beautiful daughter and just a wonderful family karen and greg they're beautiful people r and are entrenched in this city. on the front pages of the phonebook is the designated landmark so if you're a tourist i just flip the yellow pages you'll find the historic places. and this generates revenue and a stream of customers if you're on a busy strip. so thank you >> thank you sir, you had gotten up. >> he had gotten up and was in line. okay gentlemen one of you.

you've got the mike (laughter) >> well, of course, it's a landmark - >> sir your name. >> the meal ticket that's my name. >> of course, it's a landmark it's the oldest african-american bookstore in the country and all the rich black music. i'm going to take race out of it for a second. there's very few places that the magic is there and it's there for years and years of history. since i was 167 i still go there to rekindle the magic. so you've got to maintain the places in the city where the

magic is that's important to maintain the magic. that's all i have to say >> thank you. next speaker. >> i'm an society professor for the may even studies. and i'm here representing my community and my ancestors as well. marcus bookstore was pivotal that led to the formation of department of african-american studies at san francisco state university and in the vice president of the african studies we're one-hundred percent support of designating this marcus you books a landmark. marcus dakota bookstore gives us

literature that fills in the information of amendments. it's the key source of african source for people's support to humanity. every seminar our students find rare and new books at marcus bookstore and i'm going to commit it being historical about the history has to be properly understood it's not a separate place to be a history of something we use to function at an optimum level. and marcus bookstore can't be left in the hands of someone's promise. it's worthy of a city resolution to protect this legacy. and it's a symbol for the black community throughout the bay

area and for black bookstores throughout the country and thank you very much for your time. i have a letter here on behalf of the vice president chair on behalf of the department of african studies >> president and commissioners. good afternoon. i'm the cleveland of the japan task force. i want to echo the support for moving forward with land marking here. i don't have to go into the long history of this business and this family with - is being such a key part of japan town community for so long. i would only underline that number one marcus books is listed among the historic resources in japan town the 3

hundred that are in a latter report and also i want to make a point i don't know anyone else has the unique collection at the store makes this tore i think will have a unique and i think very good business prospect and this land marking will help insure the successful of this business >> thank you our next speaker. >> hi i'm dr. marion john i'm with the mental health center. i want to stress highway important it is to maintain this building as a landmark and a a culture institution. this is very important for us to

have this. i understand the family bought it they've never occupied it but it's a link to our mental health and to remove it is a culture and intellectual general side. we're dying here we make up three to four percent of the population but use a lot of the mental health services. we provided those services through the bookstore. please maintain the building and the structure they're important >> my name is norm pain. as children as acids grouping in fillmore we remembered from fulton there was nothing but black businesses black owned and

marcus bookstore search warrant is one of four left in the district and by you voting this as a historic land marble it will keep the african-american community in san francisco to keep coming to the marcus bookstore. i understand the owners want to make the changes but we used to hang out and read books and thank you very much >> thank you. >> thank you. >> give thanks we're in this room and in this plays at that time, because we all understand how important the marcus bookstore legacy is not just for the folks in this room but all the folks who have long been and will be touched by the importance of marcus books.

i'm monica i'm one of many folks who came in 1988 from buffalo new york having traveled throughout europe and when i first came here the richardson's immediately took me aside as i was pressuring my masters and they said the education you can definitely receive there but the tools for living and being able to be a global sense you'll find here. i spent my first year pretty much stacking books for you guys. i thought i would have something more glarmz but during that time i had an opportunity to get to know the family. i want to speak of the heart of the books and this is the family

that sees beyond color and your status and the maggot their sending is elevating all of us in japan they know about marcus books and jamaica know about this they read about marcus so the impact they have their mission of love and evolution they have goes far beyond this room. so as you consider what a historical landmark looks like please. >> i'm 22 year-old and i've lived in the fillmore all my life. it's any place that i've been to

you, actually sit down and read mark us bookstore is the only plays that i know have to talk about what karen just the energy there. i'm still learning about why i get all that energy when i walk in there. i don't believe that history is only of the past that's something that's untangle. this here marcus bookstore is a real place for people to go it's tangible. the people there like myself we're not of the past we're still growing and having babies. they're not in the room but in the community and to not respect that i feel is assuming that we

won't be here tomorrow is so i want to representative myself for you younger people of the future we're still here. thank you >> thank you very much. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> how is it going i'm irish. this is where the hardest musicians performed it was not only the first art form place but during the 50s is it hosted duke elton and others after bob city the community stepped down in to save this building helen jones and charles and harry

miller and others they relayed together. this foundation was hoisted into makeshift trailers and taken to fillmore. it was also a japanese export building. it's been a center for this industry for marcus for many famous folks. is it gave a voice in pubs material for san francisco state students in the late 60s as schools tried to expand the

african-american and latin american courses across the country. about 8 or 9 weeks ago the supervisors passed a resolution say that this issue and we'll apply the carefully needs according to the building so, please support the building >> thank you >> next speaker, please. >> >> good afternoon. i'm janice cookie work with the educational youth system. my comments will be brief. i believe you have ever reason to designate this building and this bookstore as a historical landmark. in my opinion this building should have long been

designated. i urge you not to delay this deliberations and grant the request >> thank you very much do we have anyone else that wishes to speak on the item. seeing none, sir we have one more. yeah. yeah we did okay. i want to do is it real quick? okay. let's go >> i think what i'm hearing is at any time not only a great place where people have come and been it's also just a very spiritual place that i think we candlelight destroy a place where people are coming to have their souls nurtured. i feel like with all the chaos

and trauma we can't destroy those is that a. it's also an institution for learning. you might be stacking books but your learning obey humanity. it's what would be concerting to me if they tear this down what do they put there. i mean 150u67b8 they'll put a starbuck's there or a mcdonald's. so just think about the other thing, too is the blacks are being ran out of san francisco. you have three to four san franciscans who are black and you take other building from them that's a reason for more blacks to leave it also destroys

some of the diversity of the businesses and so i think that it's a tragedy to destroy something of intellectual and spirited >> thank you and we're closed for public comment and we asked for our last speaker thank you very much. and if we could bring it back to the commission. commissioners decisions?s questions >> first of all, i want to thank you you for coming out and supervisor breed. this is an yawned item i was looking forward to because this bookstore is part of my community i'm born and raised in san francisco and now live in japan town and going to marcus books is something i've done

since college and the first person to lead me to marcus books said if i wanted to learn more i had to go to marcus books. they were friends with ralph alison i should have asked for questions. marcus books is kind of the last business in the western edition is represents with a small business was like post 1950. i'd like to thank mary and stacey but i'm not opposed to the report but i wanted to see if i could indulge my fellow

commissioners. i don't see the connects between the japanese-american and the african-american community after world war ii. the people of japanese people came back to the community particularly on fillmore street and they were weren't shunned they were welcomed back and during this period of significant from 1950 to 19 you only saw an african-american business or a japanese-american business along fillmore there was no ralph lawyer republican. i think it's important for us who live in 2013 to recognize and remember the fillmore of that day without that history we can't respect it. but i want to say that marcus

books and it's current owners were not only the leaders 90 for the african-american but for the j. community and those folks were really mad that people were displacing their grandparents and they were forced to leave their homes in the world war ii era. so kind of the training that many of them received by reading the books and ref the support from marcus books and the community against eviction cain was established in 1973 to formerly oops the efforts no, the town. i don't think it takes away from

the books importance to the african-american but this particular business and this particular family had a lot more impact not only within this community but other communities. it's for people like me relevant to get books when we didn't feel we had enough information about our people so that's where we went. those are the kinds of things that are important. it talks about the importance of the regulatory and those things really do come into play when you talk about looking at the location and who was actually living in this area during that period of significance. i also wanted to bring to our - my fellow commissioners attention a reintroduce to my

fellow commissioners a resolution that was passed in december of 2012 that was resolution 0698 where the commission agreed that this commission recommends that future historic complexities should be skoeptd with that a social and culture heritage and to find other ways to recognize and respect institutions that are not historically deemed significant or deemed historical. i'm hoping that planning department staff could somehow add that or add this cultural aspect to that report and also that will appear on the agenda this afternoon >> thank you commissioner commissioner pealing man. >> i was so move forward when i

read about this. i knew nothing about marcus books i knew about japan town but i came to san francisco in the 7080s and i think mr. johnson said it was already a landmark. when you get engaged you're already married because you've made i did comment and that's the history it's already there this is a landmark and clearly a landmark to the african-american community and beyond certainly to the japanese-american community as well. i feel privileged having landmarks for the stated purchase of all of us learning about the history and knowing about the people who came before us i feel it's a privilege to

read about this package. i came to san francisco in the late 1980s and the aids was raevenlg the gay community and i worked and volunteered at the names project the aids memorial quilt on market street where it was made. i ended up writing the landmark store for that this building are i wanted to say the aids memorial quilt is no longer there there's a seafood restaurants there but the history did happen and certainly the richness of this history and

the store of the richardson's. i had people influential in my family and it brings me to tears how the richardson's have influenced the whole community we celebrate restaurants and bars that are that old and this is significant in that it exceeds this. so if we're celebrating legacy of the bars and restaurants we have to recognize a place like this with its incredibleness history and thank you supervisor breed and for the community coming out. this is an incredible outpouring of love and spirit so thank you very much >> thank you. commissioners?

>> commissioner highland. >> there's so much to say and this is a special place without a doubt. this is what historical preservation is all about it's more than the of her building with all due respect and the cable cars it's about our legacy and community. and it's an inspiration for the future that's why i'm on the commission. without pouring any cold water i want to recognize or point out that land marking this which i intended to support isn't going to protect the business it's about living together with the folks who own the building and land marking it is not

necessarily going to protect its future that will be upon the community to work with the new owners and to live together in the community so. thanks >> do i hear a motion then? >> i make a motion we make an initiative and during this period for the time it comes back it be added to the designation report. >> thank you. we'll call the role >> on the motion then to initiate and a for staff to a include the african-american, japanese-american ties as well as the social and heritage ties to the report that comes back to the commissioners in the future. on that motion (calling names) so moved commissioner that

passes 5 to zero unanimously >> thank you. thank you everybody. and we're going to take a 5 minute break before we hear the next