Family of woman killed in San Francisco.: We are focusing on healing, not politics

The apparently random shooting of Kate Steinle by immigrant Francisco Sanchez has fueled debate over US immigration policy. But her family is focused on a 'message of love,' her brother says.

|
Noah Berger/Reuters
Flowers and a candle form a makeshift memorial for shooting victim Kathryn Steinle on Pier 14 in San Francisco on Monday. Ms. Steinle was fatally shot as she walked with her father along the popular Embarcadero pier on July 1 in what San Francisco police described as an apparent random attack.

The parents of Kate Steinle, the 32-year-old woman killed at a San Francisco pier Wednesday, say they are not focusing on the politics of the case, but rather on healing and on honoring Ms. Steinle’s memory.

The man who shot her, Francisco Sanchez, has seven felony convictions and has been deported five times to his native Mexico, fueling debate over immigration policy. Jim Steinle, Kate’s father, however, said Friday, “We’re not dwelling on that.”

Her mother, Liz Sullivan, also said, "Everybody is trying to put the political spin on it. But it happened, and there is no taking it back."

Steinle was walking with her father and a family friend Wednesday evening at the city’s bustling Pier 14 when Mr. Sanchez shot her in a seemingly random act of violence. He was detained an hour later.

Sanchez’s most recent run-in with authorities was in March, when Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) turned him in to San Francisco officials for an outstanding drug warrant. He was released less than a month later without prosecution, since officials said the marijuana possession case was over a decade old.

Though ICE issued a detainer for Sanchez requesting that he only be released into the hands of immigration authorities, San Francisco’s sanctuary ordinance says undocumented migrants cannot be handed over to immigration officials without a warrant for their arrest. Freya Horne, counsel for the local sheriff’s department, said no active arrest warrant for Sanchez was found.

San Francisco resident Manuel Gabriel said he stopped by the pier Wednesday after seeing reports of the incident on the news. He said Sanchez’s immigration status should have no bearing on the crime; rather, his mental health is the primary issue at stake.

"US citizens also kill people," Mr. Gabriel said. "The issue shouldn't be whether or not he has documents. The question is why authorities would release someone who is not well mentally."​

Steinle’s brother Brad set up a GoFundMe page to collect donations for the Steinle family and for charities representing causes his sister cared about.

He spoke to CNN’s Anderson Cooper Monday, echoing the sentiments of his parents.

“At a time like this … it would be easy for us to hate and be angry, but Kate wouldn’t want that so we’re trying to spread a message of love,” he said. “That’s what Kate would want.”

This report contains material from the Associated Press.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Family of woman killed in San Francisco.: We are focusing on healing, not politics
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/0707/Family-of-woman-killed-in-San-Francisco.-We-are-focusing-on-healing-not-politics
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe