With life programming. Please consider donating to help us continue our work. Please visit us at commonwealth club. You can find us and the description box below. Welcome to todays virtual program. I served as a supervisor in the city and county and most recently at the california director for bernie 2020 where i could work very close with sean campaigning for senator sanders. Theres not too many things more that scare me than writing a book. [laughter] and how to fight injustice. Sean will share with us a little bit about his journey and if you have a question and then reserve time at the end. And those that can order on the link that commonwealth put up but we encourage you so what the process was like theres nothing more difficult than telling your own story. We originally planned on doing this as a live event back in may with my book coming out in april. I love the bay and so many of my closest friends are there. We have five kids. We had all taken off of work and school and going to do the two were together with 30 venues around the country. I worked for almost one year writing the book. And then fighting for justice for so many people with the daily discipline that i did for the book and then writing daily every day for months on end. It was like one year of hard work. And its not the autobiography. But its really about my philosophy of change in a manifesto when 2013 when the black lives matter began as far west as hawaii and the deep south in the mississippi delta everywhere you can imagine everywhere i would go i would get one question. My book is the answer. From all political persuasions and ages come i am frustrated about injustice and Police Brutality. How do i use my life to change that . Everywhere i would go if i was speaking or walking on the streets come as recently as today i get direct messages and emails of some version of that question people being aware of what is wrong with the world but not clear what to do about it. Im trying to close the gap using your life to make change. You have to craft it and hone it and build it and make it im trying to unpack what that means in the book. Host i thought you articulated that well with that question. And talking to young people that know this is the pathway, constantly asked how do i do it . I want to make a change so every young person wants to make a difference and a positive contribution. And school doesnt necessarily teach you that. And with all that education there is never a place where people unpack here is how you change the world. And then in a lot of ways most of the institutions were not built to change the world but to maintain it. And with the favorite charities. And they werent necessarily built for change. So when you try to say i dont like the way things are and that conspires against you to do that. And for years i did the things i thought would work to make change. It is a failure of after protesting and trending topics and fully willing to be aware of our worst problems with wealth and income disparities and Health Care Crisis some estimates have it higher if you have children. Our country is willing to say i see that problem and im sorry for that problem but then do nothing about it. There is an awareness that often empower and im afraid im seeing that now even with the love and political figures in that black lives matter to us and how so as the policies are fighting for and then to say show us your board. Show us your senior staff. Thank you for your awareness. And to give some clear steps how they can fill that gap in their own lives. So if you just focus on reforming the police and how we employee people and how schools are run. That it became man easy scapegoat. And then go to mecca what you say to those that were discourage of those nominees and then the rest of the question is how do you think they can engage with and demand seat at the table . I have five children the oldest are 18 and 20. They dont think im old enough to have a 20 yearold but i was almost a kid when i started having kids. Literally being a father my entire adult life. That those that are severely disappointed for political nominees. Our last preference of every major candidate. They literally preferred nine other people over him. They are learning a hard lesson very quickly that me and you learned a long time ago its hard to vote somebody that you are crazy about. And when you do get to vote for somebody that looks like you or comes from your community are actually shares your political philosophy, you have to fight for the moment. Im 40. For most of my adult life, i have never been enthusiastic and those voting for the first time i know if it is pragmatic but there is disappointment with the availability of candidates and politics there are some including bernie that ignited the imaginations with what could be. If you have a candidate who seems not to have an imagination are hopeful or how things could happen it is disappointing but you cant check out of the democracy. In previous president ial elections like lesser of two evils. I dont think they are comparable nobody has been a better bigger critic than me. I dont think id be welcome into the biden white house. It is one of the first times that i am going to be voting to oust a candidates versus voting for a candidate that i really am excited about. And so, it is difficult. But it is a part of american democracy. Comment jane we were really close, obviously bernie one california. And we all, me and so many volunteers and staffers worked our hearts out. If he is able after such a disappointing loss. And he gave more to this race than anybody from his own life and his own time, if he is able to pivot, i feel in some ways i know it to him to be able to find a way to pivot as well. And not get stuck in my frustration. That question came from lynn on youtube. I have to say that i never thought i would run for office. I was reading your story about you are that activists with the megaphone at the back of the pack. Hows that activists in college. I was radical i was blow by did not believe in politicians. And i was voting is a disempowering exercise because i thought it was voting between the lesser of two evils. I was never excited about anyone i was voting for. But it was only as an organizer where i got involved at the neighborhood level that i started going to my local school board meeting. In my local City Council Meeting and i started to realize that actually the most important things are elective representatives do, as they determine how to spend our dollars. We should have a seat at that table. My friends and understand what i did. But when i served on the board , i would tell my friends i look for a 10 billiondollar foundation. Im when i have one wealthy individual or family it is everyone. Because everyone paid into that fund. I we should be voting on these down ballot races. Because they are determining how to spend our money back into our community. So that budget, how much we pay teachers, Police Officers, parks, streets, and which neighborhoods we invest them in. That is a document that reflects our values and priorities. Us not just blinded numbers and dollar signs. Ive always encouraging folks to think about down ballot. If you are not excited about biotin and, look, thats the second question, start organizing for the local races. Is a lot happening, grass roots law no these Police Departments actually won by cities. Thats right. I love to hear a little bit more about grassroots. And i want to come back to the book. You know, first you said something, a few minutes ago about the goals and objectives even of the black lives Matter Movement that policing is just a fraction of what we are fighting for. And it reminded me, jane, on a first move mckay lives in california in two different occasions but i lived in Southern California twice for almost five years. When i first moved to californi california, we moved to irvine. And heres how we ended up at irvine. We had never lived in california before. And we literally googled safest cities in Southern California. And irvine that year, which i think was 2013, was actually listed as the safest city in america. When we moved out to irvine, i had been there for about three weeks and something dawned on me. I had never saw a police car. Not parked on the road, not driving on the road, we were there for four weeks, five weeks, six weeks. I was there for almost eight weeks before i saw the first police car. Now mind you, this is in americas safest city. So i literally asked a friend of mine for even then when i saw the police car was parked in the parking lot of a grocery store. And i asked my friend, is there a Police Department and irvine . He took me showed me the police to parma, showed me the jail. I was tucked behind somewhere. So here irvine is the safest city in america. But irvine is not safe. Because the police are everywhere prayed that is how they wanted to define safety for particular communities. Irvine was a safest city in america paid because everybody had not only a job but a wellpaying job. Everybody was covered with health insurance. I saw something that happened irvine was like 99 insured. Sometimes there were hospitals as beautiful as shopping malls. There were parks on every corne corner. All of these schools were well resourced. But irvine was safe for very different metrics. It wasnt safe because it was over police, it was safe because it was built to be safe. It was built and fashioned and funding that safety was just a part of the fabric of the town. It wasnt because there werent drugs and irvine. My daughter started ninth grade there, the year remove their prayed the first day she got there she came home and she was alarmed. She been homeschooled for six years. And she said kids all over the school were not only talking about drugs, they were giving drugs to each other. Selling drugs to each other. When kids got caught with drugs at irvine, their parents set them to treatment. They didnt get a rested. We were treated as if they had Substance Abuse problems. It was a function of their privilege. That instead of being arrested over and over again, kids at her school were given outpatient treatment. Sometimes they were not even suspended from school. Until all of the said new realize, no, this place was designed to be safe. From the way they do their mouth, the way they factor in safety. So it is very different. And in the black lives Matter Movement, he also mentioned budgets. That is what defunded the police is about. We are talking about defunding the police. Just to translate to those who may be watching now or who might watch it later, when we say defund the police, what we are saying is we just want to look at the police budget. Where policing is now over 50 of the citys general fund, to the tune of billions of dollars in some cities. And so we are saying, i think it is a Smart Evolution of the black lives Matter Movement to say you know what, black lives matter let me see it matter in your budget. Let me see how black lives matter on the line items that you mention, jane. And it is important for us to understand, as doctor king said that budgets are moral documents. They do, they show intention. So if you love children, show me in your budget how you love children. Whatever it is you say you love, i was a christian pastor for many years, jane. And in the bible there is a scripture that says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. In other words, your money shows where your heart is. And what we are saying is, a budget shows your priorities. And right now in america, budgets show that cities value mass incarceration. The value policing at all costs. You and i talked earlier, when you actually ask the people, what do you prefer, that is not really what people want to be the highest priority. They do want to be safe. There is safety all around the World Without millions and millions of Police Officers. Heres a real path to doing it. And in the grassroots law project, but we are trying to do is organize people, just as you said on the city level. Because as much as a president ial campaign and elections matter, and it does matter, 95 of all people who are arrested are arrested for their local Police Department because of local laws of policies for their process of the local District Attorneys office. And the truth is, even when we have president obama an office, there is very little that he did that trickle down to local Police Departments. And so we are organizing our policing, that is a local fight. And we are doing in the bay. There are cases that we are taking on in the bay. In cases that we are working on all around the country. We are working with the family of rhianna taylor. The family of george floored, of the mod artery. And in the bay area, sean who was shot and killed admits to protest for george floyd. Sean who was just 20 years old, the very last text he sent his sister was a petition to sign for george floyd. And police, not only did they shoot and kill sean, they have now lied about it. The District Attorney has recused herself. And was saying listen, there still has to be justice. And i wish the case could be tried in San Francisco. Sean lived in San Francisco for a big chunk of his life. And i think we could actually get some measure of justice if the case could be moved there. But we will wait and see. For audience members no, Sean Montrose is a San Francisco college San Francisco student was shot and killed by the Police Department in june. Through the windshield. They shot him through the windshield for it he was kneeling on the ground hands up. Through their windshield they did not in get out of the car. They said he but they claim he had a gun. But it turned out he had a hammer in his pocket. And they did not even give him a shot. This 22yearold never saw the next day. And i cant imagine anything more heartbreaking. But i will say, the city council is a small elected body. This is a body we can influence. It is more moderate but they need to hear from us. These local City Council Meetings are not sexy, they are tedious. Its were were in turn change happens. Its where it happens is you go and the website to learn about how to engage. Because of the very local level we can make that difference. And people running right now for city council. Candidates are running. So we have to hold folks accountable right now while they are running for office. We had the Mayors Office open open, the incumbent mayor not running for reelection, this is the time to really step up in that case. And sean, i want us to go back to the book. You talked about this in your first response. Just how there is no natural pathway for folks to make change. There are no entrylevel job. You get hired here in salute make your way up, right . I think often when i talk to young people obviously they hear about my accomplishments, right . Resume, social media i think that can be very intimidating for folks that are starting on the journey. But what doesnt get talked about as much, is the path to getting there. I always talk about how when i first graduated college with my american studies and political to science degree, i was really depressed. I did not know what to do. I knew i wanted to make a difference. But i was really lost. You feel the passion, you see the injustice. And you want to fight but you dont exactly know where or how to start. And i dont think you talk enough about that. You talk about that in your book. The losses and the disappointments. And also just like depression. That many of us go through. I think when young people go through that they think they are the only ones. They say people iq on social media and theyre like oh, i could never be shaun im so depressed about where i am. I dont have the answers, right . Or what you say to young folks, actually they dont have to be young. [laughter] know anybody. Folks who are struggling to assert themselves to be that leader i think everyone is struggling right now, jane, you know First Lady Michelle Obama did a recent episode on her podcast where she said she thought she was fighting through depression. She talked about how it was kind of it was environmental depression. She said the death of george floyd, ahmau brown and taylor, ahmaud arbery. Its a anyone had had herds her say that. There was an expectation, here she is one of the most famous women in the world with access of power, and wealth. And this moment is still overwhelming her. And it is hard. I have delivered nearly 50 different eulogies for families just over the past few months who lost their loved ones to the coronavirus. In my own neighborhood where live in brooklyn i am in my basement in brooklyn right now. We have people who died on the block to the left of us, to the right of us, behind us. Weve had businesses close all around here. And said this is a very, very painful year. It is a painful year for our country. Even if you removed the pandemic would be hard. He put the pandemic on top of all of it, so i understand how hard it is. How hard it feels. You know jane, i tell the story in my book about most of what i have fought for in my life as an organizer, i have lost or faile failed. Most of the candidates i have fought for have not one. Most of the families i fought justice for his nine get it. What still wakes me up in the morning, is really two things. One, every new day a new family comes to me. And they are not exhausted. They just now experience some type of injustice. In this country, American Police killed three or four people a day. And every day, almost everyday one of those families comes to me, and even though i may be overwhelmed with all of the struggles and challenges of fighting for justice, they are still grasping for straws. And they still need somebody to fight for them. It cant always be me. Has to people locally, people in the bay, has to be people in new york or in atlanta. Or in the deep south fighting for ahmaud arbery. And so some of it is, the because we are fighting for is still here. And still calling on us and needing us. But the flip of that is also true. The cause of injustice is going to continue. Not just with