Transcripts For SFGTV BOS Rules Committee 20240711

Is vice chair supervisor Catherine Stefani and rules Committee Member supervisor gordon mar. Our clerk today is victor young. Id like to thank sfgov tv for staffing the meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements . Clerk yes. Due to the covid19 Health Emergency and to protect Board Members and employees and the public, the board of Supervisors Committee room are closed. Committee members will attend the meeting through Video Conferencing and participate to the same extent as if they are physically present. Public comment will be available on each item on the agenda, both channel 26 and sfgovtv. Org are streaming the number across the screen. You can offer Public Comment by calling 415 6550001. Again thats 415 655000 415 . The meeting i. D. Is 146 045 2296. Again that is 146 045 2296. Then press pound and pound again. You will hear the meeting discussion and will be muted and in listening mode only. When the item of interest comes up, dial star 3 to be added to the speaker line. Call from a quiet location, please clearly and slowly and turn your television or radio down. You may submit Public Comment via email to myself at victo victor. Young sfgog. Org. That completes my initial announcements. Chair ronen thank you so much. I just wanted to mention that im very, very excited about the items on the agenda today. We have items that both acknowledge and bring some justice to two communities, the American Indian community and the Africanamerican Community in San Francisco, that it has been denied justice for a very long time. So i just wanted to recognize the historic importance of todays rules committee meeting. And with that, mr. Clerk, can you please read item number 1. Clerk yes. Item number 1 a motion amending the rules of order of board of supervisors by adding rule 4. 7. 1 to require the president to read a statement acknowledging the Ramaytush Ohlone community. Chair ronen thank you very much. This is appear motion that im sponsoring that wool amend the rules of order, of the board of supervisors, by adding a new rule that would require the president of the board to read a statementing recognizing Ramaytush Ohlone. This is a time when we must not only celebrate the history and contributions of native people, but also engage in the critical work of recognizing and repairing the generations of harm caused to native communities at the hands of our own government institutions. It is undeniable that our own city of San Francisco has been complicit in the marginalization of people to systemic underfunding of American Indian organizations. The board of supervisors has a duty to honor the first people of San Francisco, Ramaytush Ohlone nation by recognizing their continued relationship to this land of which we are guests. This motion would require the inclusion of a land acknowledgment statement at every public board of supervisors meeting, as a way to recognize the presence and power of San Franciscos American Indian residents. And inspire others to take action in support of native communities. The proposed statement, which was authored and approved by members of the Ramaytush Ohlone community, reads as follows. The San Francisco board of supervisors acknowledges that we are the unseated ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone, the original nal inhabitants of the San Francisco peninsula. In accordance with their tradition, the Ramaytush Ohlone have never seated, lost or forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place. As well as for all people to reside in their traditional territory. As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders and members of the Ramaytush Ohlone community and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples. In the coming weeks, we plan to expand upon these efforts by working with American Indian Community Leaders to introduce a City Ordinance that would require the use of the statement during the Public Meetings of all city, boards, committing and commissions. I would like to express my deepest expression to agrees of Ramaytush Ohlone and the American Indian cultural district for developing the statement and their tireless advocacy on behalf of the San Franciscos American Indian community. I also want to give a special acknowledgment and huge thanks to paul mohay from my office, who worked very, very closely with this community on this item, as well as the next item, the American Indian cultural district. And with that i wanted to see if any of my colleagues had any remarks. We also have cheryl davis here from the the director of the Human Rights Commission in case she wanted to say anything before opening this item up for Public Comment. Anything . Okay. I dont see anyone. Supervisor oh, director davis, did you have any comments . I just wanted to thank you and your office for your leadership in bringing this forward. And also to recognize sharah and greg. They were amazing and have just been pushing through. And i think coming off of thanksgiving, but false a day of remembrance and having all of these different emotions and feelings about how we engage and how we see people, i think this is really a new habit that im hoping will become so automatic, that we just, you know, realize that we havent done it, so thank you for your leadership on this. Chair ronen thank you, director davis. Supervisor walton, who has joined us in the committee. Googood morning, supervisor wal. Supervisor walton good morning, chair ronen. I want to thank you for bringing this forward. This is something that we should be doing at our board meetings. And i appreciate you for taking that step to make sure that its indoctrinated in our rules. So thank you. Chair ronen thank you so much. Oh, supervisor mar. Supervisor mar yeah. Thanks, chair ronen. I also just wanted to thank you for your leadership on this issue. And for working and also for the leaders of the community for working with you on this. And i would love to be added as a cosponsor. Chair ronen thank you, supervisor mar. Supervisor stefani. Supervisor stefani i, too, want to thank you for your leadership on this. I think its so important. And, you know, for the healing to begin over what happened is is actually that i think is required and i just appreciate it. I think its really good to do. So thank you. Chair ronen thank you so much. And ill just mention that i feel incredibly privileged to be bringing this forward, but this statement and this effort has been led by and created by the Ramaytush Ohlone community. And i feel almost like a vessel to bring it forward. But its really their leadership that i feel so grateful for. So thank you for all of the acknowledgment. Really all of the acknowledgment goes to the Incredible Community of survivors and advocates. So thank you so much. And with that, if we could open this item up for Public Comment. Clerk oh, yes. Members of the public who wish to provide Public Comment on this item should call 415 6550001. Sorry about that. I was just disconnected from my computer. I am on my phone right now. So i am on my phone right now. Members of the public who wish to provide Public Comment on this item, should call 415 6550001. The meeting i. D. Is 146 045 2296. Then press pound and partnership pound again. Please dial star 3 to line up to speak. A system prompt will indicate you have raised your hand. Please wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted and you may begin your comment. Mr. Coup, do you have any members of the public for Public Comment at this time . Yes, i do have three callers on the queue. Caller hi, this is april mcgill. Im the executive director of the American Indian cultural center. And i just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported this. And all of the hard work that shariah has done and also to greg castro. I think its really important as we think about today being the last day of native American Heritage month and thinking about all of the things that have happened in history and, you know, we think about all of the things that have happened in the year in 2020. And how we need to continue to be united and come together to really help each other. I think that acknowledging the Ramaytush Ohlone people and this land acknowledgment is so important. And i think that it follows a lot of the other what was discussed. I want to say thank you to everyone who has worked hard with supervisor ronen, cheryl davis and all of the other allies. The American Indian community has been asking for this for a very long time, to support our relatives. I want to thank you for the support. Clerk thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller good morning, everyone. My name is shariah. Im the director for the American Indian culture. I want to mimic the message april just said and thank supervisor ronen and really thank paul. I cant count the number of times he called me on the weekends or week nights or just text to really get this done. Soy just want to appreciate him and director davis and the efforts of the Human Rights Commission as well. You know, my brother greg for his excellent work. Hes a board member with us and for getting this passed. I really hope that every time you read this, i know ive said this over and over again, this is a reminder that were here and this is a reminder of those survivors, those few folks that came from the original thousands of the Ramaytush Ohlone. And that were alive and that folks still continue to talk about. I say this from the Ramaytush Ohlone acknowledgment. Its a start of acknowledging all of our people. And so and i also want to acknowledge my sister april. This isnt just myself and the Ramaytush Ohlone folks. You know, when people like her and other people in our community have been pushing this for a really long time. This is just now gaining momentum. I want to put this on your plate. This isnt new. This isnt something that myself or greg came up with. Its been in the works for generations. And just today were doing this. So just thank you, supervisor ronen, thank you, everyone. I hope this is a starting point to greater conversations that really, really need to be had as we leave this time of native American Heritage month. Its not just for this month. Its for moving forward. Clerk thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller yes. Hello. Im a member of the california tribe. And i thank everybody around the table for acknowledging this and i thank and i echo the voices of april mcgill and shariah souza. And also for the tireless work of greg castro for the land acknowledgment, for the Ramaytush Ohlone people. Again this has been a long time coming. And bringing it forward now, during this time of this month of native American Heritage month is most positive. And the most innovative way for us to open up those and to prepare repair those from old centuries up until today. This year has been a very crazy and very uncertainty year for all of us. So this is very good that this is going forward. And i also thank even behind the scenes of jonathan cordero, even though he hasnt been doing most of the work. But i think the Ramaytush Ohlone people also allowing us to be, you know, cousins and ancestors to all here today. So i thank you for moving forward on this land acknowledgment. Thank you. Clerk thank you. Can i have the next caller, please. Operator madam chair, that completes the queue. Chair ronen thank you so much. Public comment is closed. Thank you so much. And i do want to also thank april mcgill, who has been serving your community and fighting for the justice you so much deserve for so long. And was so good to hear your voice. And very excited to move this forward. And so i would love to make the motion to move this item forward with positive recommendation. Is that how we move forward motions . I have never moved a motion forward in committee before . Clerk yes, it is. Chair ronen okay. Clerk a recommendation to the full board. Chair ronen perfect. If we can have a roll call vote. Clerk on that motion, supervisor stefani. Supervisor stefani aye. Clerk supervisor mar. Supervisor mar aye. Clerk chair ronen. Chair ronen aye. Clerk the motion passes without objection. Chair ronen all right. Thank you so much. Can you please read item number 2. Clerk item number 2 is an ordinance amending the administrative code to expand the boundaries of the American Indian cultural district, and provide Additional Details regarding the cultural and historical significance of the district. Chair ronen thank you so much. And this is another one of my items that well seek to broaden the boundaries of San Franciscos American Indian cultural district, which was established by the board in april of this year. Cultural districts are one of the most important tools we have as a city to strengthen the cultural identities of neighborhoods and communities, that face the pressures of gentrification of displacement. Few communities in the country that have experienced disappointing as profoundly as the American Indian community. The recently formed district, which is situated within the Mission District and Mission Dolores neighborhood, in an area that spans both districts 8 and 9, provides a recognized home base for the American Indian community, to ensure the history or communications are not for gotten or overwritten. Weve been working with supervisor mandelman and several stakeholders to propose slightly expanded boundaries for the cultural district, than what was included in the original version of the legislation that the board approved. Due to covid and the urgent need to establish this cultural district, in order to channel city resources to the American Indian community as quickly as possible, we decided to approve with the original boundaries and revisit expanding the boundaries through an amendment, once things stabilized a bit more. Now that most functions are back in operations, were following through with the commitment to recognize the roughly bounded by 17th street, market street, dubois avenue and fulton street. At the november preliminary hearing, the Historic Preservation commission unanimously recommended approval of the expanded cultural district boundaries, with an additional mod physician to include Mission Dolores park as part of the American Indian cultural district, which has the support of the American Indian Community Leaders. So today i will be introducing an additional amendment to recognize dolores park as a part of the expanded cultural district boundaries, that have been proposed, which will require a continuance to next weeks rules committee for a final committee action. Dolores park and 9 broader area are defined as part of the cultural district, hold a unique concentration of school resourceses and services and gathering spaces that of significant, present and historical importance to the American Indian communities and the San Francisco bay area. It is again my great honor to partner with many leaders to bring this important and historical cultural district to fruition, especially at a time when theyre playing a Critical Role in connecting our communities to the resources and information they need to navigate the Ongoing Public Health crisis. And again a special thanks to paul from my office, who has put his heart and soul into this cultural district from the moment he began working in my office. So thank you so much, paul, for your extraordinary work. And with that ill call on supervisor stefani. Supervisor stefani thank you, chair ronen. First of all, i just want to thank you for all of the work youve done on establishing cultural districts throughout San Francisco and the underlying policy. I think this is obviously such a good thing to do for the reasons you mentioned. I would love to add my name as a cosponsor. Chair ronen thank you so much, supervisor stefani. And with that, we can open up this item to Public Comment. Clerk yes. Members of the public who wish to provide Public Comment on this item, should call 415 6550001, the meeting i. D. Is 146 045 2296. And then press pound and pound again. If you havent already done so, please dial star 3 to line up to speak. A system prompt will indicate you have raised your hand. Please wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted and may begin your comments. Mr. Coup, do we have any members of the public for Public Comment . Operator yes, i have five callers in the queue. Caller good morning. My name is greg castro. Im the Principal Consultant for the Ramaytush Ohlone. Sorry my phone wasnt earlier, that i couldnt comment on the muchappreciated resolution for the land acknowledgment earlier. But this item is equally important to us, as Ramaytush Ohlone and members of the native American Community herer in San Francisco. As much as of the peninsula the dor es park has cultural sites on it, and other significant places that are very important to us. And so we would, you know, be very appreciative of the expansion of the district into that area, so that we can give some special recognition and attention to that place, along with the other places within the clearly cultural district. On the behalf of the Ramaytush Ohlone, i want to thank the board of supervisors, supervisors ronen, davis and the others and plus their staff that have promoted both of these issues. And hopefully youll move them forward and provide a more integrated welcoming place for the American Indian community here in San Francisco. Thank you. Clerk thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller yeah. This is april mcgill. Im the executive director of the American Indian cultural center. Im also a board member of the [indiscernible] tribe. I to want to acknowledge that worked really hard on this expansion, which is paul and shariah, who really worked hard on the mapping. And mary jean roberts, debby santiago and the rest of the community, the American Indian community that looked at the district. San francisco is home to the ohlone and we consider the whole city a sacred site, special places of our gathering places. So for this expansion, this is the original expansion that we had proposed. Its really a small expansion when you think about it. And being that today is the last day of november, which represents native American Heritage month, i would hope that this would finally get approved. I also would just like to say that its really important for those to always remember the first people here, when making any decisions on land and giving back to communities. Because American Indians are the one who have the least here. Were fighting for our cultural center. Were the only community that doesnt have an American Indian cultural center. Cultural district is opening up so much for the American Indian community. And i really want to say that and for all of you to think about, because as were looking at budgets in the future and were looking at that, we need to think about American Indians first, because its 2020. And were just now having these. Yes, these are great things that are happening. But its our time. Its time for that. And so i just want to say thank you to all of the support from our black relatives, latinx communities, dolores park. Folks who supported us. Clerk your time has elapsed. Thank you very much. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hello, everyone. This is shariah again, executive director for American Indian cultural district. I want to give people a little bit of context on why we didnt necessarily expand this area initially, as we were doing our mapping. Mention a couple of folks who have been really key to outlining our district area. And thats really because, you know, we wanted to have that approval and that green light from the Ramaytush Ohlone relatives, given the high, High Sensitivity of this area in our cultural district. As you move forward and think about whether or not you want to pass this motion, just really think about the historical and cultural significance of the particular mission. You know, the average lifespan of ten years of slavery, you know, the removed relatives from the area that have passed away. The average lifespan and all of the things that are associated with the Mission District and what weve done. I know were about to move on the conversation of reparations for another community. When you think about whose hand youre on, start here, too. Think about the reparations for the communities, the people you currently sit on the land youve been living on and, you know, as part of the communities that you serve. So when you think of that, think of these expansions hopefully as a starting point. Think of our sacred waterways. As april said, a lot of the city is sacred. Think of the cultural sites that have been destroyed and developed on. Think what you can do in your district as different supervisors, those reparations, our communities. While not just for native American Heritage month, but as moving forward. So i just want to say thank you to Ramaytush Ohlone relatives for allowing the culture and take this on and letting folks know this is the ramaytush expansion. Anything along the waterways, and honor those people as we should. Thank you again, supervisor ronen and all of the other supervisors that have played a part in this. I think i know supervisor peskin has offered to work with us as well and supervisor mandelman, of course, this is your area. Thank you for your support on this. And were excited to continue to build out this district for future generations. Thank you. Clerk thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller good morning. My name is mary travis ellen. I was recently elected as the board president for the American Indian cultural district. I want to thank everybody for your support today. What has just been passed and what were anticipating will be supported going forward. San francisco was built on ramaytush land. Like in all parts of this continent, as well as central and south american, the native people were on the land to begin with. The land was taken. Here in california, with the disguise of religion, it was taken from the people in the name of god. We need this cultural district to permanently recognize the original people and contain all of the things that revitalize and provide supports for our communities. The youth, families and elders. We respect all other communities that have had communities established. But we can seek when we speak of equality, you cannot speak of unless you recognize the original land keepers. Thank you very much for doing this support. But again we need to start this Monumental Task and, mind you, San Francisco with its cultural district, it will be the first in the nation for the American Indian people, who have been here all along. Thank you. And i anticipate your support of this effort. Clerk thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller oh, yes. Hello. This is debby santiago again. Im also a native San Francisco here. And part of the mission has always been a part of the mission. And our people have been here for a long time. And my grandmother has come here in relocation. And during the early 20s. And so being raised here, born and raised, and knowing that we had shared land and laid on the land of the Ramaytush Ohlone people. Our relatives that were, you know, brought here and shared a lot of different cultures between us. So again i do urge that you move forward in this land and allow the cultural district, so we can be a the mission can be a part of our mapping in this way to future generations here and work along with our communities that sound us. And also those who have lived on the land. To acknowledge all that has been before. Thank you to the supervisors and everybody involved around the circle. I thank you for this. I urge you to move forward in making this a possibility for the cultural district. I thank you. Clerk thank you. Can we hear from the next caller, please. Caller good morning, supervisors. My name is dr. Monique lesar. Im a resident here on sacred Ramaytush Ohlone land in San Francisco. And fully support the land acknowledgment and support all of our relatives. My native community is from the east coast. And so i feel very honored to be on this land here in San Francisco. This is so long overdue. And just the beginning of an acknowledgment. I hope that San Francisco can be the first. And its just the very beginning of the recognition and restoration of the broken treaties, promises and genocide and deaths of native American Indian land. So i want to really implore us to stay the course and really listen to what our relatives are saying. And put their voices first. Thank you so much. Clerk thank you. If you have not already done, so please press star 3 to be added to the queue to speak. I believe we have one additional speaker. Mr. Coup, can we have the next speaker, please. Caller hello. Clerk hi. Please proceed with your comment. Caller hi. Yeah. My name is i would like to thank my sisters for inviting me on, for this space that you have. First of all, acknowledgment to you all and for having this discussion. If you look at me, i am of african descent, although i have native american blood in me. So we do share the same space. I am a relative of native americans, of india indians and african descent. And i am fighting for the same cause for reparations and everything, because we were here. We want to stay here. Were not going anywhere. So the first whatever the first is, i am in it for my people. Clerk thank you. Were waiting for you if you have any additional comments . If youre done with your comment, mr. Coup, do we have any additional callers . Caller hi. Im the executive director of the resources institute. And i just would like to acknowledge as a actually a native descent myself. When you look at me, you see africanamerican. My grandmother is cherokee and my other grandmother is [indiscernible]. To bring this to the table now is a long time coming, considering that this was our brothers and sisters land many years ago, that was taken from them. [indiscernible] and so acknowledging this now and all aspects is a blessing. Its a long time coming. So i do stand beside my sisters and brothers of native american descent in honoring their request. I just want to tell you thank you for those who took the time to work really hard on getting this person brought to the forefront now. Thank you. Clerk thank you. Mr. Coup, do we have any additional callers . Caller hi, my name is julian. I was bon and raised in San Francisco. Id like to speak on behalf of the Asian Community in offering our support for this first step of acknowledgment. And hope that youll be able to continue to put substantive reparations for the land that were so fortunate to occupy for so long. I yield the rest of my time. Clerk thank you. Are there any additional callers . Operator madam chair, that completes the queue. Chair ronen thank you so much. Thanks for all of the beautiful Public Comment. I neglected to invite up shelley from the c. P. C. To speak. Shelley, are you still here . Yes, i am. Hi. Hello, Board Members. My name is shelley. Im a member of the cultural district staff with the planning department. Ill be very brief. I just wanted to reiterate the Historic Preservation commissions strong support for this amendment. In conversation with community, prior to the historic reservation commissions hearing, we wanted to include dolores park as part of the boundary and the commission felt that that was very promote. And made a friendly amendment, recommended a friendly amendment to the board. So very happy to see you include that as well. And we understand that the final action will be at your next meeting. But were happy to see that. And were available for questions if you have any. And thank you to all the Community Members who spoke today. And thank you to the leadership of director souza and her staff and also to paul mohay. He was amazing in coordinating all of the details on the boundary. So thank you. Chair ronen thank you so much. And i just wanted to make a final comment before introducing the motion to include dolores park in the cultural district boundaries. The importance of the cultural districts are bringing resources to communities that have been left out and pushed out of the city and county of San Francisco. And we know that acknowledgment is the first step to making sure that we keep people where they are and bring people back to the historic communities, where they want to live and continue to advance their history and culture in this city. But its not enough to just acknowledge. We have to steer resources and make sure that these communities own and control land in the city, in order to make this commitment real. And that is the ultimate purpose of cultural districts is to bring land and resources to community has have been pushed out of the city. And thats why i think bringing these two items together, both the land acknowledgment and the expanded boundaries of the cultural district are have to work handinhand together. And thats why the reparations conversations, spearheaded by supervisor walton and director cheryl davis is so important, because we cant just acknowledge without resources, land and power behind that acknowledgment. And so im so glad that the cultural district comes up, it has taken off so well in San Francisco and this it is working to help increase the power and land of historically historic communities that have built this city and then been pushed out of it. So were undoing that. And i feel incredibly proud of that work. Some with that i will make a motion to introduce the amendments that i emailed that paul, who would be spearheading this work, emailed to all of you in this committee to add dolores park. Thanks to the Historic Preservation committee for their recommendation and that friendly amendment. If we can have a roll call vote on that motion, i would appreciate it. Thank you so much. Clerk on the motion to amend the ordinance to include dolores park, supervisor stefani. Supervisor stefani aye. Clerk supervisor mar. Supervisor mar aye. Clerk chair ronen. Chair ronen aye. Clerk the motion passes without objection. Chair ronen thank you so much. And then i would like to make a motion to continue this item to the december 7th meeting of the rules committee. Clerk on the motion to continue to the december 7th meeting, as amended, supervisor. Supervisor stefani . Stefani aye. Clerk supervisor mar. Supervisor mar aye. Clerk chair ronen. Chair ronen aye. Clerk the motion passes without objection. Chair ronen thank you. And i know i should have made this comment beforehand, just wanted to thank our clerk angela for joining us here today on these items. Thanks for being here and enjoying your support. I want to thank our former colleague vallie brown who is a member of the American Indian community and so supportive throughout all of these processes. And with that, can you please read item number 3. Clerk oh, yes. Item number 3 is the ordinance amending the administrative code to establish the reparation Advisory Committee. Examines current structural discrimination within San Francisco, and proposes Institutional Reforms to guard against the need for future redress. Just to note, i have received a request for a Committee Report on this matter. Chair ronen perfect. Thank you. Supervisor walton, would you like to start us off . Supervisor walton thank you so much, chair ronen, and to my colleagues for hearing this legislation this morning. I do appreciate, chair ronen said it earlier. This is a day of making sure that we right some of the wrongs of history and continue to work for true equity here in San Francisco. As you know, earlier this year burg black history month, i introduced a resolution number 37620 supporting a reparations plan and Advisory Committee that was unanimously sponsored and passed by this board of supervisors in august. So i want to thank all of my colleagues as well. Africanamericans were enslaved in the United States from 1619 to 1865, when slavery officially ended, with the pass of the 13th amendment. Our Africanamerican Community was red lined and sent to the outskirts of the city, where they lived in isolation. The United States of america and San Francisco has a history of inflicting trauma on communities of color and that trauma continues to exist in the black community. This can be the San Francisco that we need to correct. Id like to acknowledge the work from the Human Rights Commission with director cheryl davis and her chief of staff, Human Rights Commissioner lewis jones and also portions of black wall street, reverend amos brown, the entire black community and the bette Burns Institute and heg over the past few months, by Holding Community forums and space together input on what a reparations plan i dont look like. I would also like to thank deputy City Attorney for helping us draft this legislation. As part of the reparations efforts, this ordinance will formally create and establish a reparations Advisory Committee to develop and implement a reparations plan for the black community here in San Francisco. The reparations Advisory Committee will have 15 members of various expertise and experiences working and live income the africanamerican living in the Africanamerican Community. To research and develop a plan for San Francisco. This is 100 appropriate time to ensure reparations for black people here in San Francisco. With the commitment of resources, for the investment in the black community, with the unanimous passage of a reparations resolution here in San Francisco, with the commitment from all communities to improve outcomes for black people here in San Francisco, and with the organized collaboration of black people here in San Francisco, the dreams of equity can only be realized with a reparations plan, that allows for wealth accumulation, generational opportunities and True Community ownership. And now if its appropriate, chair ronen, id like to bring up director cheryl davis, who has been an amazing partner in our work to achieve equity. Chair ronen absolutely. Really quick before we do this, our colleague supervisor stefani has to leave for an emergency. Im going to make a motion to excuse supervisor stefani. Can we take a roll call on that motion, victor. Victor . Sorry. Is victor or i was on mute. My apologies. Chair ronen okay. Clerk on the motion to excuse supervisor stefani for the remainder of the meeting. Supervisor mar. Supervisor mar aye. Clerk supervisor ronen. Chair ronen aye. Clerk i believe that supervisor stefani will be excused from this meeting. Chair ronen thank you very much. Clerk i believe that motion passes to excuse you, supervisor stefani, with supervisor stefani excused from that vote. Chair ronen thank you, victor. Thank you so much. Sorry. Yes, of course. Director davis. Thank you so much. Really grateful for this opportunity to share a little bit. Thank you so much, supervisor walton, for your leadership and partnership. Im going to share a couple of a little bit more than a couple. But im going to share my screen. I thought it was interesting and i thought id share with you all the idea and notion of reparations and this idea that the impact of slavery has like far exceeded the duration of slavery itself. And when i saw this background, it made me think about brown paper bag test, which was something that was for years where even within the black community, certain folks would say if you didnt pass the brown paper bag test, if your skin was darking than a brown paper bag, you couldnt be part of a group. It made me think about the willie lynch letter and the system was rigged to actually have africanamericans or slaves fighting against each other to continue the work of slavery. Theres so much that is embedded, thats been kept going, that needs to be addressed as we try to think about and design a plan for reparations for black san franciscans. This quote. If we think that the issues of slavery are the issues of the past, then we are sadly mistaken. Todays inequities that are put out are not dependent on intentional racism. Its not based on our personal racism or racist acts. It is baked into the system, as i shared earlier. It is embedded. And seeing thats something that happened hundreds of years ago is not going to be the solution to address that. 40 acres and a mule is a story that we heard often times. And the truth that was it was about 40 acres, the mule was a gift that was a little bit extra. It was a promise that was never made happen. Never came to fruition, because after the assassination of president lincoln, the new president disregarded the promise and returned the land to the confederate owners. The question is what does that look like in San Francisco . Right. This isnt just about the 40 acres and the mule. If we think about redevelopment, specifically in the western addition, where people were imminent domain to peoples properties, where businesses were closed down, the harlem of the west was destroyed. What does it look like in San Francisco. So part of what were hoping will happen with the Reparations Task force, the Advisory Committee, is that we start with the facts and put them in context. Again starting with the facts and understanding what was lost, what was stolen, what was taken. We know that black people came here and they built the ships, they worked on the shipyards. They really built up in so many ways the industry and the economics of this city. But they did not get the benefits from it. And it just takes me to the poem. I always think about the poem. It was turned into a play a raisin in the sun. This dream deferred of having, right, this greater life, right. And go from slavery, you experience the Middle Passage in terms of the culture, in terms of the people. Slave labor, segregation, jim crow, civil rights, housing policies, the new jim crow. All of these things continue to happen, keep dreaming and what happens. And i personally believe he talked about in his poem or does it explode, right. I think a lot of what were seeing happening now, from black lives matter to protests, the explosion of this dream deferred. And we have the opportunity now to begin to help people realize the dreams that was taken and stolen from them. So community input. We had several meetings prepandemic. City hall, the o. M. I. Lake view, the western addition. We had two Virtual Meetings with policy link. And then weve and some of the questions will have to really ask and answer where. Where do we start . Right. Do you start at education, economic development, justice reform. There was a lot of discussion just in the Community Members, meetings around like what the priorities are. Are we talking about the lack of the ability to inherit wealth. If folks had actually been given 40 acres, what would that impact have been on their wealth and their income. What about liveable wage. What do we know about who their Employment Practices and what those were and the ability for folks, even when imminent domain came in and people were forced out of their homes. Could they take the money that they had and go buy another home. And a lot of places black folks werent allowed to buy houses here in the city. Fair employment, the credit to buy a home, wealth building and even just previous from harassment and racism that we know built the American Psychology Association and the American Medical Association all come out and have said that racism is a health issue. That it impacts mental and physical health. The other question that comes up who. How long does someone have to live in San Francisco. Do they even have to live in San Francisco. Does it include people pushed out and displaced. Is it open to all income levels. Really those conversations need to be had. And then what does it look like, too, when we talk about this. Who are we engaging. Are the leaders engaged. The folks that can actually make this happen. Is there buyin, is there a sense of urgency and then what. What does it look like. Is it giving money to everyone. Is it paying off student debt. We hear a lot from folks talking about being able to just make sure that their students, their young people go to college and not having to pay for that. I think the most important thing that we want is not transactional change, not just that we get to have another policy or another piece of paper or more things that people have said. But that we actually want to transform, we want transformational. We want to create change in the structure. People had mentioned previously what this might look like for indigenous people, like if we are able to really develop a formula and have some ideas and strategies. What does it look like to embed them, move beyond transactional chain and really transformational change. To pull that out, as we do this, what are we doing. These are just a few points that came from a study about what successful change looks like. What transformational change looks like. Well, first and foremost, creating this Advisory Committee, a powerful guiding coalition, assembling a committee, a group of committed folks, who are diverse in their experiences and their access to resources and not just connecting with the usual suspects, how do we get to some of the voices of people who may have some amazing ideas, but have never been invited to be part of the discussion. Just sit at the table. The vision piece. We have a lot of directives and plans and programs. But whats the vision. What is it that we hope to achieve. What do we want to see happen. Whats the chloroand compel clear and compelling statement. Do we want to make sure that people are building wealth. What are those things that we want to build out. Support and resources, shortterm goals are going to be really important. We need to make sure that in the shortterm, because this is going to have a long shelf life, what are we doing to encourage and support each other and to make sure that this doesnt get put on the shelf and forgotten about. And then, lastly, it is going to be impossible to do this without taking risks. I thank supervisor walton again for making this list. Well have so make some sacrifices, but most importantly collaboration between communities, between our elected officials and Department Heads to actualize this. And to actually have this to show for it. So im excited about the potential. I am grateful for the community. I have to say, it has been i hear this with supervisor walton in a couple of other folks. Like these Community Conversations and engagements. Like the last few months, over 60 of those. It has been a lot. But i would say it has definitely been the highlight of my year, just to be in company with people to hear the hopefulness and to hear that people are excited to, i think as our American Indian brothers and sisters mentioned, just to be seen, to feel heard. And the promise of something actually happening. So im just really grateful to be a part of this movement. So thank you all so much. Chair ronen thank you so much, director davis. This is this is just such profound work and your leadership both you and supervisor walton has just been guiding this with so much brilliance and love and respect for your community. And its just been something really beautiful to be proud of our city for. Its really its really transformational. And just cant thank you more for your work, both of you on this. If i could be added as a cosponsor to the item, it would be an honor. So thank you so much. Supervisor stefani also mentioned that she was so sad that she has to leave, taking her son to the e. R. Hes fine. He fell off his skateboard and the doctor suggests he goes in. She just said she really wanted to be here to vote on this item, because it really it is so extremely exciting. So just wanted to mention that on her behalf. Sorry. I would be remiss, too, if i didnt acknowledge and thank mayor breed for her leadership in this as well. I know i cant remember, supervisor walton, when it was that, you know, she told me and asked to give a call to make sure we were working and collaborating. I just want to acknowledge her. Shes been behind the scenes pushing for this as well. So i just want to acknowledge that. Chair ronen absolutely. Thank you so much, mayor breed, for all of your incredible work as well on this. Thank you. Supervisor walton, did you want to say anything more before we open this up for Public Comment . Supervisor walton thank you, chair ronen. Just want to i did want to say thank you to mayor breed, as we worked on investing the resources from the Police Department and making the investment to the book community. We saw this as First Step Towards reparations. I do want to thank the Mayors Office for all of her work on that. [ please stand by ] starting in progress p. If you could just turn off your tv or your radio, it would be appreciated. Im having a hard time hearing you. Is that any better . [inaudible] [inaudible] thank you. Hello . [inaudible] hello . Yes, we can hear you. Please proceed. You can proceed with you call, maam. Hello, this is gwendolyn brown. Im executive director. Yes, please proceed. [there is no audio] im here with my support for the formation of this Advisory Board that will be giving out policies and procedures for preparations in San Francisco. My participation is on behalf of black homeowners who held a lot of wealth and equity here into o. M. I. , being homeowners. About 20 years ago, a huge part of our population was pushed out and, um, moved into housing to abstain violence, and so im part of this im here to advocate for those folks that were victims of redlining and being pushed out by policies, etc. So on behalf of all of my residents and im here to pledge my full support. So i appreciate having that time, and i yield my time. Thank you. Thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller good morning, susupervisors. I thank so much. My name is dr. Monique kazar indescernable . Today i represent indescernable . Reparations are vitally important for black san franciscans as the city and county has harmed the black communities with antiblack practices, with redlining the war on drugs, discrimination practices, employment and labor, and is decades overdue for housing. Reparations are necessary to apply to the hundred years of freedom. The november journal of american medicine states there has not been a single year since the founding of the United States when black people in this country have not been sicker and died younger than white mothers. Black mothers are three times as more likely to die from pregnantrelated causes than white mothers. And the rate of premature deaths is 30 higher among black americans than white americans. The New York Times states that this is a Racial Health divide. Blacks cannot close the racial wealth gap by changing their individual behavior or by assuming more personal responsibility or acquiring the Portfolio Management insight associated with financial literacy. Moreover, the racial wealth gap is not from a lack of labor, but from a lack of financial capital. I support mayor breed and her incredible work, and the incredible work of director david, in reparations and demand reparations; it is time. Chairman time. Can we have the next caller, please . Caller thank you so much. And thank you so much. My name is arnold townsend, reverend arnold townsend. Obviously, im happy to see the city approaching this issue of reparations, and the treatment of black people historically in this city. I do want to say that while i think reparations for slavery is a national issue, and there should be National Solutions for it, i must say that San Francisco has its own legacy, racist legacy, to stand on, which gives it reason enough to consider reparations without even a discussion of what happened in slavery. The reality is going back from the times when black san franciscans left this city to move to canada and other places because of the whole racism that existed here, where they took our wealth. And people will say, well, they paid you for it. They took our wealth and gave us money, and its not the same thing. And we need to know that. It is important, though, that we also use this opportunity, as cheryl was talking about, to transform attitudes towards the Africanamerican Community and put out penalties for people who still carry those attitudes and make them part of their work, and even part of their city work. To be proud that were doing this, i think is the wrong approach, madam chair. We should be ashamed, one, that it happened, and certainly that it has taken this long. And no had we not uniquely come into a tragic situation that gave us the mayor that we have, and gave us the supervisor that we have chairman thats time. Thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hi, good morning, supervisors. My name is randy seragucci, and im the executive director of the academy, and were a nonprofit down in the bay view, and looking to place one africanamerican male teacher in the Elementary Schools in the city. I want to say we wholeheartedly support the formation of this Advisory Committee. It is long past due. We applaud the leadership of supervisor walton, director davis, and mayor breeds commitment to this work. It is refreshing to see that this is something being taken seriously and at this level. We look forward to the work that this committee will do. Ill say tha that that as a nonsan franciscan native, someone who moved to this city from the east coast, i always had this image of San Francisco as a progressive beacon, a place where everybody was treated with respect and had the same opportunities. It was surprising to learn as much as i have learned in the last of five years in my role doing this work. Obviously, there are atrocities we can talk about across the board from the School System to the criminal justice system, etc. , etc. , but as was said by reverend townsend,this is transformational work we are seeking to find and do and invest in. I think when you talk about the destruction, the redlining of the policies that were enacted and affected in communities, there has to be a radical disruption and turn around with resources that will right the wrong and right the ship for generations to come. And for this to be that place that i think everybody wishes for it to be. So i applaud the opportunity for this vote and encourage the vote for the formation and proper investment in the community that has long past needed it, deserves it, and should be here for hundreds of years while this thrives as the city that it is and can be. Thank you. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hi, my name is mr. Crawford. Im the executive director of the new community foundation. I want to thank supervisor walton for this commission, and reverend brown, and the naacp, as well as the rules committee. We left ji jim crowes south, and we never got our 40 acres and a mule. But we built 40 acres and a mule for ourselves. We became known around the world with a thriving economic corridor and potential to be one of the premier communities in the world. It is the highest ownership of homes among black people. And through systematic racism as were building our community, San Francisco, through systematic racism had redlining, and highways in bay view that isolated or communities, and demolition of communities. While we didnt get the 40 acree built our own 40 acres and a mule, and San Francisco systematically destroyed our 40 acres and a mule. Im encouraging this committee to create this Advisory Board. What happens in San Francisco spreads around the country. When San Francisco implemented urban removal to systematically remove black back from the inner city, the rest of the country followed suit. Now it is time for San Francisco to help undo this damage. What you do here in San Francisco will spread visit the country. If we undo the harm, and give black people reparations, you will see other cities across the world taking these initiatives. I encourage this rules committee and this board of supervisors to be bold and take this bold step. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hello, caller, you may proceed. [inaudible] caller hi, my name is suzanna, and im a resident of San Francisco. And i wanted to call today to thank the supervisors for putting forth this measure. I firmly support the formation of this Advisory Committee and in general, the American Economy was built on the backs of slave and neither they nor their ancestors was ever compensated for it. 40 acres and a mule was talked about, but it was never implemented. I think in particular, the city of San Francisco has intentionally disinvested and harmed the black community through many types of antiblack practices, such as redlining, war on drugs, antiblack discrimination, and others, and, therefore, i think that reparations are definitely necessary for black americans in San Francisco. Thank you for allowing me to speak today. Chairman thank you. May we have the next caller, please. Caller good morning. My name is virginia marshall, and im president of the San Francisco alliance of blacks who are educators. I want to thank the wonderful suffolk walton, mayor lo london breed. It is absolutely time that San Francisco repay the debt of the harm that was caused when so many of our brothers and sisters had to move out of San Francisco. I wasnt here when you talked about the grace fi filmore center, but it sounded so wonderful, blackowned business and blackowned homeowners, who were not allowed in San Francisco 40 years ago. [inaudible] none of my two children can afford to rent a home, no less buy a home in San Francisco. Were all entitled and overdue for our 40 acres and a mule. The question is what does that look like in 2021 and 2022. This will give every africanamerican in this city to reinvest in this city, to purchase a home, to have a Wonderful Community center, to have jobs, to further educate our children. There are so many things we can do to make us whole. So thank you for this opportunity. I encourage each of you to vote yes on this Advisory Committee board, and in a few years the world will look at San Francisco and say, they did not just talk about it and it will be in the history book they actually gave reparations to settle somewhat the harms that have been caused to the africanamericans in this city. And this is one of the richest cities in the world. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller good morning. I am the cofounder the s. F. Black wall street. I would like to begin by thanking supervisor walton, mayor breed, and the members of the board for their time and their work. I think it is critical at this moment in time that San Francisco stand in front and show the rest of the world how to invest in a community that has been intentionally harmed and displaced through policy and procedures for years and years. Ive heard a lot of my Community Colleagues and family members come on iton theline and mention 40 acs and a mule, and while i appreciate that was a gesture that the government wanted to make for the black community, we deserve much, much more. We are committed to continue to fight the economic injustice in San Francisco, for a real stake and what our city looks like now and will in the future. We cannot do that if were not parts of the decisionmaking and policy process. I want to thank you all for your time. I want to thank you all for your commitment. And we are committed to standing with you to see this across the finish line, and to be able to provide the practical examples of what it looks like when Economic Justice is given to a community to be able to build and heal. Thank you. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Thank you. I am a native san franciscan. And this is a long time coming. Thank you, San Francisco leaders, district supervisors, jamal walton, the mayor, and mr. Davis, for all of the work you have initiated and put into this, and the words you have said. There is no need to piggyback because we all know what needs to be done. And it doesnt have to take a long time because it is already on the books, what we need to do. We just have to take action and do it. San francisco is a very rich city, and you find money for Everything Else and for everybody else. Lets find find the money to do this because it is a long time coming, and it needs to be done. Thank you. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please . Hi. I ms. Greene. And im the director of indescernable , which is a nonprofit that we create that that is based here in the Public Housing area. I also am a member of s. F. Block, and s. F. Wall street. And repration reparations are vy important to the Africanamerican Community. Ive been here to for six generations now. And the systematic racism with the policies and procedures put in place in San Francisco has been those that have kept black people from not gaining the wealth and the Economic Standing that they so much deserve. So the American Economy was actually built on the backs are enslaved people, and neither them nor their ancestors have ever been compensated for it. And these same systems are still in place. I wanted to commend director davis, supervisor walton, and above all, our mayor breed for putting this motion into affect and bringing this to the forefront. No longer can we say that the white man is keeping us down. We can now say it is the systems that have been keeping black people down for so long. And now coming together to establish this africanamerican advisory, reparations Advisory Committee, is something that is very, very important. Dont go with the myth of people cant work together. It is for you to stand strong and say, no, you know what . This is long overdue and this is something that needs to work in order to benefit those, especially our children that are coming up behind us. Because we no longer want to have the same conversation 15, 20 years from now of saying we are now going to establish an africanamerican reparations Advisory Committee again. This is the time to do this now. We have been talking about this for a long time. I commend chairman your time is up. Thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Hi. Can you hear me. Chairman we can hear you. Please proceed. Hi, my name is dr. Cederick jackson. Im the president of the black Leadership Forum here in San Francisco. Id like to lend my voice to supporting reparations for the Africanamerican Community in San Francisco. I even suggest that the city redirect the money not only from the Police Department, but also other criminal justice departments that have historically been part of the punishment not the empowerment of the community. That money can go to the empowerment of our community through not only economic revitalization concepts in our major neighborhoods, but it can also go towards the healing. And we have to understand we are not in a post postracial american. We are 73 million strong against what were talking about now in america. Not we, but there are 73 Million People in america who dont agree with you. Thats a sizable amount. 47 , to be exact. We have to do what is right now to start the healing of our community. There is no such thing as posttraumatic when it comes to the black community. This is a Traumatic Stress syndrome that we experience every day. Reparations are the only way we can stem this tide of destruction that is going on in our community. We need reparations to heal us and to make us whole again, and to give us back or dignity and determination. Thank you. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hi, im tiffany, and im the cofounder of s. F. Wall street. My grandparents came here from the south to escape the racism of jim crowe. They worked ought the shipyard. I have witnessed my generation being pushed out of San Francisco. Im hoping that San Francisco will lead in this formation, as we have lead in Everything Else. It is definitely something that i want to see. San francisco is the capital of america. Im really hoping we can get this done. Thank you. For those already on hold, please continue to wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted. We have approximately five additional callers online for Public Comment. Can we have the next caller, please. Next caller, you may proceed. Caller hi, good morning. I am a 40 year resident of San Francisco in district 10, and a fourth generation africanamerican descendent of my family, who has lived in San Francisco since their migration from the south. I am a member of transformational miracles, and with two nonprofit organizations that have been occurring. I want to express my gratitude to all of the people tirelessly working to see change happen. Im in full support of this Advisory Committee, and expect that the members of this rules committee will be honored to do the same. I thank you for allowing our Community Members a space to speak for our community. When we lift the black, all communities thrive. Thank you, respectfully, and i yield the rest of my time. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hello. Chairman hi. Yes, we can hear you. Good morning. Goo caller good morning. This is reverend amos brown, and im president of the San Francisco branch of naacp. I first want to share, as an historian, some nuggets of history. That we must never forget. It has been rempse referenced that we dent didnt get didnt r 40 acres and a mule by several of the previous speakers. But the idea of 40 acres and a mule didnt come from the government. But the idea came from a baptist preacher, named garrison, who on january 12, 1865, was asked by general sherman, after he burned down atlanta, what do you feel that the union owes these enslaved persons . It was that old revered clerk that looked at general sherman and said, sir, i cant speak for everybody in this meeting. Chairman the speakers time has but at least we should have 40 acres and a mule. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hello, my name is shevon hunter. I currently live in district 10, and im also executive director of peace international. Im calling because the city and county of San Francisco has intentionally disinvested and harmed the black community with explicit antiblack practices, around redlining, the war on drugs, and they practices both unemployment in labor, and it has been decades of broken promises in rights for housing, jobs, health equity, just to name a few. The American Economy was built on the back of enslaved people, and were not asking for a handout. Were asking for what is due. The descendents faced undescribeable violence that has been passed on from generation to generation to generation. Here in San Francisco, we are purposely dismissed, as if you dont see us or hear us. And we are just saying we want what is due to us so we can have equitable opportunities, and so that we dont continue to live in poverty. It really only takes one person to make a decision for those who are continued to be harmed, to move from poverty to prosperity. These people on this Advisory Board need to push the envelope forward. You can be responsible to help us move forward in these reparations. Again, i just implore you to make that decision to help us help ourselves to do a better job. In closing, i support mayor breed, supervisor walton, and drek director davis work. And i demand reparations now chairman your time is up. Thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hi. I find it somewhat distressing that one of the speakers earlier said that the effects of slavery has outlasted slavery itself considering that at least referencing slavery in the u. S. , that started in the 1600s, so that is still a couple hundred years of slavery versus 150 years postslavery. So, yeah, i hope that at least that our Advisory Committee will have more accuracy. Thank you. Chairman thank you. Can i have the next caller, please. Caller yes. Hi. I just want to thank the board for presenting this, supervisor walton and cheryl davis and also mayor london breed. Myself is a contributor for having the african flags put over the bay view district, which has been spirited to the africanamerican culture district. I came and spoke on february 11th, 2020, around that time, but i was the representative of black lives matter movement. Im sure some of you remember the mother of yalani, who was murdered in San Francisco, the San Francisco quadruple homicide. So truly you know that the time is now for righteousness to be come to the Africanamerican Community. There is no question about what needs to be done. As far as im concerned, it is a long process in even having a committee. It is time to do right by the nation because we built this country. It is no nationality that would have entered on this land if it had not been for the indigenous nation, commonly called the blacks. Im looking forward, sherm mosherman walton, and mayor breed, and im one of the persons to sit on this Advisory Committee because i say what i mean and i mean what i say. The time is now to do right. And im going to end by saying, harriot tubman, with the underground railroad. And what did they say . Go down to egypt and tell pharaoh, let me people go. Shalom. Chairman the speakers time as elapsed. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Caller hello. I would like to say i agree with almost most of what has been said, so i dont need to repeat it. I would like to say what one person did say, that it has been too long. But it is never too late to do the right thing. Establishing an africanamerican reparation Advisory Committee is the right thing to do. I wholeheartedly support this. Speaking of the negro spirit, this little light of mine, this Advisory Committee will be a little light, and what im hoping is that it will grow and grow and grow until it shines all over the world. Thank you, everyone who has been a part of this movement. Thank you. Chairman than thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hello, this is bob adams, jr. , pastor of the Providence Baptist church of San Francisco. And i want to begin by saying that there is a long history of the past, and it cannot continue this way any longer. We must create this change and be the change. The reparations, along with this Advisory Committee, and along with our faith leaders, it is important that our voices are heard. And so i want to end by thanking supervisor walton, director davis, and the honorable mayor breed for taking this lead. It is time. It is past time to get it done. And with gods help, we will. Thank you very much. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller hi. My name is erica. This affects housing, parenting, education, environmental injustices, even leading to indescernable , it is evidence that debts need to be paid. It is pressing down on the direct Community Members. They must be the decisionmakers. I hope finances can get funnelledefunnelled into educatn with the focus of the black residents. [inaudible] in support of black families who have lost loved ones. That is to say that the city must do what organizations do, like s. F. Wall street, have been doing so far. If the city cannot do it in full measures, perhaps those organizations should be the ones to lead the way. Thank you. Chairman thank you. Can we have the next caller, please. Caller good morning. Reverend dr. Sheralynne staff calling. Chairman if you dont mind, could you please turn off your radio. Caller you have the opportunity to do what is right in reparations and reconciliation. And here in 2020, i would just ask, after all youve heard, that you continue to consider doing what is right. Im grateful for our honorable mayor london breed, dr. Davis, and supervisor