Millbrae copes with teen’s attack aftermath: More police, transient supports, community discussions on table for safeguards

The proposals come in the wake of a teen’s stabbing in front of the Millbrae Library, when suspect Nelson Tolentino allegedly knifed a 13-year-old boy who was hanging out with friends after school Friday, June 9. Tolentino, who is believed to be homeless, has since been charged with felony counts of attempted premeditated murder, assault with a deadly weapon and child abuse.

Councilwoman Ann Schneider said she believes officials should be doing more to support the city’s homeless population, while also protecting the community’s safety.

“Dealing with homelessness and the transient population should be one of our council priorities,” said Schneider. “It shouldn’t have taken a child being stabbed and the fear that has caused with parents to bring this up.”

The concerns to which Schneider refers were repeatedly expressed during a City Council meeting Tuesday, June 13, when residents urged elected officials to do more to assure the public’s safety.

“Millbrae is not a safe place to play anymore. You can’t go to the park and let them play anymore. You can’t let them walk downtown anymore. This is not the town I grew up in, and this is frankly not the town I want my kids to be raised in, where they are not safe,” resident Bernadette Mantler said during the meeting, while calling for more police officers patrolling the city.

Such calls were not ignored by Councilman Wayne Lee, who said he would favor discussion about hiring additional law enforcement officers.

“That is something we need to consider,” said Lee, of the recommendation to bring on another patrol officer.

He noted challenges with such a proposal though, pointing to the need to expand the city’s tax base to better afford the extra expense.

“We have to have the money for it,” he said. “People don’t realize we don’t have a lot of money.”

He suggested focusing on economic development downtown as a means of hiking revenue for the officer to be hired from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, which supplies law enforcement to Millbrae.

Schneider meanwhile called for the advancement of development proposals near the city’s train station to improve the city’s opportunity for income.

“I’m tired of waiting,” said Schneider, in reference to the plans for two mixed-use developments proposed more than one year ago in the 116-acre site in the area near the intersection of Millbrae Avenue and El Camino Real.

Plans include proposals for new retail and office spaces, as well as a hotel and additional housing with some units set aside at an affordable rate which Schneider said could serve the city’s underprivileged.

The development proposed on Bay Area Rapid Transit land near the train station includes affordable units for former military members, which she suggested could be also be a place to offer veteran services.

Noting the frequent correlation between homelessness and veterans, she said the dearth of support services for Millbrae’s growing transient population needs to be rectified.

“I would like us to be as proactive as we can be,” Schneider said. “We have been skirting these issues.”

She suggested the City Council host a community discussion before its next meeting to grant officials the chance to address the issue more thoroughly, while also collecting feedback from residents.

“I think next Tuesday’s council meeting, we should turn that into a town hall and be prepared to hear the public’s concerns,” she said. “For a couple of months we have been trying to figure out what Millbrae can do about the homeless situation with a holistic approach.”

Lee said officials are committed to addressing the issue as well.

“We are looking into it to see how we can better improve our opportunities to help transients and get them out of the street,” he said. “We don’t want people living in the street. It’s not good for them and it’s not good for the residents.”

Millbrae police bureau Chief Roger Copeland said while law enforcement officers are also on high alert following the attack, he advised against residents directing ill will toward an entire population based on an isolated incident.

“There has great been concern because the assailant was homeless. While Millbrae does have a homeless community, and the police bureau has identified many of them, being homeless is not a crime and we cannot arrest someone for being homeless,” Copeland said in a prepared statement.

Considering the variety of challenges surrounding the violence earlier this month, Schneider said she believed more discussion is in order to assure the rights and perspectives of all community members are considered.

“The people of Millbrae have a great heart, and we have to be able to handle this situation,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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