Dannielle Spillman was, by all accounts, a beloved community elder — a grandmother, a fixture in her neighborhood, someone who mattered to a lot of people. She was killed in what prosecutors have charged as a deliberate hit-and-run. Not a tragic accident. Not an unavoidable collision. Murder.

Let that sit for a second.

San Francisco has spent years wrestling with whether its justice system takes violent crime seriously enough. The revolving door of light charges, lenient bail, and early releases has eroded public trust in ways that are hard to overstate. Friday's hearing is one of those pressure-test moments: will the system treat a fatal hit-and-run with the gravity it deserves?

The community call to attend the hearing has been circulating online, though not without some confusion. As one SF resident pointed out, the original posts about the hearing were "confusing" — making it sound like Spillman herself was the defendant rather than the victim. To be clear: Dannielle Spillman is the victim. Valentino Amil is the defendant. The hearing will determine whether Amil gets bail.

Another local noted it was "weird and problematic" that early posts failed to even name the accused, effectively burying the person actually charged with a heinous crime. Fair point. Victims deserve to be centered — but so does accountability for the accused. You can honor someone's memory and demand justice at the same time. In fact, you should.

Whatever your politics, a 74-year-old killed in a hit-and-run deserves a courtroom full of people who give a damn. Department 12, 850 Bryant. Friday at 9. Show up if you can.