Fifty individuals are lifeless following the nation’s bloodiest capturing. On Sunday, San Franciscans gathered to grieve.
Amidst the stirring speeches delivered to hundreds at Castro and Market streets, I observed a curious protest by an brazenly homosexual Latino speaker, Lito Sandoval.
The very very first thing he informed the gang of mourners was that LGBT Latinos who spoke on stage needed to “ask” to deal with them. They weren’t invited.
That struck me as greater than odd, contemplating the 49 people shot and killed at Pulse weren't solely in a homosexual membership, however have been principally Latino.
Following up, brazenly homosexual Latino group chief Erick Arguello (who was on stage) advised me, “Nicely, you recognize, it’s sort of historic” for homosexual Latinos to be ignored, citing a whitewashing of the Stonewall riots in New York Metropolis.
And so it was with Sunday’s vigil, he stated. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence spoke. White LGBT leaders like Scott Wiener, Tom Ammiano and Mark Leno spoke. However except Supervisor David Campos, there weren’t too many Latinos — besides the group that pushed to be there.
“We needed to make telephone calls to be included,” Arguello advised me.
Supervisor Wiener defended the vigil he helped organized by saying, “We had 12 hours to plan that vigil … this goes into the ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ class.”
In that “tiny period of time,” Wiener and the organizers did “agree we would have liked to have Latino management on stage,” he stated.
Maybe he was harried from his final minute flight again from Puerto Vallarta.
* * *
Talking of our ever-endangered Latino group, a well being and wellness middle within the Mission is shifting a part of its program to the Excelsior — as a result of its Latino inhabitants is shifting, too.
Instituto Acquainted De La Raza is relocating its early intervention youngsters program and at-risk youth packages to the Excelsior as a “satellite tv for pc location,” in accordance with a Might 31 San Francisco Division of Public Well being memorandum.
The memorandum’s findings are written matter-of-factly however showcase the shifting sands of Mission tradition.
“Whereas the Mission district has seen a 27 % lower within the Latino inhabitants from 2000 to 2013,” the memorandum reads, “the Latino inhabitants within the Bayview, Mission Terrace, Excelsior and Lakeshore has elevated by 38 % in the identical interval.”
German Walteros, affiliate director of De La Raza, informed On Guard the Latino group “nonetheless sees the Mission as the middle of Latino life, however they don’t stay right here.”
One other “enjoyable” reality: About 9 years in the past, three quarters of De La Raza’s 100 staffers lived in San Francisco, Walteros stated. Now? Solely a few quarter of the middle’s employees lives right here.
“Our employees can’t afford to reside in The Metropolis,” Walteros stated. “In the long term, that’s going to be a public well being difficulty” for San Francisco.
In fact, we’re seeing that throughout the board. Academics, well being care suppliers, even — gulp — journalists are being priced out of The Metropolis. However hey, at the least the unemployment fee is down, proper?
* * *
Pricey god, can somebody cease me from writing concerning the Democratic County Central Committee once more? I really feel like I’m trapped in Invoice Murray’s “Groundhog Day.” One other morning and — growth! — there’s one other sneaky transfer by average Democrats to safe energy.
This time, DCCC member Alix Rosenthal and chair Mary Jung slapped a last-minute measure on the Dee-triple-Cee agenda to yank all of the elected officers off of the committee.
Sure, this got here up earlier than the election, and I wrote it. However it was voted down in a sea of acrimony.
So why is it again? As a result of within the newest outcomes of final Tuesday’s elections, all of the sitting supervisors who ran for the DCCC on the progressive aspect — Supervisor Jane Kim, as an example — are kicking the moderates’ tucheses clear throughout San Francisco.
After the election, the stability of energy might shift in the direction of the progressives. If the Rosenthal/Jung decision passes, nevertheless, it’ll slip again to the moderates.
“Good God, we voted. It’s astoundingly undemocratic,” stated Buck Bagot, of the Bernal Heights Democratic Membership.
“I simply spent a variety of time fuckin’ knockin’ on all these doorways,” he stated, “convincing individuals to concentrate, and to care.” This transfer nevertheless, makes all his phrases value dung.
Apparently, the transfer would routinely place Mayor Ed Lee on the DCCC as an ex-officio member. Meaning he’d probably be on the document, voting to approve Democratic Social gathering stances on police reform, housing and all of the controversial subjects of the day.
If the Jung/Rosenthal measure succeeds, on the very least, San Francisco might put Mayor Lee on the recent seat as soon as a month. Gotta admit, it does sound like enjoyable.
* * *
Ace Washington, recognized round Metropolis Corridor as “Ace on the Case,” has been evicted.
On Guard obtained the telephone name a couple of weeks in the past from one among his neighbors, who stated Ace was shouting concerning the eviction by way of his bullhorn from an area single-room occupancy lodge.
His stuff, the tipster advised us, was piled within the hallway outdoors his condo.
A well known gadfly in metropolis authorities, Ace has his fond followers, but in addition many who assume he undoubtedly, undoubtedly wants assist. We confirmed his eviction by means of one other supply, and from what little we all know, we hope somebody reaches out to assist Ace on this robust time.
* * *
Supervisor Kim’s “Bernie Bump” within the state Senate main election could also be oversold, says one native political analyst.
That principle, the Bernie Bump, is one moderates are peddling as the rationale why Supervisor Wiener’s oh-so-slim main win (of solely zero.54 %) over Kim is so skinny — as a result of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ alliance with Kim gave her a few of that ol’ progressive shine.
Jim Stearns, the longtime progressive candidate marketing consultant (who additionally labored on Proposition C with Supervisor Aaron Peskin), broke down the votes up to now within the Wiener vs. Kim race, aspect by aspect with the Sanders vs. Hillary Clinton race.
“For those who take a look at the outcomes clearly, Jane Kim did considerably higher than Sanders on this metropolis,” Stearns stated. And Kim gained over neighborhoods the place Bernie struggled.
Stearns stated if there was a Bernie Bump, it was extra nuanced.
“Jane was very adroit in working with Sanders to get a platform,” he stated. “Nevertheless it was what she stated when she was on that platform, versus the platform itself.”
Kim talked about reasonably priced school, revenue inequality and reasonably priced public faculties, Stearns stated — points that resonated with voters as soon as the cameras pointed her means.
On Guard prints the information and raises hell every Tuesday. E-mail him at joe@sfexaminer.com.
Comments