John Hamasaki, a lawyer and former police commissioner who unsuccessfully ran for San Francisco district attorney in November, claimed on Sunday that car robberies are “basic urban life experiences” in an effort to intercept a CEO who said his colleague was recently targeted in the city.
Snehal Antani, the CEO and founder of cybersecurity firm Horizon3.ai, wrote on Twitter that a teammate visiting San Francisco went out to dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf and returned to a “smashed car window and 2 stolen backpacks. $10,000 in gear lost, passports gone , etc.”
“So now I have to add a pre-visit safety briefing for people passing through San Francisco,” Antani continued. “This is a big reason why I’m hesitant to open an office in the city instead of keeping a remote team and meeting occasionally at a location to whiteboard.”
“And my teammates will be forever scarred, being robbed hurts your heart, especially when it comes to losing thousands of dollars,” he added. “There is no downtown recovery without an aggressive push for safety.”
REMOVING CHESA BOUDIN, SAN FRANCISCO’S PROGRESSIVE DA, IS ‘BITTERSWEET,’ SAYS RECALL ACTIVIST
John Hamasaki (back left), attorney for the Lam family, meets at the Lam family home during an interview on Sunday, March 12, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo By Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins speaks to reporters at San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Hamasaki, who lost to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in a November 8 special election, mocked Antani and his employees for being given shelter.
“Interesting,” Hamasaki replied. “Would breaking your car window and stolen things leave you ‘forever scars’? Is this what the suburbs do to you? Protect you from elemental experiences of city life so that when they happen you are broken to the core? ”
“My window broke 2x when I was living paycheck to paycheck,” he continued. “It was bad financially, but it didn’t affect my sense of public safety in any way. I can’t even imagine what world one must live in where this would be the most traumatizing incident of their lives.
“Again, not to say it isn’t worthless,” he added. “But maybe city life isn’t for you. It’s not the suburbs. There’s crime. I’m thankful that most of it is property crime rather than violent crime. But I’ve always felt safe in San Francisco, even after I got to the wrong side of violent crime.”
Antani replied, “Note: This happened to my colleagues visiting the city, not me.”
Hamasaki, the former San Francisco Police Commissioner, has been an outspoken supporter of former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin being recalled in June 2022 over what critics described as soft-on-crime.
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San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled in June. (Justin Sullivan)
Jessica Chasmar is a digital writer on the Fox News and Fox Business political team. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
