| Fighting gentrification, uniting communities of color while challenging big business |
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| by Patricia N. Sánchez | |
| Wednesday, 11 July 2007 | |
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Families of color and small merchants are coming together once again to fight a greedy developer for their right to affordable housing, the survival of “mom and pop” shops and maintaining their culture in the Mission. A call is being sent out for support and unity with other communities of color facing gentrification, specifically for actions underway this week. An ideal site for affordable housing and community space on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Mission streets — once the Kelly Moore site — is being threatened by the development of a 60-unit, “rent-increasing” condominium project. Units are estimated at $550,000-$700,000, affordable only to those making over $100,000 a year! Of those 60, there are only nine truly affordable units, the minimum number required by the Inclusionary Zoning law. These affordable units are available for one-person households earning $64,500, affordable to only 10 percent of San Francisco residents. The project also includes a “small-business-busting” Walgreens. Already there are FOUR Walgreens in a mile radius of the proposed site! Monopoly anyone? This gentrifying project proposed by the developer, Seven Hills Properties, was already granted a conditional use permit on April 19 of last year by the San Francisco Planning Commission. It’s currently being challenged by an ambitious and community supported counter proposal. ‘Another world is possible’ This well-known slogan for the radical left inspired folks from the Mission Anti-displacement Coalition (MAC), the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (BHNC) and diverse local community residents to announce, “Another project is possible,” a campaign to secure 60-70 units of truly affordable housing for families making $54,000 and under. This “Other Project” will include pedestrian friendly mom and pop businesses and community centers on the ground floor, as well as ensuring that the construction will promote local jobs with dignified wages or union jobs. The goal is to retain working class families of color in the Mission and to build community organizing to help empower the folks already struggling to survive in this area. As readers of the Bay View know, the story of modern urbanization has been that of exploiting and forcing out Black, Brown, other people of color, immigrant and especially indigenous peoples. We need to support and defend each other’s struggles to develop strong, healthy and sustainable communities. United we will not be forced out. Together we can win! Week of actions July 9-17 MAC has appealed the Planning Commission’s decision to the Board of Supervisors; a public hearing is set for next Tuesday, July 17, at 4 p.m. MAC is hoping that a fully packed hearing room will help convince the few remaining supervisors who have yet to support the “Other Project.” Readers are encouraged to call the Supervisors prior to the hearing on Tuesday. Their contact information is at http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=7271. To mobilize a large turnout at the hearing, a week of actions is being planned at the development site, starting on Monday, July 9, up to a march to City Hall on June 17. Everyone is invited to daily actions and festivities at the site, 4-7 p.m., bringing together families, youths, workers, immigrants and allies from other communities of color who are also facing displacement. After a rally at the site Monday morning, activists had intended to enter and “camp out” for a week, but police got wind of the action and blocked their entry. They intend to keep trying. People before profits! Seven Hills Development is not in compliance with the City of San Francisco’s General Plan or the Eastern Neighborhoods zoning requirements. Recent Planning Department development policies were created to address the real crisis of affordable housing in working class neighborhoods, including the Mission. This Planning Department should have halted the consideration of the project until Seven Hills had presented a complete cumulative impact analysis. Instead, they have negligently approved of a project that doesn’t even follow their own guidelines. The Planning Department has acted irresponsibly, betraying the needs of the community it’s supposedly working for. We know who they are really striving to please with this decision, and we can’t let them get away with placing profits over people’s needs! A huge environmental and cumulative impact that is being completely disregarded is the increasing displacement of working-class families of color who contribute to the Mission’s unique flavor and culture. None could possibly appreciate all of the beautiful murals and roots-music as deeply as those who the art and song is about. We need to hold the City agencies and elected officials accountable, but, most importantly, we need to bring together and mutually support communities of color to build a stronger resistance against greedy developers and “mom and pop-destroying” corporate chains. The “Another Project is Possible” campaign is getting real hot. Right now there is much enthusiasm and dedication from many of our brothers and sisters to make sure we win the site at 3400 Cesar Chavez. But in order to reach more people, we need to go to their homes, streets, churches, laundromats and businesses. This week there are many opportunities to do some outreach — join us. Help us plan and get the word out every Thursday, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at PODER, 474 Valencia St., Suite 120, near 16th Street, San Francisco. Patricia N. Sánchez is a community organizer with PODER. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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