and i go, " how?" everything that is intuitive to them is completely foreign to me. the good news is i am at no risk of becoming addicted to video games. the last point i would like to make is that the environment is really changing rapidly. 10 years ago, if we had sat down and talk about seniors and technology, a lot of people would have wondered why seniors would want to use computers, but that has shifted. over the next few years, as all of us move toward being seniors, we will not be wanting technology. we will be demanding it. the field is going to change, and more and more people are going to be here. so the ability to make technology accessible is there. those of us charged with doing this have a really important role. we have to be able to provide the tools for the technology in ways that the people can hear. i am happy to be your speaking

with you because i think this is an incredibly important topic. this afternoon, there is a workshop on addressing multiple barriers for accessing technology, and it will be a brainstorming session where someone from my office and a couple of other people will be leading a discussion of what issues people run into and how you deal with them. i think it is a really important topic and i think it is probably one of the most important things people could be talking about now. for all of us, technology is here and going to be here, and we all need it. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. i am really pleased to be up here -- well, not really, but you're so pleased to be able to tell you about two things

before lunch -- i am pleased to be able to tell you about two things before lunch. as you know, this is the middle of a process to train and teach more people how to use computers. we wanted to showcase a little bit of what folks are learning out there. first, we will show a video, and then wind up -- linda will explain about lunch. i know a few people have slipped over there, but i ask everyone to be quiet for a few minutes. there is plenty to go around. the video we're going to show right now -- i got a feeling this morning at 4:00 a.m. that tells you how dedicated people were to be able to produce it and have it here today. i wanted to thank paul grant, who has worked with the project with the family services agency senior community services employment program. you will see his good work here also john boswell, who came in at the last minute and help us pull this together. he did it in exchange for tyne bank hours with the bay area

community exchange time bank. if you want to know about that, you can learn about that across the hall after lunch. finally, from the broadband technology opportunity program, which provides opportunities for seniors and people with disabilities to teach each other, to learn from each other, and create more connections across all of our communities. please q the video, and after that, we will dismiss for lunch after a little explanation. >> we want people to come into the center and learn how to use all the different social media so they are not left behind. we do not want the whole community to be left behind. >> i have always been intimidated by computers. afraid that i would break anything. i wanted to learn. i wanted to see if i could, you know? but i was not sure, because of my age.

i have grandkids i did not get to see as often as i would like, but my son post pictures all the time. >> i thought it would be important to bring my mom and my sister to learn basic computer skills so that they are not isolated. even the medical community wants to send her notes and things via e-mail. so it is important for her to be able to learn how use the computer, at least for those simple things. >> we are part of the social media team. we will be teaching twitter, facebook, skype so the seniors in our community will not be isolated. >> there is no dumb question. we tried to make this an easygoing environment for everyone to learn here. >> they understand what you're talking about. i want to get on the internet and, like, if i need to, call

the social security office or any other business. that i would know how to get in touch with them. >> people like us who are in wheelchairs in rehabilitation situations, in hospitals -- it opens the windows of the world to us. to be able to put your eyes anywhere in the world that you want to at a moment's notice. i paid acrylics. sometimes i search the internet or put images on the internet through cameras, through different pictures that i take of the subject matter. -- i paint acrylics. >> all my life, i did not use this, but i had to learn how to tight and everything, so i tied to find, and moved the mouse fine on my computer, so it was not a real problem -- i typed

fine. everything is on the computer, and easy to find. it is like a road map. all these blogs, etc., and so on, because i have all this time. i concentrate on a few at a time. >> i never expected to have a computer. i am 96. as they say, it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks. and as you say, we do have this resistance to it. my daughter taught me how to play games. i am really hooked on that now to exercise my brain, and i started doing other things more quickly. i find that it really helps me.

i can see pictures either that i have taken or that other people have taken if they are on a digital camera. i put them into my computer, and then i can crop the picture, enhance it. find out what safeway has on sale, and then michaels. they have their ads. i do use people who advertise, e-mail, so it is a very important part of my life. i love to e-mail, and i like to hear from people. i have trouble hearing from people on the phone, so if you send an e-mail and one in answer to a question, they can find it, or if they do not know the answer, they call you back again. it has been a big help with the family in many ways. now, i cannot be without my computer. i would be lost. >> it becomes second nature, and

it becomes easier. it becomes a tool in your hand. >> it is so wonderful. memaw is on the computer. i would recommend coming here to learn the computer. it is not as hard as you think it is. >> do not be afraid. it really is kind of easy once you get the hang of it. >> go at your own face. do not get frustrated. >> do not be afraid of the computer. the only thing to be afraid of is that you will get addicted to it. [applause] >> you will see some of the stars are around. please thank them for being so brave and consider signing up to be one of them yourself.

i wanted to invite dave up again to say how much we really appreciate him being part of today's program, helping shepherd it and share his own experiences. so thank you so much. >> thank you. thank you all. thank you. you are very, very kind. can i just be selfish and say that you inspired me? i am so happy. even if i do not see you again for regularly, i am taking pictures of your faces and thinking of all the successes you will make technologically, even when i do not see you, so feel good about it. do not be afraid of it. tackle it. it is yours, and congratulations. thank you for being a wonderful, wonderful audience. thank you. [applause] 0, and happy birthday.

but good morning der community members, like the officials and colleagues. we are here to celebrate a day

that san francisco should be proud of, a day that we should all be proud of. the san francisco civil rights ordinance is officially signed into law. i have been the coalition coordinator for the past two years and have seen firsthand the committee's efforts and inspiring bravery to bring us here today. i have also seen as support of elected officials and allies in the community. please help me in welcoming a few of these people to share this perspective today. help me recognized supervisor jane kim, the sponsor of the organizers -- of the ordinance. [applause] >> thank you. i cannot believe we are finally here. it has been a really long journey. the for our office, i know we came on board in august when we started working with the saved san francisco coalition. but for the coalition it has been an even longer journey. the starting in 2001, but really, the organizing that has

happened in the last couple of years working with the police commission, the human rights commission, and organizing amongst community residents and community leaders that you see here today. we are taking an historic step here in san francisco. we are now the second city to put into ordinands that racial profiling is something that we do not do. for the sake of national security. this is already something that our police chief, our elected and community leaders have said and sat again. but we have now put this into ordinands. it has been a really long passage. i do not want to gloss over it. this has been a really challenging process for all of us. our community leaders, our office, the mayor's office, and many of our elected officials. we had many conversations. i know the chief and i have engaged a lot in what it means to keep our communities safe, but also how to create trust.

i am proud to be standing here today. to the effort of so many people like those that want to recognize who helped push this along to the end. we have the department of public works. and standing behind one of our small business leaders here in san francisco that helped us get to the point that we should compromise around a solution that will work for everyone here. and i want to recognize our police commissioners in the audience today, and our human rights commissioner, who helped advise us in this process. and my elected leader and co- sponsor, president david chiu at, and supervisor christina olague. we have people who want to speak, so i don't want to belong. but thank you for holding with us every step of the way -- so i don't want to be long. but thank you for holding with

us every step of the way. [applause] >> our next speaker is a coalition member and community member an active in the community. [applause] >> good morning, respected officials, honored guests, friends and family. i would like to greet you with the muslim greeting of peace, love, and justice. i am a proud member of the coalition for a state san francisco. and i have been working with the coalition for the last two years to address racial and pulled -- and religious profiling and discrimination of arab, middle eastern, muslim, and asian committee members here in san francisco. my family and friends and fellow classmates have all had to deal with this type of discrimination.

after september 11th. it all boils down to the point where eight city officials may discriminatory comments about our -- as city officials made it discriminatory comments about our community. and these comments were very frightening to community members to get it showed my community as a very scary community. we felt that we were second- class student -- citizens and we have lost some of our dignity and human rights. it has not been an easy road for the members of this coalition to get together. before this work, i had never set foot in city hall two years ago. i had never had the opportunity to work with such a broad based group of grass-roots community organizations. asian-american communities, latino communities, african- american communities, and different communities here in san francisco. it has been a great and i

opening experience for me. at the member of the community, i am thankful and proud of the many organizations that have come together in support of this. i am thankful and proud that san francisco has come together to speak for human-rights. i want to thank the council for their help in this struggle. for the mayor and his support. and all of the community members that will be working to support this. it does not matter how many pat downs, where checks, gps tracking devices -- why your checks, gps tracking devices. these are not going to keep us safe. what will keep the state is community coming together and working together side by side. at the end of the day, we're all here and we are all equal. i am proud and thankful to have been part of this community. my mother is here and it is her

first time to be in city hall. this whole process has been a great and wonderful experience for me and my community members. i look forward to the future to come. it was decades later before some supreme court decision finally apologized and passed something similar to this, but i'm so thankful and i'm proud to be san franciscan and part of my community. thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you so much. our next speaker is the executive director of the asian law caucus. [applause] >> good morning. i'm the executive director of the asian law caucus, and we are also a proud member of the state coalition -- the coalition for a state san francisco. i want to thank supervisor kim in setting the standard against

racial profiling. and in support of transparency and local control of our own communities. and our sincere -- sincere thanks to merely for the civil rights ordinance. in the coming months and years, part of the coalition will be working to ensure that the standards enshrine in the ordinance are in a way that protect our communities and shared values. in particular, will be addressing the impact of the ordinance on the existing agreement between the sf tv and the fbi. we plan to meet with various stakeholders how best to meet the ordinance. and lastly, we work to bring the community leaders together as we have been to be sure that the ordinance robustly fights racial profiling. many of the people we will be reaching out to are in the room today. be prepared to our -- for our calls. we look forward to celebrating

with you today and working with you tomorrow. thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you. and our last -- next speaker is the president of the arab cultural and community center. [applause] >> good morning. i am the president of the arab culture and community center, a member of the coalition for a safe san francisco. the center has been working for a safe the san francisco for the last two years. to address very important issues of racial profiling and transparency in san francisco. many of the organizations and individuals that are working with the coalition are not new to this issue. our community has faced many difficult situations regarding our place in the city for many decades.

each of us has tried to work to bring understanding, knowledge, and representation of our community. the center has brought to our communities old and new, and to the issues old and new, and to bring about positive change in the san francisco civil rights honors. because of this board and the mayor's support of this ordinance, it is clear that the city of san francisco stands with our community and working against religious and racial profiling and transparency. again, i would like to thank the mayor, the board of supervisors, especially supervisor kim, the sponsor of this, and the police chief. thank you. [applause] >> thank you so much. i just want to say, we appreciate you coming out today, especially in light of the

tragic fire that impacted a few of the buildings that you manage. i know -- our next speaker is mayor edwin lee. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. it is a very, very happy day for a lot of people, for our city. i think it is true to say that every city on this side of the world, i think, are challenged with this a very basic conflict these days, that conflict that we see and read about almost every week between our civil liberties and public safety. and it is different in every city as to how it has been handled. and we see different examples of what we fear having happen here.

and then we have examples of what could happen. i want to thank the board of supervisors, particularly supervisor kim for her persistence and persisted -- or her persistence in moving this forward through the legislative process. i want to thank the chief of police and his commission to buy because they have also move this conversation forward. but most important and i want to thank the members of our community. they feel the sting or they feel the level of safety and care that the city might have with them and for them. it is in this spirit that we wanted to make sure that we would not end up in the days of apology. that should be long gone. we should not be apologizing for things that we do. we ought to be moving every community in our city forward with their civil liberties, and enjoying the basic freedoms this country has to offer.

it is why everybody who has found a way to come to america, and especially to san francisco. i want to especially thank f ouad, because there were moments where we were not sure what the basis of the relationship would be and what would be its foundation. he has been with us from the very beginnings of the human rights commission servicing the city. and we worked together to deal with other challenges we have had in the city. and it has built upon always a trust that our interfaith community is always helping us provide for committees of both faiths and immigrant communities. -- for communities of both faiths and immigrant communities. we never want to say we are sorry for something we could

have prevented. it is with this legislation and i am proud the today's signing -- proudly today signing that makes people want to enjoy their civil liberties and for generations to come, as well as feel that their safety is also the priority of our whole city family. safe and joins the liberties, where else can you see that happening? and i want to signal my appreciation to the ongoing asian law caucus. i know you are proud of your work here, proud of the bases upon which we do this. and for me, is always about putting the community first. and all two men become i believe this is the best legislation and one that balances the right tone for our city, but also, that

protects these basic promises that we have made for generations. it is my pleasure and my enthusiasm to sign this legislation that you are witnessing. let's do that. [applause] > > are we ready? there, it's done. [applause]

>> there are kids and families ever were. it is really an extraordinary playground. it has got a little something for everyone. it is aesthetically billion. it is completely accessible. you can see how excited people are for this playground. it is very special. >> on opening day in the brand- new helen diller playground at north park, children can be

seen swinging, gliding, swinging, exploring, digging, hanging, jumping, and even making drumming sounds. this major renovation was possible with the generous donation of more than $1.5 million from the mercer fund in honor of san francisco bay area philanthropist helen diller. together with the clean and safe neighborhood parks fund and the city's general fund. >> 4. 3. 2. 1. [applause] >> the playground is broken into three general areas. one for the preschool set, another for older children, and a sand area designed for kids of all ages. unlike the old playground, the new one is accessible to people with disabilities. this brand-new playground has several unique and exciting features. two slides, including one 45- foot super slide with an elevation change of nearly 30 feet. climbing ropes and walls,

including one made of granite. 88 suspension bridge. recycling, traditional swing, plus a therapeutics win for children with disabilities, and even a sand garden with chines and drums. >> it is a visionary $3.5 million world class playground in the heart of san francisco. this is just really a big, community win and a celebration for us all. >> to learn more about the helen diller playground in dolores park, go to sfrecpark.org.