Ricky Pearsall’s Near-Death Experience
On August 31, San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall was walking through downtown San Francisco when a robber pulled a pistol and demanded Pearsall’s upscale watch, according to some reports, a Rolex. The rookie receiver refused to hand it over, and in the ensuing struggle, the assailant shot Pearsall in the chest. Miraculously, the bullet struck no vital organs and passed out his back.
The suspect is an unidentified 17-year-old from Tracy, California, who, in his first court appearance on September 3, said through his defense attorney that he was “very sorry.” While the case proceeds, Bay Area residents and tourists have plenty to ponder.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, did not denounce the shooting as “gun violence.” Neither did current mayor London Breed, who lamented that the shooting “does set us back from all the hard work that we’ve done to make significant changes in public safety in San Francisco.” Ricky Pearsall has a right to wonder what those significant changes might be.
It is illegal for anyone under 18 to own a handgun, so California’s strict gun laws did not prevent this juvenile from getting a gun and using it to commit a violent crime. As the case confirms, the differences between “property crime” and violent crime against people are negligible.
If Pearsall’s watch had been worth less than $950 and the thief had stolen it from his car, it would only be a misdemeanor, not a felony. That is due to the 2014 Proposition 14, the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” so named by then attorney general Kamala Harris, a former district attorney in San Francisco.
The 2016 Proposition 57 removed prosecutors’ ability to try juveniles as adults. Juvenile court judges must now make that decision, so San Francisco district attorney Brooke Jenkins, who defeated Chesa Boudin in 2022, won’t make the call. As the people should know, Prop 57 is not the only measure that has reduced deterrents.
In September 2019, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1391, which bars all prosecution of those under age 16 in adult court. As a result, any criminal under the age of 16 could rob and murder the entire San Francisco 49ers team, be tried only in juvenile court, serve time in a soft juvenile prison, and gain release at age 25. In his signing message, Brown touted “a more just system that respects victims, protects public safety, holds youth accountable and also seeks a path of redemption and reformation wherever possible.”
Meanwhile, 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters Pearsall’s recovery was “nothing short of miraculous” and “by the grace of God” he was back with the team. Known for spectacular one-hand catches as a collegian, Pearsall will miss the team’s first four games.
