San Diego police are stopping people almost 50 percent less than they were a couple years ago — and nobody can say exactly why.
A new analysis by Voice of San Diego revealed the decline of stops. Reporter Will Huntsberry crunched those numbers and joins the podcast this week to break it down in his trademark dulcet tones. In a companion story, Huntsberry honed in on one bit of data that is on the same track as ever: Racial disparities in police stops have crept up since 2020.
In this episode, Huntsberry reviewed his findings, shared what police leaders have to say about the trends and some vibes within the San Diego Police department since Covid-19 and George Floyd’s murder.
Chicano Park is run unlike any other park in San Diego. It’s strikingly beautiful, skewered by freeways and built to amplify the presence of a historically marginalized community. And one small, private organization calls the shots: The Chicano Park Steering Committee.
This is totally different from every other San Diego park, which are managed by the city’s Parks and Recreation department. This arrangement is a product of how Chicano Park came to be in the first place.
On the pod, host Andrea Lopez-Villafaña explained the park’s 53-year-old history and how this committee tries to protect its park.
Plus: This week, Lopez-Villfaña and co-hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts run through some other hot public affairs news, including new tenant protections, a potential overhaul of the Downtown-City Hall swath and the awkward race to fill Supervisor Nathan Fletcher’s seat.
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Here’s the first segment from this week’s show. Lewis, Keatts and Lopez-Villafaña discuss some of the biggest city news, including San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s communication about homelessness and camping, the effort to redevelop a big swath of downtown San Diego including City Hall and the California Theatre.