Garret Doty Acquitted In Marina District Pipe Beating Case
Violent crime is rarely random. Despite this, media organizations often depict acts of violence out of context in order to scare the general population and ultimately drive traffic to their respective sites and use whatever happened as a way to bolster their political objectives.
The case of Garret Doty is no different.
The Marina District is a slice of upscale suburbia sandwiched between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Presidio. It’s San Francisco’s Walnut Creek. I’m not attacking it, that’s just what it is. Despite its best efforts at sterility, the Marina still faces the challenges of life in San Francisco – namely homelessness.
On April 5th 2023, there was an altercation in the Marina District where a San Francisco public official, Don Carmignani, was left with a fractured skull, among other less serious injuries. The man behind the attack was Garret Allen Doty.
When the news first broke of this attack, the media, particularly Fox News, used the incident as evidence that San Francisco is a city out of control – a fog-filled Mad Max where you enter at your own risk.
But after a relatively short trial, it has been revealed that Garret Doty may have actually been the victim.
Local Journalism for Working stiffs
We write for the poets, busboys, and bartenders. We cover workers, not ‘tech’, not the shiny ‘forbes 100 bullshit’. We write about the business on your corner and the beer in your hand. Join the Bay's best newsletter.
Prior to the incident, there were 8 unsolved reports of a man assaulting homeless people in the Marina District with bear mace or some other type of unidentified chemical substance. A witness had revealed that Don Carmignani told Garret Doty he would kill him if he didn’t get out of the neighborhood. After Doty refused to leave, Carmignani attacked Doty with bear mace which then escalated to the pipe attack, leaving Carmignani with a fractured skull.
To make matters worse, according to witness testimony, Carmignani fits the description of the man who attacked other people in the area with bear mace.
Do I think Garret Doty was justified in beating Carmignani nearly to death? No. But do I understand that if someone threatens to kill you and then assaults you, you’re going to be pissed? Yes.
These kinds of attacks on the homeless unfortunately aren’t limited to the Marina District, as homelessness increased since the pandemic, there has been a rise in random violence against the homeless. In 2021 a homeless man was burned to death after his sleeping bag was set on fire. These attacks rarely get reported on, but are happening on a daily basis around California and the rest of the country.
The problem at its core is a problem of dehumanization. It’s bigger than this one incident. It’s systemic. Don Carmignani is a property owner in one of San Francisco’s wealthiest areas, so when he was attacked, it became mainstream news. When homeless are regularly victimized, no one gives a fuck.
This entire situation could have been avoided if Don Carmignani didn’t assault Garret Doty in the first place. I’m not defending Garret, he took it too far, but as stated previously, this all could have been avoided if Don recognized Garret’s basic humanity.
That’s the real tragedy under American capitalism, no one is born human, humanity is an aspiration you one day hope to afford.
FOLLOW MY WRITING ON INSTAGRAM HERE
FOLLOW BAY AREA MEMES ON FACEBOOK HERE
FOLLOW BAY AREA MEMES ON INSTAGRAM HERE
PURCHASE MY BOOK HERE
You Might Also Like
