THANK YOU
A very big, and somewhat belated, thanks to everyone who made it to the No Monster in the Mission March and Festival for Affordable Housing last Saturday, October 4! And a very big thanks to our co-organizers Our Mission No Eviction and to everyone who contributed over the past few weeks, to put it together and make it happen so beautifully and organically. What a wonderful (and wonderfully hot?) day it was!
There were so many of you–our amazing neighbors, friends, family members, volunteers, merchants, musicians, artists, dancers, activists, youth, seniors, students, teachers, workers and on and on–at the event, that it would obviously be impossible to thank you all individually in this post. But please know that you are greatly appreciated and that we can’t wait to march, celebrate, and fight for our neighborhood alongside of you again, as soon as possible.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Tim Redmond of 48 Hills attended the event, and then wrote an extraordinarily insightful opinion piece about the event and the overall fight against the Maximus Monster towers. He explains how Saturday’s march and festival and the bigger movement that is growing rapidly in the Mission, reflects the very real anger in the community with the explosion of “market-rate” development that, at best, no more that “ten percent of local workers can afford.”
Redmond really gets how this current fight is special and that the Mission community really means business:
“The anger over the gentrification and displacement in the Mission is so intense that it almost doesn’t matter how many BMR units the developers offer, or whether they raise the school playground up to keep it in the sun . . .That’s why this is going to be a battle royal, with the 16th and Mission project as a symbol of a much bigger fight.”
Below is a great picture included with the article. The piece is an absolute must-read.
Photo by Michael Redmond for 48hillsonline.org
Did you catch this segment from KTVU news yet? Pretty solid! Look for cameos from Paula Tejeda of Chile Lindo and Roberto Hernandez of Our Mission No Eviction.
El Tecolote covered the event with this very substantive article featuring interviews with Plaza 16 Coalition stalwarts Laura Guzman of Mission Neighborhood Resource Center and Kendra Froshman of Mission SRO Collaborative. Mission Local was there as well and they captured some nice video of the early part of the march that you’ll want to check out if you haven’t already. Carl Finamore covered the event for Beyond Chron in a piece titled, “Activists Protest the Monster in the Mission.” Here’s a snippet:
“Several hundred fair housing and “stop evictions” advocates marched all through San Francisco’s historic working class Mission neighborhood for several hours on Sat., Oct. 4.
Pounding drum beats from youthful musicians sporting “Basta Ya!” t-shirts sounded the alarm that there is an epidemic of evictions and dramatic shortages of affordable housing that has accelerated the exodus of low and middle-income families from this great city. We have heard the story before and it is being retold in many other places across the country but its repetition in this era of conspicuous consumption does not make it any less compelling.”
Truthout.org published a very well-timed and very relevant piece this week from SF’s brilliant independent media duo people.power.media, that is about the bigger issue of housing supply and demand and the myth that real estate developers can build-build-build SF out of its housing crisis. It’s based on months of extensive research and deserves its own blog post (hopefully coming soon!) but it also includes a photo from Saturday’s event. It’s another must-read.
The event even received some international media attention. A French television crew was there to catch footage and interview folks for a documentary and a Japanese magazine also covered the event. We’ll pass along updates on that coverage as soon as we get them.
PHOTOS
Several of SF’s most amazing photographers were there to document the event. You’ll want to check out all the beautiful photo collections from Hanna Quevedo, Steve Rhodes, Kyle Smeallie, Peter Menchini, and Lola Casanova. If you have pics to share, please send us the links or post them on the Facebook page.
Here’s a tiny sample of what our photographer friends captured. Click on Pics to see the full collections.
Loco Bloco leads the march! Photo by Kyle Smeallie
No Monster in the Mission! Our Mission No Eviction! Photo by Lola Casanova.
Sacred ceremony to open the march. Photo by Steve Rhodes.
Que Viva La Mission. Photo by Lola Casanova
United Educators of San Francisco support Plaza 16 and say “No!” to the Monster in the Mission. Thank you UESF! Photo by Lola Casanova.
Marshall elementary students and parents say no to Monster Shadows on playgrounds. Photo by Lola Casanova.
Mission Girls and Mujeres Unidas y Activas. Photo by Steve Rhodes.
Leslie Dreyer’s brilliant project, learn all about it at http://www.reclaimdisrupt.org. Photo by Steve Rhodes.
Susana y su Orquesta Adelante had us dancing! Photo by Hanna Quevedo Photography.
The Mission’s own Bayonics (left) and one of several brilliant signs created by Charlie Canfield (right). Photos by Hanna Quevedo.
YES! to affordable housing and neighborhood serving businesses. NO! to luxury towers at 16th and Mission. Photo by Hanna Quevedo.
Don Cande and Robbie Clark from Causa Justa :: Just Cause and the Plaza 16 Coalition, sitting in front of the banner for senseofplace LAB’s project: What is your Vision for your Community? Photo by Hanna Quevedo.
Orquesta Adelante! Photo by Hanna Quevedo.
Planning Commission: Stop rubber-stamping project! No Monster in the Mission! Pics by Hanna Quevedo and Lola Casanova.
Mission Latin All-Star Band. Photo by Peter Menchini.