much supported the collaboration that lee did with our chief and the war department to get everybody to speak out on this and contribute to this very necessary content -- campaign of education. representatives of our school department, are unified school district, our public safety agencies, to share in this responsibility that we need to talk to our kids. we need to tell them the words that are here. we need to put it in a way in which it really gets to them. it is not only well done, but you cannot walk away and not be emotional about wanting to be part of this movement. i want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, the individual officers who stepped up, not only as uniformed officers, but in our whole public safety division. everybody is coming together to say that -- i think this is an

incredible contribution that is the first in the country of officially contributing, as a police department, adding its voice to voices that need to be heard. a lot of kids still need to hear the love and embracing that we have for them, the care that we have for them. they know that there is an answer and they know there are friends and they know there will be police department, to act to protect them against these things so they will feel for sure that things will get better. this is a wonderful contribution. shawn, it is masterfully done, and it brings out not only the officers' lives, but our unity as a city to want to do something significant that could contribute to this worldwide movement. thank you very much to everybody in.

[applause] >> the next speaker is school board commissioner and the mayor's adviser on families and education, hydra mendoza. >> thank you. i had a chance to see this this morning and i am just so proud to be in a city where the leadership has taken this courageous step to talk about something, particularly for our youth, that we have had a really difficult time confronting. for the last 20 years, san francisco unified has been a leader around adopting curriculum, making wellness' centers and your resource centers available to our youth. it has not been enough. the court to all of this is always about the caring adults. what you have demonstrated for us today is the ability to reach out and connect with our youth and let them know that there is

a caring faction in our community and every part of san francisco that is going to be there to help and not judge but to support. i am proud and honored to be standing here. i want to rattle off a couple of statistics that make this so much more important than some -- than anyone realized. nine out of our 10 lgbt youth in our schools continue to get harassed. one-third of them get one day -- skip one day of school due to safety confirms. there are four times more likely to commit suicide. 45% of teen suicides are from the lgbt community. 28% of our teachers do not step in when something like this happens and even a larger percentage of kids. we have a full-fledged effort to make people not be bystanders but to step in and this is exactly what you're doing for our youth today. from the bottom of my heart today, and on a personal note,

my brother came out when he was 22 and i was the first person that he told. i cannot imagine what he went through from when he felt the need to come out and when he actually came out. i wish he had folks like you to support him the way that our youth are going to be supported. from the bottom of my heart, thank you very much. we are planning on getting this out to all of our schools. we're going to make sure it is part of all of our programming and curriculum. thank you very much for your leadership, and all of you that have courageously come out to say, they are great kids and it does get better. [applause] >> pretty much, right now, this video is available on the website. it will be up loaded and available to the general public on youtube from now on. we keep talking about the police department, but we got help from

the dispatcher. the dispatcher keeps asking me all the time, god bless you for stepping up. i wish i had a trophy to hand this guy. but i do not. you are the best. come on up. [applause] >> all i have to say is, i am new to san francisco. i actually moved from dallas just in time to watch the giants trouble them. i am so happy. i feel like i am home. more than that, i feel like i am the luckiest guy to know that my home is being protected by these officers. it was a long time in the editing process. i am grateful to hear your stories over and over again. thank you for saving lives.

[applause] >> that pretty much concludes the presentation. if anybody has any questions, anybody up here or any of the officers super dissipated in the video. then we will conclude. >> and you did not talk a lot about what you felt about it rid can you give us an idea of what you feel the impact of watching the video will have on the people who are watching it? >> i do not think there is a person in here who did not tear up a little bit watching this thing. just the heart to come out. when lee said, do you want to do it? it was a no-brainer. i did not know it would turn out like this. i could not be prouder of all the san francisco police officers who are here for our lgbt kids or any kids. kids deserve to grow up free of all the other nonsense.

this video says so. >> so do i.. >> why you think it is so long since the campaign has been around for more than one year. >> it has -- i have not been around for more than one year. this was raised to me right off the bat. it takes a while to bake a cake. that is beautiful. we did get it turned around pretty quickly. >> we have had this conversation before. but i am blown away by the fact that when i was born in 1950 and was raised in the 1960's, it resonates with someone who said they thought they were the only day police officer. i thought i was the only gay person.

there were not people i could identify with. there were characters on the streets of san francisco who dispatched people of a certain racial background. that was not someone -- i was not something i apply to. the police officer saying, the police will support you. i do not think that has happened in any other city in the united states. i am very proud to live in san francisco for that reason. thank you. >> i just want to also knowledge that i am on the board of directors for the national center for lesbian rights. we will be bringing out and honoring five of the student plaintiff's in the case that was a cluster of suicides that happened for lgbt use in michele

bachmann's congressional district. this is a fabulous time to bring this forward. we are looking forward to having them as our guest and i hope we can show them this video. and have some of the officers. >> absolutely. >> this is not a shy group. >> it would be great to have them meet all of the falls. >> one more. >> will be difficult -- >> we put it out to all of our officers in the department. we had a number of volunteers. shawn beautifully, the officers that participated, and one of our dispatchers, they kept saying that it is how comfortable it makes you feel.

every single officer, it was not difficult. they wanted to do this. that is something that truly touched my heart. all of us have been there. we have our own coming out stories and we all identify with kids. nobody wants to see a kid having to go through some of the stuff that we went through. we wanted to be there for them. i could not be prouder of this group of officers. they truly are amazing. >> we are going to end the past -- the press conference now. everybody will remain available for questions. thank you. [applause]

>> welcome to "culturewire." today we are at recology. they are celebrate 20 years of one of the most incredibly unique artist residency programs. we are here to learn more from one of the resident artists. welcome to the show, deborah. tell us how this program began 20 years ago. >> the program began 20 years ago. our founder was an environmentalist and an activist and an artist in the 1970's. she started these street sweeping campaigns in the city. she started with kids. they had an exhibition at city hall. city officials heard about her efforts and they invited her to this facility. we thought it would coincide

with our efforts to get folks to recycle, it is a great educational tool. since then, we have had 95 professional artists come through. >> how has the program changed over the years? how has the program -- what can the public has an artist engage with? >> for the most part, we worked with metal and wood, what you would expect from a program like ours. over the years, we tried to include artists and all types of mediums. conceptual artists, at installation, photographers, videographers. >> that has really expanded the program out. it is becoming so dynamic right now with your vision of interesting artists in gauging here. why would an artist when to come here? >> mainly, access to the materials. we also give them a lot of support. when they start, it is an empty

studio. they go out to the public area and -- we call it the big store. they go out shopping, take the materials that, and get to work. it is kind of like a reprieve, so they can really focus on their body of work. >> when you are talking about recology, do you have the only sculpture garden at the top? >> it is based on work that was done many years ago in new york. it is the only kind of structured, artist program. weit is beautiful. a lot of the plants you see were pulled out of the garbage, and we use our compost to transplant them. the pathway is lined with rubble from the earthquake from the freeways we tour about 5000

people a year to our facility, adults and children. we talk about recycling and conservation. they can meet the artists. >> fantastic. let's go meet some of your current artists. here we are with lauren. can you tell us how long have been here so far and what you're working on? >> we started our residency on june 1, so we came into the studio then and spent most of the first couple weeks just digging around in the trash. i am continuing my body of work, kind of making these hand- embroidered objects from our day-to-day life. >> can you describe some of the things you have been making here? this is amazing. >> i think i started a lot of my work about the qualities of light is in the weight. i have been thinking a lot about things floating through the air. it is also very windy down here. there is a piece of sheet music

up there that i have embroidered third. there is a pamphlet about hearing dea -- nearing death. this is a dead rabbit. this is what i am working on now. this is a greeting card that i found, making it embroidered. it is for a very special friend. >> while we were looking at this, i glanced down and this is amazing, and it is on top of a book, it is ridiculous and amazing. >> i am interested in the serendipity of these still life compositions. when he got to the garbage and to see the arrangement of objects that is completely spontaneous. it is probably one of the least thought of compositions. people are getting rid of this stuff. it holds no real value to them, because they're disposing of it. >> we're here in another

recology studio with abel. what attracted you to apply for this special program? >> who would not want to come to the dump? but is the first question. for me, being in a situation that you're not comfortable in has always been the best. >> what materials were you immediately attracted to when you started and so what was available here? >> there are a lot of books. that is one of the thing that hits me the most. books are good for understanding, language, and art in general. also being a graphic designer, going straight to the magazines and seeing all this printed material being discarded has also been part of my work. of course, always wood or any kind of plastic form or anything like that. >> job mr. some of the pieces you have made while you have been here. -- taught me through some of the pieces you have made while you have been here. >> the first thing that

attracted me to this was the printed surface. it was actually a poster. it was a silk screen watercolor, about 8 feet long. in terms of the flatwork, i work with a lot of cloddish. so being able to cut into it come at into it, removed parts, it is part of the process of negotiating the final form. >> how do you jump from the two dimensional work that you create to the three-dimensional? maybe going back from the 3f to 2d. >> everything is in the process of becoming. things are never said or settled. the sculptures are being made while i am doing the collages, and vice versa. it becomes a part of something else. there's always this figuring out of where things belong or where they could parapets something else. at the end goal is to possibly

see one of these collage plans be built out and create a structure that reflects back into the flat work. >> thank you so much for allowing "culturewire" to visit this amazing facility and to learn more about the artists in residence program. is there anything you like our viewers to know? >> we have art exhibitions every four months, and a win by the public to come out. everybody is welcome to come out. we have food. sometimes we have gains and bands. it is great time. from june to september, we accept applications from bay area artists. we encouraged artists from all mediums to apply. we want as many artists from the bay area out here so they can have the same experience. >> how many artists to do your host here? >> 6 artist a year, and we receive about 108 applications. very competitive. >> but everyone should be encouraged to apply. thank you again for hosting us.

>> thank you for including us in "culturewire." ♪

>> feel like it really is a community. they are not the same thing, but it really does feel like there's that kind of a five. everybody is there to enjoy a literary reading. >> the best lit in san francisco. friendly, free, and you might get fed. ♪ [applause] >> this san francisco ryther created the radar reading series in 2003. she was inspired when she first moved to this city in the early 1990's and discover the wild west atmosphere of open mi it's ic in the mission. >> although there were these open mics every night of the

week, they were super macho. people writing poems about being jerks. beatty their chest onstage. >> she was energized by the scene and proved up with other girls who wanted their voices to be heard. touring the country and sharing gen-x 7 as a. her mainstream reputation grew with her novel. theses san francisco public library took notice and asked her if she would begin carrying a monthly reading series based on her community. >> a lot of the raiders that i work with our like underground writers. they're just coming at publishing and at being a writer

from this underground way. coming in to the library is awesome. very good for the library to show this writing community that they are welcome. at first, people were like, you want me to read at the library, really? things like that. >> as a documentary, there are interviews -- [inaudible] >> radar readings are focused on clear culture. strayed all others might write about gay authors. gay authors might write about universal experiences. the host creates a welcoming environment for everybody. there is no cultural barrier to entry. >> the demographic of people who come will match the demographic of the reader. it is very simple. if we want more people of color,

you book more people of color. you want more women, your book more women. kind of like that. it gets mixed up a little bit. in general, we kind of have a core group of people who come every month. their ages and very. we definitely have some folks who are straight. >> the loyal audience has allowed michelle to take more chances with the monthly lineup. established authors bring in an older audience. younker authors bring in their friends from the community who might be bringing in an older author. >> raider has provided a stage for more than 400 writers. it ranges from fiction to

academics stories to academic stories this service the underground of queer fell, history, or culture. >> and there are so many different literary circles in san francisco. i have been programming this reading series for nine years. and i still have a huge list on my computer of people i need to carry into this. >> the supportive audience has allowed michele to try new experiment this year, the radar book club. a deep explorationer of a single work. after the talk, she bounces on stage to jump-start the q&a. less charlie rose and more carson daly. >> san francisco is consistently ranked as one of the most literate cities in the united states. multiple reading events are happening every night of the year, competing against a big

names like city arts and lectures. radar was voted the winner of these san francisco contest. after two decades of working for free, michelle is able to make radar her full-time job. >> i am a right to myself, but i feel like my work in this world is eagerly to bring writers together and to produce literary events. if i was only doing my own work, i would not be happy. it is, like throwing a party or a dinner party. i can match that person with that person. it is really fun for me. it is nerve wracking during the actual readings. i hope everyone is good. i hope the audience likes them. i hope everybody shows up. but everything works out. at the end of the reading, everyone is happy. ♪

>> you probably think you know

all about the exploratorium. but have you ever been after dark? did you know there was a monthly party called after dark? science mixes with culture and adults mix with other adults. no kids allowed. every week there is a different theme. to tell us about the themes is melissa alexander. tell us about some of the previous themes we have had. >> we have had sex ploration, sugar, red, blue. many things. >> what is the theme tonight? >> rock, paper, scissors. we are having a tournament tonight, but we have also used as a jumping off point to explore lots of different ideas. you can find out about rock,

paper, scissors as a game as a reproductive strategy. you can interact with a piece of art created by lucky dragon. you can get your hair cut from a cool place called the public barber's salon. they use scissors only. you can find out about local geology, too. >> that sounds like fun. let's check it out. >> this is the most common rock on the surface of the earth. interesting thing is, most of this rock is covered over by the ocean. >> error congested a cool presentation on plate tectonics. tell us about what we just saw. >> we wrapped up a section of a lesson on a plate tectonics, here at the exploratory and -- exploritorium.

>> are you excited to see people here having fun and learning about science? >> the people that come here are some selected to begin with, they actually enjoy science. i teach teachers to have fun with their kids. the general public is a great audience, too. they're interested in science. >> we have a blast every time. they have different names. >> they have a bar and a cafe. everything i need. we are excited for the speaker. >> it is nice to be in the exploratorium when there are not a lot of kids around. >> before tonight, i never knew there were major league rules to rock, paper, scissors. i am getting ready to enter into a competition. sarah's here to give me some tips. what do i need to do to