A San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting descended into chaos after a pro-trans activist began screaming in an effort to protest the death of Banko Brown, a Black member of the transgender community who was shot and killed after allegedly trying to steal from a local Walgreens.
Taking the podium during the board’s public comments portion of the meeting on Tuesday, a speaker identified as Lia McGeever spoke about hating many of the board members before launching into a nonverbal expression of “pain.”
“I live in [District 6]. I hate a lot of people on this board… for the reasons that led up to Banko Brown’s death,” said McGeever, who donned a mask before speaking at the lectern. “So, often I prepare something — maybe it’s a little historical, may even be a little poetic, whatever. There’s a lot of performative people on this board who will say one thing and support Black people, homeless people, trans people, and then immediately stab you in the face — being racist, transphobic, anti-homeless.”
“So I don’t have any words prepared today. I just want you to feel our pain. I don’t know if you can at this point, based off your policy choices, but I have to pretend you have some form of empathy left. So, I am going to spend the next minute screaming cause that is what is going on in here,” McGeever said, before removing a facemask. “That is what the trans genocide in this country, in this city, has brought me to.”
SAN FRANCISCO DA DECLINES TO CHARGE WALGREENS SECURITY GUARD WHO SHOT, KILLED ALLEGED SHOPLIFTER
A pro-trans activist named Lia screams in an effort to protest the death of Banko Brown during her time before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. (San Francisco Board of Supervisors)
McGeever began screaming, almost uncontrollably, before taking a break to say to the board: “Imagine that.”
“I hate this, I hate what you’ve done to us. I hate what you’re doing to us. I hate you, board of supervisors. I hate you, [San Francisco Mayor] London Breed. I hate you, [San Francisco District Attorney Brooke] Jenkins,” McGeever said while screaming.
Lia then began hurling obscenities at the board, calling them “cowards” before walking away.
The outburst from the pro-trans activist comes days after San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced her office would not prosecute Michael-Earl Wayne Anthony, the armed San Francisco security guard responsible for Brown’s death at a Walgreens.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins speaks at a news conference at the San Francisco Police Department alongside Mayor London Breed, left, and Police Chief William Scott, right, on April 13, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“After careful review of all of the evidence gathered by the San Francisco Police Department in this case, my office will not be pursuing murder charges, at this time, in connection to the shooting,” she said in a statement.
“We reviewed witness statements, statements from the suspect, and video footage of the incident and it does not meet the People’s burden to be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury that the suspect is guilty of a crime,” Jenkins added. “The evidence clearly shows that the suspect believed he was in mortal danger and acted in self-defense.”
The shooting occurred around 6:30 p.m. on April 27 at a Walgreens. Brown, 24, was found with gunshot wounds and taken to a hospital. Brown later died.
Protesters held a rally Monday to demonstrate against Jenkins’ decision. They called on Walgreens to eliminate armed guards, saying nothing in the store was worth Brown’s life.
Pedestrians walk by a Walgreens store on June 29, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“It’s insane that Walgreens has armed security, there’s nothing in that store worth a human life, and Walgreens is not taking care of our community,” Jessica Nowlan from Young Women’s Freedom Center, told Fox San Francisco. “We demand an end to armed security.”
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Walgreens and other retail stores have seen a spike in thefts in recent years as brazen thieves have ransacked stores in front of stunned onlookers.
“We are offering condolences to the victim’s family during this difficult time,” Walgreens said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The safety of our patients, customers and team members is our top priority, and violence of any kind will not be tolerated in our stores. We take this matter seriously and are cooperating with local authorities.”
Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this article.
