Mill Valley:

Mayor apologizes amid backlash for dismissive Black Lives Matter remarks

Facing community backlash, Mill Valley Mayor Sashi McEntee apologized for saying during a Monday council meeting that a question about Black Lives Matter was “not of immediate local importance.”

During the meeting, officials read a public comment statement from someone who said he posted a “White Silence is Violence” sign that was torn down within 12 hours. The comment ended: “Our question is simple: What is Mill Valley doing to show that black lives matter?”

In response, McEntee said: “It is a council policy that we do not take action on issues that are not of immediate local importance.” The mayor then moved on to the next meeting agenda item.

The exchange, in a wealthy city that is 87% white, occurred as the Bay Area and the nation reeled from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody last week. The killing sparked massive demonstrations and protests condemning police brutality and systemic racial injustice.

In an apology posted to the city’s website on Wednesday, McEntee said she stands with protesters and those calling for justice for Floyd’s family.

“I deeply apologize for my choice of words at the council meeting,” McEntee wrote. “This is a sensitive moment, and I didn’t acknowledge the community’s deep sense of hurt and anger. For that I am truly sorry.”

Two online petitions initially calling for the mayor’s resignation in response to the incident have garnered nearly 10,000 signatures each.

The creators of one petition said Thursday that they think the mayor’s apology is a “first step” that should be followed by meaningful and consistent action.

“It is no longer okay to be passive in the face of racial injustices. You must be antiracist. Mill Valley needs you to do better,” wrote five people who created the petition.

The petition writers urged McEntee to take a pledge created by President Barack Obama that calls on local leaders to commit to addressing police useofforce policies.

The city will open an online portal for residents and workers to identify systemic inequities in the community. Officials will conduct a review of racial injustice and develop a plan to address the issues, McEntee wrote in her apology.

Residents were invited to discuss issues of racial injustice at 5 p.m. Thursday during the “Councilmember on the Plaza” program.

Mill Valley Police Chief Alan Piombo condemned the police killing of Floyd in a Wednesday statement, saying the senseless death and subsequent protests shine a light on “deeply rooted, systemic inequalities in our society.”

“To that effect, let me be clear — discrimination and systemic racism are of immediate local importance, here in Mill Valley,” Piombo said.