PHOTO/SARAH MENEFEE
Editor’s note: This is a transcript of a speech given at the Super Bowl-NFL corporate takeover of downtown San Francisco and harassment of the homeless.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA— I am very happy to be here with you to take a stand today. They have changed San Francisco so much for their private party. They have privatized public space. My child’s park that she plays in right over there is now part of Super Bowl City. They have armed guards with military assault rifles, wearing body armor, they’re driving these trucks that look like they should be in Desert Storm. I was going to have to submit to a search in order to go to the park with my daughter—that’s ridiculous! They shouldn’t be allowed to take over public space like this. The way they’re sweeping homeless people out of the encampments, trying to get them out of the way so the city can maintain its reputation in front of the tourists and visitors to the Super Bowl, is disgusting. They treat homeless people worse than anyone would treat a dog.
Four years ago I was homeless myself in San Francisco, when I was pregnant with my daughter, living right around here actually, sleeping in the BART stations, down at the Ferry Building or just around the corner in the Financial District, and I’ve seen what they do during the sweeps. They kick people awake, they steal your possessions and you never get them back, you lose your blankets, your tarp, everything. They take it as evidence of your criminal activity, if you are sitting, sleeping, lying, anything. Actually, once I got cited for sleeping when I was awake!
We can’t let people be treated in this inhumane way. We are in a city with incredible wealth and we have one of the largest homeless populations in the nation. The way we treat our most vulnerable communities shows who we are as a city. We have politicians who are hateful towards the homeless. It’s just disgusting the way people are treated in this city. I know people who are still out on the streets living, and protesting, comrades here and in the East Bay, and they deserve better. Thank you all for being here!
