8/20/2019 Third Eyewitness Gascon Release
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Breen filed the sworn declaration today with Gascon’s “Blue
Ribbon Panel,” ahandpicked panel convened by Gascon to investigate
racist text messages written by ahandful of police officers. The
San Francisco Police Officers’ Association, whichreleased Breen’s
testimony today, has strongly condemned the text messages.
Breen’s sworn testimony corroborates the March 2, 2016
declarations to the panel by twoother witnesses.
“During that dinner [in Cambridge], Chief Gascon, who was
drinking heavily, beganreminiscing on his time with the Los Angeles
Police Department,” retired police officerGary Delagnes said in a
sworn declaration that was released on March 2, 2016. “He
mademultiple statements that disparaged minorities. He became so
loud and animated that anAfrican American patron approached Chief
Gascon and asked him to restrain himself
because his behavior was offending his family.”
Martin Halloran, President of the SFPOA, also confirmed
Delagnes’ account of the
Cambridge dinner in a sworn declaration to the panel on March
2.Both Delagnes and Halloran have offered to testify in more detail
about the Cambridgedinner at Gascon’s panel, but Gascon has not yet
taken them up on the offer.
The revelations about the Cambridge dinner have been hanging
over Gascon’s head forfive days now. Gascon has refused to comment
publicly, instead issuing through aspokesman what Mayor Willie L.
Brown, Jr., described as a “non-denial denial.” (SanFrancisco
Chronicle, March 6, 2016.)
Mayor Brown also said that Gascon should have asked a prosecutor
from another countyconvene the Blue Ribbon Panel. (San Francisco
Chronicle, March 6, 2016.)
Brown is not the only public figure to question Gascon’s panel.
Recently, Superior CourtJudge Quentin Kopp (ret.) demanded that
Gascon recuse himself from his own BlueRibbon Panel.
In a February 17, 2016 letter to Gascon, the judge accused
Gascon of a “conflict ofinterest” because he was chief of police
when the racist text messages were exchanged.
Kopp said that by handpicking the Blue Ribbon Panel, Gascon has
created the“perception that you are investigating yourself.”
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