some competents.”
Campos said Lee later said the derogatory terms were not meant to offend anyone.
“She was basically saying the city needs more competence, and that’s really our goal, our focus,” Lee said, according to the Chronicle.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera on Friday issued a statement saying he apologized to the mayor. He also said the council had the responsibility to make sure the police department acted correctly and did not violate anyone’s civil rights.
“On August 31, the San Francisco Police Department issued a statement regarding use of force, which, after careful review, I now recognize contained several errors,” the statement read. “I apologize to the Mayor, to the City Council, to the Police Department, to Mayor Lee and the Board of Supervisors for my role in this unfortunate incident.”
Lee, who was elected Mayor in 2008, said that “in the very best