A leader attacked in the rally against opening of a cannabis store in Portola neighborhood

(SAN FRANCISCO) Members of the Chinese community gathered on September 2 in front of the proposed location of a new cannabis store at 2490 San Bruno Avenue in the Portola neighborhood to protest against its license application. Selena Chu, one of the organizers of the protest, was attacked by a homeless woman during the rally.

Chu was attacked when she spoke in the rally. The suspect was an unhoused woman resident who has been known to the residents and merchants along the San Bruno Avenue commercial corridor in the Portola neighborhood for some time. A number of complaints have been filed against her with the Police Department.

The suspect yelled at Chu first when she spoke on her bullhorn against the proposed cannabis shop. The suspect then argued with Chu and pulled her hair trying to punch her. Chu stepped back while the suspect kept forwarding and pulling her knit jacket.

Other protesters tried to stop the suspect. A fire truck drove by and the firefighters pushed the horn. A Good Samaritan came in to intervene. The suspect eventually walked away to where she stayed around the corner.

Police officers arrived and gathered information before they asked the suspect to sign the citation.

The rally was held in the morning of September 2. In the evening on the same day, Pacific Pipeline, owner of the proposed cannabis store at 2490 San Bruno Avenue, hosted a virtual community meeting to listen to the concerns of the community.

Ellen Lee Zhou, former mayoral candidate and longtime resident of Portola, was one of the speakers in the rally against the license application of Pacific Pipeline. "When a cannabis store makes $1, it costs the city $49 to pay for the related health care and police services," said Zhou.

Hazel Lee, president and founder of San Francisco Shanghai Association whose office is located across the street from the proposed cannabis store, was one of the organizers of the protest. "This future cannabis store is at a wrong location which is next door to a K-5 tutoring service center. Two public schools, including an elementary school and a middle school, for very young kids are just about three blocks away," said Lee.

"I am also hopeful that the property owner of the proposed cannabis store can join the community to withdraw the lease with them," Lee added.

Brendan Hallinan, an attorney and owner of Pacific Pipeline, spoke in the meeting that their record of operating two cannabis stores in San Francisco were good without violence. His first store, Sunset Pipeline, was opened on Irving Street a few years ago. North Beach Pipeline was just opened early this year as his second cannabis dispensary. The proposed license application to open at 2490 San Bruno Avenue would be his third store.

David Ho, a political consultant and active member of San Francisco Chinatown, also attended the virtual meeting. Ho, a community outreach coordinator for the store, said in the meeting that he also shared part of the ownership of the cannabis company.

The vast majority of the community members who joined the virtual community meeting did not agree with him. "I don't oppose your product. I oppose your store to be opened in our neighborhood," said Darlene Zane, a Japanese American senior living in the Portola.

"Today when we were opposing in front of the store, a crazy hispanic old woman was already hitting one of our leaders, pulling her hair and almost trying to hit her. How can it be safe?" said Mindy Chow, a longtime Chinese American resident of Portola and her home close to the proposed dispensary.

Chow continued, "That location is too open for the drug users to hang around. Yes, and we do not want them too near the neighbors. What benefit will Portola district have? What you bring us is only fear, hate and sadness."