Photo courtesy of Yema Calif/Instagram
A Tiburon, California, couple who were racially profiled by police more than two years ago has reached a deal with the town.
According to ABC 7, Yema Khalif and his wife, Hawi Awash, recalled the police racially profiled them while the store owners were working inside their store. As a result, the town has agreed to pay them $150,000 while making substantial changes that Khalif and Awash hope will be more inclusive for everyone in the Marine County community.
“We are not begging. We are demanding to be treated with love, with dignity and with respect,” Khalif said on Tuesday at a press conference in Tiburon.
“This isn’t about just me and Yema,” Awash added. “It’s about every single Black and Brown person that comes into the Tiburon community, that comes into the Belvedere community.”
The incident happened in late August 2020. Khalif and Awash were working late inside their store, Yema, when Tiburon police spotted the couple and demanded proof they were the owners.
As the couple continued to explain they were the store owners, a neighbor, who is white, confirmed they were the owners of the clothing store.
The altercation went viral after body camera and cellphone footage was shared on social media, leading the police chief and one of the officers to resign.
According to the settlement, the town of Tiburon has agreed to create a community advisory board. Members will participate in the vetting process for potential candidates for the Tiburon police department. Khalif and Awash will be part of that board.
The Tiburon Police Department has also agreed to increase racial bias training for all officers on the force.
During the press conference Paul Austin, a Marin City activist, shared his experience while living in the county after he and his wife were lowballed a half a million dollars during their home appraisal process because they were Black, New Onyx reported.
He went on to say the racial profiling he and his wife and Khalif and Awash experienced is a common issue that continues to happen to Black Americans living in the county.
“Marin County, there’s so much more work we can do in order to make this place a true melting pot,” Austin said.
The couple said they had received threatening messages following their interaction with the police. One anonymous caller questioned why they only used black mannequins in their store. Since then, they have installed security cameras outside the store.
Khalif and Awash told the outlet that they hope their settlement will inspire real change in the community.
“We are doing something that is substantial that will help Tiburon, and that will hopefully be an example for the rest of the U.S.,” Awash said.
They said they’re planning to donate a portion of the settlement money to charities that help fund education for students in Ethiopia and Kenya.