A San Francisco supervisor is open to landmarking the Bank of America building in the Castro after the financial giant initially posted signs that appeared to ban impromptu memorials.
A group of LGBTQ community members reclaimed the memorial space at the intersection of Castro and 18th streets January 18 Martin Luther King Jr. Day and posted memorials of recently-deceased Black LGBTQ leaders after the bank removed the signs.
The office of gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman indicated that he would propose the city landmark the historic site if community members raise their voices in support. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said that he spoke with Bank of America officials to resolve the situation in hopes another community group may take over stewardship of the area.
Members of the the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club and other community activists gathered on Mon/18, MLK Day, at the area on the southeast corner of Castro and 18th Street, to post several memorials for recent LGBTQ people who had passed.
The group converged after the traditional sacred mourning space was threatened, when the adjacent Bank of America branch posted signs forbidding the erection of memorials on the site, which had been used for decades to commemorate deaths in the community. (After local reporting from 48 Hills and Hoodline and being contacted by city officials, Bank of America removed the signs, promising to “ensure it remains a memorial.”)