Yema shop owners add Belvedere to $2-million claim in police incident

Tiburon residents Yema Khalif and Hawi Awash have looped Belvedere into their multimillion-dollar claim against Tiburon over an incident of alleged racial profiling by police at the couple’s Main Street clothing store last August. The claim comes as Tiburon officials say the outside investigation into the incident is complete and the report is being finalized. Khalif and Awash’s attorney, David Anderson, filed an administrative claim with Belvedere Jan. 25 seeking $2 million from the city to compensate for what the couple says is emotional distress and loss of current and future business resulting from the incident. Through Anderson, the couple previously made an informal request for an identical $2 million payout from Tiburon, which was rejected by the Town Council in mid-December. Anderson has since filed a formal claim with Tiburon as well. Tiburon Town Attorney Ben Stock said the two claims are being treated as separate against each municipality, for a total of $4 million. However, Anderson said the claims are intended to put both Tiburon and Belvedere on the hook for the requested $2 million.

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