The SFPD has released a surveillance image of a person of interest whom they are seeking for questioning in connection to the racist threats that were left at and mailed to the home of a dog-walker in Alamo Square.
Police had previously indicated they might have a suspect in the case of the threats made against dog-walker and longtime Alamo Square resident Terry Williams, whose family home was then destroyed in a possible arson fire last month. One month prior to the house fire, Williams, who is Black, said he had received a threatening voodoo doll and written racist slurs on his doorstep, and some postcards were mailed to the house featuring threats. At the time, he told Mission Local that he had obtained, with the help of the police, surveillance footage from a neighbor that showed a hood suspect who walked with a slight limp.
The SFPD has now released that video, which is somewhat blurry, as well as a still image of the person they're calling a "person of interest." The video appears to have come from a home on Steiner Street between Fell and Hayes streets, about two blocks from Williams's home on Grove Street near Fillmore.
The person is seen carrying package. Williams tells Mission Local today that he does not recognize the person.
"Investigators are looking to speak with a person who may have information about the case. The SFPD is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the person," the department said in a statement.
"The San Francisco Police Department does not tolerate racism of any kind," the SFPD adds. "No one should be targeted because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or any other shared characteristic."
The case is being investigated as a hate crime.
There still is no indication that the fire on May 21 was caused by arson, and that investigation is far from complete. Williams's elderly parents, who live in the top floor apartment, were injured in the blaze, one of them seriously, and they required hospitalization.
At the time the fire broke out, Williams was at City Hall meeting with staffers in the mayor's office about the racist threats.
Williams, who grew up in the home on Grove Street, is known as the "Mayor of Alamo Square" and is a frequenter of the dog park on the far side of Alamo Square Park.
He said his father was chilled by the doll and racist postcards, comparing them to the racism he experienced growin up in the South.
There is still an active GoFundMe campaign for the Williams family as they try to recover from the fire and rebuild, which has so far raised $130,000 of a $150,000 goal.
Previously: SFPD Has ‘Possible Suspect’ In Case of Dog Walker Whose Home Burned After Racist Threats