No known threats to SF Pride weekend events, chief says

San Francisco Pride festivities, including the massive parade, are back this weekend for the first time since the pandemic began in March 2020.

From a media briefing held in the Castro neighborhood Friday morning, Police Chief Bill Scott said Friday morning at a media briefing held in the Castro neighborhood that the Police Department will be working in tandem with Pride organizers and their security to keep residents and visitors safe over the weekend.

Scott said he will also need the help of the public to speak up if they see something suspicious:

“We need the eyes and ears and vigilance to be at the forefront of everybody’s mind. What that means is if you see something suspicious, please don’t sit on that information. Please say something, please call.”

He said there are no credible threats to The City’s Pride events, adding that officers will also be on hand to facilitate protests in the wake of Friday’s announcement that the U.S. The Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade.

Scott said:

“This is a place where people can express their First Amendment rights, but we are going to be there to make sure that’s done so safely. We don’t want to see anyone hurt, including our officers.”

The chief explained that officers’ planned days off were canceled in order to staff weekend Pride events.

Officer Kathryn Winters acknowledged that the LGBTQ+ community is on edge due to threats of violence at Pride events in other states, including in Idaho where Patriot Front members allegedly planned to incite a riot. Members of the Proud Boys also disrupted Drag Queen Story Hour at the San Lorenzo Library earlier this month.

Winters said those nationwide incidents are on the department’s radar, but reiterated that they had not identified any threats this weekend.

Check out a list of Pride events to attend this weekend.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.