Lee Heidhues 9.1.2023
When does a late night memorial for a senseless murder in the outer reaches of San Francisco turn into a political event? When there is an upcoming election for a seat on the Board of Supervisors.
Thursday night a large crowd gathered at the Richmond Market on Balboa and 41st Avenue to pay its respects to Yohannes “John” Tewolke who was murdered by a shoplifter a week earlier. The suspect is still at large.
The mainstream media is playing the story of the memorial service straight. Talking about the murder and its devastating personal impact on the family, friends and neighbors there is another component.
The vigil was moderated by Drew Min, who in the view of some is a political operative supporting a more law and order agenda in the politically diverse Richmond District.
Min told the crowd, “This (the murder) is going to be a turning point.”
One of the speakers, Marjan Philhour, is a district resident and one time candidate for Supervisor. She was Mayor London Breed’s senior advisor after she became Mayor in 2018. It is expected Philhour will challenge incumbent Supervisor Connie Chan in 2024 to whom she lost in 2020 by 125 votes.
Supervisor Chan was at the gathering but did not speak. One of her associates told me the Supervisor, “felt it not her place to say anything.”
Philhour was one of the first to speak and told the gathering the murder of Yohannes Tewolke was. “a terrible thing which shouldn’t have happened in our neighborhood.”
Several people in attendance thought Philhour’s comments were distasteful and too political. Words such as “awful” and “crass” were used in describing her comments.
One person who was there asked, “Why was she (Marjan) the first person to speak?”
I spoke with Marjan about her appearance. She has been a long time customer at Richmond Market.
When I apprised Marjan of the negative comments directed her way she responded, “I think we need to focus on the fact we lost a dear friend to tragedy in our neighborhood.”
After talking to people on both sides of the divide in San Francisco who attended the memorial service it’s obvious that politics in this town are akin to a kick boxing match inside a phone booth.
But when it comes to speaking with the media these same political combatants parse every word before being quoted on the record. Which can lead to some uncomfortable moments for a diligent journalist.
Photos: San Francisco Chronicle and The Tewolke family
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