Same Story, Different Chief: Mississippi by the Water

By Francine Maxwell / June 30, 2025

San Diego’s policing “restructure” under Chief Scott Wahl isn’t a revolution — it’s a remix of the same old playlist.

Wahl has created new departments for his friends, shuffled people up the chain, and called it reform. He has dropped four outreach officers with a badge and a badge number and then claimed the department is “listening.” But behind the scenes, nothing meaningful has shifted for the communities carrying the heaviest burden of policing in this city.

Here’s the truth:

— Black people in San Diego are still 4.8 times more likely to be subjected to force than White residents.

— Latinx and Black residents are searched 44% and 133% more often than White residents — but no contraband turns up in 3 out of 4 stops.

— Over 40 percent of homes in San Ysidro lack reliable internet, and more than 106,000 countywide are digitally disconnected — yet City leaders keep telling unhoused folks, job seekers, and working families to “go online” for help.

A few new titles and four officers with “heart” won’t undo decades of harm or close those numbers. The community asked for shared power, fair treatment, and leadership that lives where we live — not a good ol’ boys’ club in a different uniform.

Until the city restructures with us, not for themselves, it’s just Mississippi by the water. And we’re not clapping for it.

Sources for further information:

— Use of Force & Stop Disparities: Center for Policing Equity
— Stop & Search Data: Biased Policing in San Diego
— Digital Divide Data: Inside San Diego
— Countywide Internet Gaps: GovTech