your policies.”
“We’re all sorry for the loss of Chief Hamil,” Dreyfus said. “My heart goes out to his family. But he died out of his jurisdiction, in a helicopter accident. What he was even doing in San Francisco is entirely unclear. I don’t see how that had anything to do with the relative strength of the police force I put together. And Rick, you were being polite—Mayor House said I ‘crippled’ the SFPD. But if that’s true, why did crime drop in every year of my administration? How was it that we put away three major crime lords?
“And as far as the present state of the force goes, it’s been more than a year since I left the post. Chief Burston is a fine golfer, I know, and he frequently golfs with the mayor. As far as I can tell, however, that’s his only qualification for the post. It seems to me that Mayor House is poisoning the well. He’s trying to make you believe that our force is inadequate in order to justify his use of outside contractors to address the so-called ‘monkey problem’ instead of using local law enforcement.
“I respectfully disagree with him.”
The gathering exploded when he said that, members of the press crowding closer to his podium.
“Sonja,” he said, nodding in the direction of another reporter.
“What contractors would those be?” she asked. “And what is your evidence to support this claim?”
“Well, I may not be chief of police anymore,” he said, “but I’m not totally out of the loop. The name of the contractor is Anvil. My staff has prepared a brief for each of you on this matter, which you will be given as you leave. I think you’ll find more questions are raised about this incident every day. Why contractors, and why has the mayor’s office been so quiet about it? There was ineptitude, that’s true, but I won’t let the brave men and women who protect our streets be the whipping boys in this matter.”
“Mr. Matthews.” He pointed at another reporter. Matthews was a distinctly young man with reddish hair and a serious expression.
“Sir,” he said, “what—if anything—can you tell us about the virus?”
“Well it’s hard to tell yet,” Dreyfus replied, choosing his words carefully. “There’s so much we don’t know about it.”
“The CDC estimates that thousands are infected in San Francisco alone,” Matthews persisted.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t a serious matter,” Dreyfus said. “But it would be irresponsible of me at this point to say or do anything other than what the CDC recommends. Avoid social contact when possible, wash and bathe frequently, and above all let’s not have a panic. Misinformation and fear have killed more people in situations like this than disease itself.”
Before Matthews could continue, he motioned to yet another reporter. But she carried on the topic.
“The mayor has suggested the possibility of quarantines,”she said. “Do you think this a good idea?”
“So far only a handful of people have died,” Dreyfus replied. “As tragic as any loss is, I must again caution any politician—or the media, and that means you folks—against provoking hysteria. In my view, by calling for military-style quarantines, the mayor runs the danger of doing exactly that.”
“But, sir,” Matthews shouted, “everyone who gets this thing dies. We may be looking at thousands dead in the next few days.”
“Son, I know you’re concerned about this,” Dreyfus said. “We all are. But unlike some, I’m not comfortable commenting on a matter this fraught with peril while speaking from a position of limited facts. There are experts in these matters. I am not one of them. Neither is Mayor House. I’ve really exhausted all I have to say on this for the time being, so please—I’m sure there are other things that interest you. There, Assam?”
“Yes,” Assam replied. “Regarding your position on the SPLOST last year, I wonder if you would maintain that stance if elected, and employ such a
“We’re all sorry for the loss of Chief Hamil,” Dreyfus said. “My heart goes out to his family. But he died out of his jurisdiction, in a helicopter accident. What he was even doing in San Francisco is entirely unclear. I don’t see how that had anything to do with the relative strength of the police force I put together. And Rick, you were being polite—Mayor House said I ‘crippled’ the SFPD. But if that’s true, why did crime drop in every year of my administration? How was it that we put away three major crime lords?
“And as far as the present state of the force goes, it’s been more than a year since I left the post. Chief Burston is a fine golfer, I know, and he frequently golfs with the mayor. As far as I can tell, however, that’s his only qualification for the post. It seems to me that Mayor House is poisoning the well. He’s trying to make you believe that our force is inadequate in order to justify his use of outside contractors to address the so-called ‘monkey problem’ instead of using local law enforcement.
“I respectfully disagree with him.”
The gathering exploded when he said that, members of the press crowding closer to his podium.
“Sonja,” he said, nodding in the direction of another reporter.
“What contractors would those be?” she asked. “And what is your evidence to support this claim?”
“Well, I may not be chief of police anymore,” he said, “but I’m not totally out of the loop. The name of the contractor is Anvil. My staff has prepared a brief for each of you on this matter, which you will be given as you leave. I think you’ll find more questions are raised about this incident every day. Why contractors, and why has the mayor’s office been so quiet about it? There was ineptitude, that’s true, but I won’t let the brave men and women who protect our streets be the whipping boys in this matter.”
“Mr. Matthews.” He pointed at another reporter. Matthews was a distinctly young man with reddish hair and a serious expression.
“Sir,” he said, “what—if anything—can you tell us about the virus?”
“Well it’s hard to tell yet,” Dreyfus replied, choosing his words carefully. “There’s so much we don’t know about it.”
“The CDC estimates that thousands are infected in San Francisco alone,” Matthews persisted.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t a serious matter,” Dreyfus said. “But it would be irresponsible of me at this point to say or do anything other than what the CDC recommends. Avoid social contact when possible, wash and bathe frequently, and above all let’s not have a panic. Misinformation and fear have killed more people in situations like this than disease itself.”
Before Matthews could continue, he motioned to yet another reporter. But she carried on the topic.
“The mayor has suggested the possibility of quarantines,”she said. “Do you think this a good idea?”
“So far only a handful of people have died,” Dreyfus replied. “As tragic as any loss is, I must again caution any politician—or the media, and that means you folks—against provoking hysteria. In my view, by calling for military-style quarantines, the mayor runs the danger of doing exactly that.”
“But, sir,” Matthews shouted, “everyone who gets this thing dies. We may be looking at thousands dead in the next few days.”
“Son, I know you’re concerned about this,” Dreyfus said. “We all are. But unlike some, I’m not comfortable commenting on a matter this fraught with peril while speaking from a position of limited facts. There are experts in these matters. I am not one of them. Neither is Mayor House. I’ve really exhausted all I have to say on this for the time being, so please—I’m sure there are other things that interest you. There, Assam?”
“Yes,” Assam replied. “Regarding your position on the SPLOST last year, I wonder if you would maintain that stance if elected, and employ such a
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