storage, not to destroy it until the arts commission could determine the future location. the arts commission based it's decision on significant adverse public reaction over an extended period of time. a clear criteria established in our policies and guidelines. as explained earlier kept, the charger makes clear that the commission had the authority to vote to remove the early day statue and to elect to place it in storage. not to destroy it. at the heart of this appeal is the challenge it presents to the authority of the arts commission under the city charter. the voters, by enacting the charger, have given the commission democratic responsibility for managing the public art collection, except as to works of art house by city museums which is not a factor here. there are 3.3 commission authorities that their emphasis. first, the charger authority regarding decision, location, alteration and removal from city property of works of art involves core functions of the arts commission. no one could seriously argue

that these types of decisions are gentle -- tangential or secondary to the mandated role of the commission. if the board upholds their decision to issue coa for removal calculated avoid intruding on our function. second, there is no provision in the charger granting authority to another body or unofficial over the design, location, alteration or remove visual -- removal of works of art from property. it resides exclusively with the arts commission. nor does the charger provide for an appeal regarding such decisions. the board would not hear an appeal regarding the removal of artwork from city property. the charger does not give the port authority to review the decision or the procedures leading to that decision. third and finally, the authority of the commission to decide on the design location alteration or removal of artwork from city property is long-standing. it dates back to the establishment of the arts commission under the 1932 charger. as best as we can determine, would be unprecedented for the board of appeals to issue a decision that would have the

effect of preventing the arts commission from performing its core charter function. and his -- in establishing the centre, they claimed any attempt to dilute the moderate -- as stated in the planning code, board -- this ordinance designating the civic centre historic district shall, in no way, diminish the powers, rights and duties vested in the arts commission. the charger does not specify any agency to support this and an appeal such as this. the arts commission respectfully asks the board to reasonably defer to the previous decision of the h.p.c., which is a reasonable decision in the context of the standards, with apple support in the record as the hbc has demonstrated. deference to the decision is warranted and would ensure in resolving this appeal on the board were not intrude upon the arts commission's charger authority. on the other hand, if the board were to grant to the appeal and overturn the decision, the charger conflict would be presented between the board

process authority and the art commission authority. respecting the processes, the commission would have no option other than to consider whether to make a finding that retains the structure authority to remove the early day statue. for these reasons, we respectfully request that the board denied this appeal. thank you. just the question i had before. i think it's very important because it is a legal document and it was a gift from somebody of importance in 1894 that we see what the terms and conditions on and the contract was between that donor and the city of san francisco. >> absolutely. we take great due diligence to make sure we are honouring any contracts. obviously, the contract in 1894 it was a little different in terms of how we do them today.

i will let our senior registrar, and address that. >> the closest thing that we have on file is the bequest. i'm happy to share this, the deed of trust from 1875. as our understanding is, the property that he was requesting through his trustees went to the city. the city took on that responsibility at the closed -- after achieving what was designated within the trust. so he laid out the trust for uses and purposes hereafter mentioned and having to halt hold the statement to parties. the interest the following purposes. goes on to explain that he is giving $100,000 for this monument. he lays out four sentences of what it is to represent. >> could you read that? >> absolutely.

>> vice-president swig: i rather that you not paraphrase but for the public record, lay out exactly what the doughnuts that. >> actually, since you have it printed out, as it also in your brief? >> it was in the first brief. >> president fung: do you know what exhibit it would be a weekly. >> it was part of the application -- part of the application as a function of the coa. if not, then it was not included could you read it from the overhead or is that difficult? >> i can try. >> this is the context here. >> there were a number of gifts. this is the 14th -- 13th. in further trust to erect under the supervision of said parties of the second part and their successors at the city hall, in the city and county of san francisco, a group of bronze statuary well worth $100,000,

would show representation by appropriate design and figures the history of california. first from the earliest settlements of the missions, to the acquisition of california by the united states. second, from such acquisition by the united states to the time when agriculture became the leading interest of the state, at their attacks on the last named. to the first day of january, 1874. that is the only reference within the trust that references the statue. his. >> president fung: i have a question. so, your brief, basically alludes to the fact that, perhaps, or is no direct link in the charter between the appeal authority of this board and the commission. do you feel similarly about h.p.c.?

because there is no direct link in the charter back i will say we have learned a lot about the charger authorities in relationship to the charger authorities of h.p.c. through this process. we have been in this process for over a year. at the time that we were filing in good faith, as we work well with hbc and we bring in a number of issues to then, we wanted to work in good partnership to bring that to them. working with the city attorney, they think we could do that at an advisory level. we could do that as an informational presentation for inquired and consideration. i think going forward, we may need to review that, given the experiences here. >> president fung: as long as they agree with you? [laughter] yes. our city attorney would work on looking at that authority. whenever possible, we want to go through -- it has been a very open process. this is my seventh public hearing on this matter. to say that this hasn't been democratic, is not, in any way like any of the appellant but

since claims around how it has been treated. this has been possibly one of the more democratic processes in the united states and the removal of monuments. it is happening across the country because of changing attitudes and racism in our society. >> ok. thank you. cat i get a show of hands, who is here for public comment? so we have quite a few people and i think it will -- will be limiting it to two minutes. if you could line up against the wall and we will hear -- i would appreciate if everyone respects the time limits. thank you. we will hear from the first speaker. >> hello president and commissioners. i and sally brown. i am the -- i come here today as

three representatives. i come here today as a native american. i am half native american. i come here today as a resident of san francisco and they come here today as a representative of the board of supervisors of the city and county of san francisco. when i first came here in the eighties, late eighties, i came here because i came from a very restrictive and repressive state for native americans. i had lived on and off the reservations in utah and i came here because it was an opportunity and because san francisco was liberal and open to everyone. when i came here and was here as a residence in 1991, with the statute being moved. and we asked for it to be removed, and her five years, there was a fight to take the statue away. i come here as a supervisor in the district five in the city

and county of san francisco to say we can do better. we are always on the forefront of things that are racist or biased and it is something that i can't even believe we are having this discussion went all over the country. they are taking down these kind of racist statues. i ask you to -- i'm not asking you to destroy it, i'm asking you to take and bury it somewhere. deep in a basement where i don't have to see it and no one else has to see it. i really don't think any of us can call the natives of san francisco unless you're part of a tribe. so let's do the right thing. i am ready to do the right thing i know this city has that heart to do the right thing and as commissioners do. let's remove this statue now and let's stop this nonsense. thank you. >> thank you. neck speaker, please.

>> thank you for taking the time and making this a democratic process to look at this and review and make sure we make the right decisions. i have a short statement here. it is entitled origin of racism in america, leading to federal regulations along racist statues depicting native indigenous people in a demeaning image. and the american landscape racism entered the industry when the first homeless immigrants landed on indigenous lands. they were occidental racially from european landscape they were carrying a really cute just religious documents called a bible. the message from the laws identified them as savages equal to recognition as animals and they were to be treated as such. religion introduced racism which leads to genocide, and now, in 2018, it is leading to religious

genocide as leaders of things have failed their commitments resulting in congregations abandoning the religious institutions. the office of inspector general has been contacted requesting an opinion regarding the use of or the regulations to protect racist statues. the inspector general has been asked to give a formal opinion on racist statues on san francisco city hall grounds. nancy pelosi and mayer london breed are aware of this request from the federal government and await the inspector general assess opinion. san francisco can stand up to racism disguised as regulation compliance and become stronger than the yellow brick road lion whose courage was lacking, in this case, opening and exposing publicity by lawyers and misusing regulation to sustain a racist, occidental passed bear government can still be an example of social justice. thank you. >> thank you. neck speaker, please.

>> good evening, commissioners. thank you for having us here to talk to you about this statue, once again. my name is marcus. i am the author of discrimination by omission which is the report that the human rights commission put out in 2,007. -- 2007. if you think that we are not alive and well, we are here in san francisco. there's many of us in the room. we do have a personal interest in this statue if the people who are true native san franciscans. i am amazed we are having this conversation. i listen very carefully to all of the arguments that happened and it seems to me that this really is this ongoing conversation of procedure that it doesn't seem to matter too much what the community feels. it is really about the rules and regulations regarding whether or not the statue could

appropriately be removed. as someone who worked in regulatory commissions for ten years. it seems to me that a very strong argument has been presented by the arts commission that they do have the authority to determine what to do with that statue. whatever their reasons are for wanting to remove it, they have the authority to remove it and to place it in some other place. unlike what the appellants would have you believe, it is not going to be destroyed. unlike what the appellant would have you believe, there are a lot of people who are really opposed to the message behind that statue. and i think that the public commentary has been pretty obvious. i don't have to repeat it. you will hear a lot more of it. i would respectfully ask for you to do the right thing and restore the right to the arts commission to do it's job. thank you. >> thank you.

>> good evening. i have worked in san francisco for the past 20 years, i have worked for ten years as a community liaison coordinator for the international treaty council. i'm here again this evening. since we are so attuned to rules and regulations, i'm going to read from the u.n. declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples which was passed september 13th, 2007, which recognizes the urgent need to respect and promote the inherent rights of indigenous peoples which derive from their political, economic and social structures from the culture of spiritual traditions, histories and philosophies, especially the rights to the rights -- to the lands, territories and resources article two, let me find my page estates indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal

to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination at the exercise of their rights, in particular, based on indigenous origin or identity, article eight states indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of culture and that they will provide effective mechanisms for mention of an redress for any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples of their cultural values and ethnic identities. it also states any form of propaganda designed to promote or incite racial discrimination directed against them. article 15 states that indigenous peoples have the right to the dignity and diversity of their culture process decisions which shall be appropriately reflected in education and in public information. if you take effective measures in consultation and cooperation with concerns to combat prejudice and eliminate

discrimination and to promote tolerance, understanding and good relations among indigenous peoples and all other segments of society. article 22 states particular attention should be paid to the rights of special needs some indigenous elders, women, youth and children and persons with disabilities in the implementation of this declaration that the board of appeals is in violation of our rights as indigenous people. >> your time is up. >> thank you. >> next speaker, please. >> good evening san francisco. i am a member of the band and a long-term resident of the bay area. i have been here all this week to attend the global climate summit action. one of the issues that continue to echo throughout the discussions is the impact that climate change has on communities of colour. we are the people hit hardest by

environmental and economic devastation. the statute is nothing more than a reminder of the past and present injustice. in june of 2015, 821-year-old white supremacist by the name of dylan violently took the lives of nine parishioners who were attending bible study in their church. this national outrage became the catalyst for the removal of the confederate flag. a slide that should have been removed from our governmental buildings decades ago. a flag that for african-americans was a symbol of hate and white supremacy. but not only wants the flag removed, but the conversation deepened into what about these monuments and statues that deplete confederate historical figures during the civil war creature they also be removed? this glorification of people who fought to maintain the enslavement of african-americans

and the genocidal onslaught of native americans. as a california indian, i know the history of my people. it is a history that has been fictionalized, minimalize, trivialized and vilified for over 500 years. these statues and monuments do nothing to teach honesty and history. the pioneer statue only continues the centuries of dehumanization of california indian people. it is an embarrassment to me as a california indian. depicts us as a desperate and broken and conquered people. it perpetuates the lie that we do not exist anymore. in erases any progress that we have made as resilient survivors of genocide. how long do we have to be reminded of white supremacy? >> your time is up. thank you. next speaker, please. [speaking foreign language] >> my name is desiree.

i work for the indian people organizing for change. and i just wanted to say that the first time i saw the statue, the first thing i saw was that it is not an accurate depiction of my people because this is a depiction of somebody from the plains. not a lot of people know about the history of california and indigenous people. they don't know what we were. they don't know our history or our names. so when i see the statue, i see it as a way of disempowering our people, every time that a little kid walks past that statue, they begin to think that it is normal for these people to be a pressing. i do not agree with that. i think that we need to have more images that empower our people every time that i walked on the street. i see names of colonizers on the streets.

and i would like there to be something empowering that i see when i walked down the street. so that way i can tell the future generation and that there is hope. why do we have to look at something that is so triggering every single day? not everyone understands how, as indigenous people, we have the highest right of suicide because so many of our people are ashamed of who we are and this statue is a further reflection of shaming our people and making us believe that we are powerless when we are not. we are strong and resilient and we need more images like that in the community. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> my name is melissa and i come from san diego. i am part of the nation. i'm part of the navajo nations. i come to you before and standing solidarity with my brothers and sisters. i come here and solidarity asking you to be the forefront of change. to be the forefront of actual --

not perpetuating the genocide. let's talk about the 18 hundreds the genocide in the 18 hundreds killed all these boarding skills -- boarding schools. our people have been dehumanized as who we are like i'm here today saying that some in san diego. here are detouring red paint on statues. he didn't even step land on our lit nation when he first arrived but that is perpetuated in the history books. they are lying to ask kirk why do we need the statues lying to us? we need to educate ourselves as one people. i just stand here and solidarity with my brothers and sisters and say that to continue this as we in san diego will also be spearheading this and taking down the statues that perpetuate genocide. >> thank you. next speaker, please. [speaking foreign language]

i have a question for you today. if the individuals depicted in this statue, on the ground looking up at their oppressors were a black man, a mexican man, an asian man, which your boat have been different create because for some reason, it is ok to have native americans as mascots. no other nationality is represented as a mascot but it is ok for it to be native americans. it is also ok to let clergy molest native children's since they got here. it has been an issue that we have been dealing with and it is just coming out in the media today, not about native children so it really doesn't matter what happens to native people. and that is what you are representing here with your vote today. i suggest that we create a curriculum. if we will keep the statue, if that is your decision, for

ledger -- whatever reason, we create a curriculum for what it represents. we also even out and make the representation of san francisco, of california, of america, of european history, of the historic district, we even it out. we have a statue of a slave in shackles. we have a statue of a women burned at the cross. and we have children in chains. because that is what represents american history. if we will do it, let's do it. we can also create a genocide or a racism museum. they have a slavery museum. they have holocaust museums. let's do it. let's add those images. let's line the street with confederate flags. let's put a slave ship in the middle right next to that statue let's create justice and equality, whatever level you do it. that is what we are here to do. the whole country is doing it. i can't believe san francisco is dragging its feet.

>> thank you. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. i have had the honour of calling san francisco home for eight years. during the remodel of the joe dimaggio playground, they honoured native american arrowheads. i'm working with david to process office to get these arrowheads back. native americans have been here since time at memorial. there's artifacts that date back 20,000 years here in california. statue of the priest represents the physical, spiritual, cultural genocide. in california, you can look this up at look at the bloody island massacre in clear lake. the russian massacre, russian river massacre. as far as the priest, it is a brutality.

of our children. my grandmother and many were taken from this town. they were put in boarding schools where they were brutally beaten, forbidden to sing their songs, speak their language, they were beaten, sexually assaulted and murdered. this statue would be analogous to having a statue of hitler. would we allow that we standing over the oppressed jews, we would never allow that. it is wrong. it is fundamentally wrong. as far as having, i have one minute and 30 seconds. >> you have 50 seconds. >> as far as these people here, when we fought to get that soccer fields, there was a lot more people, myself included. we fought to get the library for excessive -- accessibility issues for people in wheelchairs to have full access. we fought for the things we

believe in. we fought to get the name of cesar chavez eight just have as. you have to go and you have to fight. i'm here to stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters. >> thank you for your time. >> my name is patricia. i'm a member of the navajo nation native american church. >> thank you next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. my name is tony gonzalez. i am an american indian. i also support all of the distinguished people here in support of the removal and that you refer back to the arts commission and let them do their job, as was said. we have been on this trail for many decades.

as of october of 2007, we had a hearing here at the chambers where this board of supervisors and the human rights commission, as was stated earlier. among the testimony was for the removal on the recommendations from the human rights commission i hope that you abide by that and we hope to see the removal. thank you, very much. >> thank you. >> i also wanted to know, there isn't any opposition other than one individual here. i hope you take part of that as well. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> good evening. i am the copresident of the harvey milk lgbtq democratic club. i'm here to speak in favor of rejecting the appeal and to have the pioneer strapped to removed. i know you have heard from the arts commission upon a department already around

charter authority and legal precedent in support of denying this appeal. and that you are aware there is broad support from the public, as well as officials. while i respect this body's i'm sorry, one seconds. i'm sure you also know that removal of art does not equate destruction. in regards to nazi germany, the germans rightly and systematically removed nazi monuments and statues. while i respect the unique position to consider process and the rule of law, i consider you to challenge what it means to work in a system that has been historically used to stifle and oppress the freedoms, dignity and the inherent humanity of nonwhite male citizens. at this time in history, we cannot continue to ignore the legacy of racism that is built into our governmental institutions. it is our duty of san franciscans and americans to do our best to right these wrongs

and work towards a more just and equitable society. we cannot do this work if we continue to ignore the voices of those who have historically so deeply rocked. by listening to those to perceive the removal of a clearly racist statue as a direct attack. we cannot remain blind to these symbols of white supremacy or continue to observe and uphold the. to continue any argument to keep the statue providing an educational opportunity or to appreciate as a work of art from a particular era comes from a place of either ignorance or indifference to the historical genocide and continuing atrocities perpetrated on the first people of the slabs. furthermore, this argument places more value on remembering racism and then working to dismantle it. please make sure that ruling on the side that you are ruling on the side of success as part of your decision today and deny the appeal. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> good evening. i want to recognize the people,

the original stewards on the ongoing current stewards of this land that we are standing on. my name is andrew. i'm a professor of former department chair of an american indian studies at san francisco state university. i have one comment and two questions. first plaque how very white supremacist of you to have a police presence here when too many indigenous people, be at the original inhabitants of this territory shall to a meeting to stop the genocide against our people. and my question is captain james lick ask of the people for permission if this statue could be placed on their territorial land we and what traditional arts, well over thousands of years old, not hundreds, were removed so that this monument to terrorism, that is what it is, terrorism, could be erected? finally, how about you respect, i've heard a lot tonight about authority and that is a problem. don't hold your signs too high. this is a conflict over white supremacy and settler

colonialism that continues to invade our communities if you are part of it. finally, how about you respect the authority of the traditional people of this land we because they are the stewards. >> thank you. neck speaker, please. >> good evening, commissioners. my name is dave. i'm here to speak on the few, for early days. i think the tipping point you are looking for is the difference between art and architecture. the h.p.c. are great with modern art, performance art, contemporary art. they have no background stated in their paperwork regarding this work of art. the big part of the original case was about government speech i would like to quote from the opinion, pleasant grove, utah and numbers zero seven-665.

they gave the opinion on february 25th of '09. item three, page 8, what is it fair to say that throughout our nation's history, the general government practice with respect to donated monuments has been one of selective receptivity equally on my personal side, i say they were not talking about their removal or storage. on section four, subsection b., page ten and 11, they say it respondent voices a legitimate concern the government speech doctrine not be used as subterfuge for favouring certain private speakers over others based on viewpoint, the respondent suggested solutions to require government entities accepting a privately don't dove donated monuments to go through

a formal process of adopting a resolution publicly. then they go on to say that the message that a government entity conveys by allowing a monument to remain on its profits, property, may also be altered by the subsequent addition of other monuments in the same vicinity. >> thank you. here your time is up. >> sorry, i had too much. >> thank you. neck speaker, please. >> good evening, members of the board. i am here on behalf of the san francisco human rights commission. the hrc works under the mayor process office to provide leadership and advocacy on human rights and social justice issues in san francisco. the commission also enforces the nondiscrimination laws and works closely with the community is to identify and combat encouraged a discrimination. on behalf of the human rights commission, i strongly urge the appeal board to deny the appeal and allow the arts commission

the historic preservation commission to move forward with the removal of the early days statue. the early days statue celebrates the conquest and genocide of native american community and sends a devastating message, not only to native american communities but to our city as a whole. it is an affront to san francisco's values and has no place in our city. in 2007, they released a report authored by gentlemen who spoke earlier title discrimination by omission. issues of concern for native americans in san francisco. in that report, they specifically acknowledge the offensive nature of the early days statue and recommended the city consult with the native american community on identifying statues and other symbols that represent the conquest and genocide of the native american people with the goal of removing them and placing them in an appropriate location such as a museum where they can be educated on why such representations are offensive. they applauded the bold leadership of the arts commission and historic preservation commission and committing to remove the early days portion.

the court of appeals decision in april is troubling to reverse this project just progress towards inclusion and visibility of native american communities. this is a small step in a fight to bring justice to communities. they could not come at a more perilous historical time, particularly for marginalized communities. not only in the city but in our country as a whole. we are ready to allow for removal of this misrepresentation of history. >> neck speaker, please. >> good evening. i would like to say first that preserving human dignity is much more important than preserving any form of material item. as indigenous folks, we refuse to be portrayed as people that can be looked down upon. this statue teaches young people that it's ok to view others, especially native people as inferior. all people are created equal. we are equally deserving of respect.

this statue is a great disrespect to the indigenous community. i ask you to have empathy for the situation. we are a strong and resilient people and should only be represented as such. >> thank you. neck speaker, please. >> my name is perry. i was born in san francisco general hospital south of a village. i grew up on sixth avenue in the richmond district south of -- i volunteer at the san francisco zoo which is at the northern fringe of the billet -- of a village. i work at the convention centre. i am swiss italian. i am a grandchild of a first nation. i am white. i come here sympathizing with the native community and asking you to listen to them endearingly and seriously to remove a portion of the statue,

if not all of it. i have been a volunteer with the treaty council, and men's unit -- american indian eight institute at and i am the archivist for sacred sight protection and rights of indigenous tribes and also i am a volunteer for indian people organizing for change. as archivist clock i wanted to show two things, if i may, with your projector. i don't know if you can read this, this was produced by the american indian movement in 1996 of course, to have something done about this statue, to remove it. and i also wanted to share this with you. if it will fit. this is from 1996. it is also about removing the statute. i save these things. the caricature of the statue kept me, when i look at it, it is ugly.

in a nutshell, universally it shows people that bullying and is ok, stealing land from people is ok. right is ok. that christianity is a superior religion on the freaks of the earth. i don't agree with these things. they are wrong. sovereignty is the premier human rights issue in san francisco. is there land and air country. honour them and get rid of the statue. is that my time? >> yes, are. >> thank you. >> neck speaker, please. >> there is educational experience when the public has to come through and educate people like you corin authoritarian position to take care of a problem which is so simple to understand. for example, supervisor he put legislation together and everyone voted to get rid of the name of one of the city streets.

he also got his name removed from one of the city parks were little kids play from asian descent. but he didn't complete the process on the grounds that you have the statue right inside of the front door, the entrance to city hall. now, my demonstration here means that not only should you complete the process and remove that statue that is right downstairs on the street who demonstrated to he has 100% pure baguette against asian people and made racial slurs -- pure baguette -- while you remove that statue, you should have been removed with the name of a city street, and the name of a park within the city, you should also remove that statue that everybody is here complaining about too at the same time. by the same response, you should use memorandum appointments and

authority that was used by the mayor in new orleans to remove all those racist statues of people who promoted slavery in the south. though statues are being ripped one after the other. just like they are being removed out there in new orleans, which was the grounds where most of slavery took place and although statues are made to people who owned slaves. the same technique the memorandum of points and authority, should be used by all of you. i understand there's only one of you that disagree. this is educational for you. there is no way you should be going along with that. because if you do you're making yourself look like a big get yourself. >> thank you, sir. neck speaker, please. >> just call me mr wright. [laughter] >> good evening. my name is jordan davidson. i do have a small amount of native american heritage. so it is very little but i say

take down the pioneer pioneer statue. is it that hard to understand how awful this statue is? this is basically -- this is just angering me every time i walk by. i walked by there a lot to get to the library had to get to bars and to get to munimobile? why is it even they are clearly why are we going through all of these processes to remove it? it should be like lickety-split. they are doing another safety. remove that god damn statue and take that eyesore away from us. it should -- it is so infuriating. after hearing the appellant calling the rest of the people coming here to stand up for us, those people, i am even more convinced. and also hearing the references to nazi germany, that is just offensive right there. and that should discredit this angry old white man and we should just deny his god damn [

bleep ] appeal. he is such -- he has no [ bleep ]. deny this appeal and take down that statue and put it in a museum or something. whatever the indigenous people watch. i want to thank the people for letting me live on their lands. thank you, very much. >> thank you, neck speaker, please. >> that is a hard act to follow. my name is stephanie. i grew up a block away from the playground where those arrowheads were discovered. i had no idea that happened. there are many night many things that we have no idea that have happened. the plains indian in the statue is depicted lying in the ground. that is not the truth. people fought back. it is my understanding and other people can cooperate, they fought back and burned villages.

the missionaries did not allow freedom of religion. that is what our country is founded on, supposedly. native americans -- first peoples did not have religious freedom until 1978. mr swig, in reference to history , these are to the early days. the early days -- have you heard of the 5700-year-old sacred site that is still in continuous use? this is built 1,000 years before the pyramids. that monument has been developed i would invite you to open your eyes and educate yourself and look to these other avenues and to open your hearts. thank you. >> thank you. neck speaker, please. >> have any of you felt like you

never belonged? it feels like you're all alone and like you have no one to hold onto. like everyone looks down upon you. when i see this statue, that was made by a man to show us that we are subhuman, nothing and useless, it makes me feel as a 16-year-old native american as subhuman like nothing and like i am useless. all the hate causes my people do despise who they are and their heritage and to assimilate into a culture that made us hate ourselves and to blend into a culture that killed our ancestors. our ancestors possess children and our ancestors are just children children, and that is horrible. when i see this statue, i think that you still believe we are nothing. and that we are worthless and that we don't belong in a society that we should forget who we are and the ancestors that made us who we are today. native americans deal with large amounts of abuse, substance abuse and suicide. do you want this to keep on

going? bringing it down will bring down a few of those numbers that stand for depression in native americans and suicide and substance abuse for native americans. if you want your citizens to be happy in your city, take down the statue that tortures us every time we walked past it. thank you. >> thank you. neck speaker, please. >> my name is barbara. i want to make it clear that i am here is a private citizen and member of the native american community. not as an employee of the arts commission. efforts have been made to silence, intimidate, slander and harass the are futile. i will not be silent. indigenous people have always known we carry the genetic memories of our ancestors. reaching back as far as the 14 generations. whether you descend from holocaust survivors are african slaves, the experiences and trauma that our ancestors have

endured are quite literally written into the cells of our bodies. and they affect the way we react to certain stimulus or triggers. when i stand in front of the statue, i'm always overwhelmed with feelings of terror, of sorrow, and of anger. i understand fully what my great great grandparents felt when they were hunted down, raped and murdered by state-funded malicious. militias not unlike the one that one man has said he is proud to dissent from. numerous community members have come before you to share their own traumas in regards to this issue. they have stood here and described very painful experiences. for some, it was their first time giving public comment. some stumbled over their words and were overcome with emotion, but they stood here. even when members of this very board rolled their eyes, snickered and laughed at them, they stood here. because you see, along with those memories of trauma, we

also carry within us the strength and resiliency of our ancestors. removing the statue will not harm one single person. not one. by retaining it to, you are directly responsible for the perpetuation of trauma. you can either dismiss the pain and suffering that we have endured and maintained the statue, that is called a manifest injustice. or, you can decide tonight to end this injustice so we can begin to heal from generations of trauma. thank you. >> thank you. neck speaker, please. >> my name is hailey. i am a citizen living in san francisco on occupied territory. i think that some people are resistant to look at this because it cracks the foundation of which we stand upon. but i think it's ok to be sorry,

it's ok to change, not all arch needs to be permanent. let's remember that the statue has been moved once before. so the new placement could be -- that changed its. it was always place in a prominent place on purpose to rub the noses of native peoples who already knew how much they lost. that this was a white people's land. this is james lick's land. he said it was for the public good, but for his public good, it did not include native peoples. they didn't get to vote for any of this. and so, the statue has also been altered in the seventies. there was something else. that goes to show that it has been changed in the past, or maybe not the past 50 years, but has been changed and trump said

we will not apologize for america, i think that that is just completely horrible. i come here as a white person. my father was studying to be a catholic priest when he met my mother. i am not -- catholics have done so much damage to the entire world and i am incredibly guilty i know that catholics do guilt really well. but this should not be a self-flagellation, public self-flagellation. it is not worth it for the ongoing torture of native people rick swig, the native's community deserves an apology when he called them a small contingency. when he said this or survivors of genocide. it was really disrespectful. thank you. >> neck speaker, please. >> hello. i am a native american on my grandfather's side.

and on my grandmother his side as well. i come from a strong family of indigenous artists who have extensive notoriety in california. i am a ten year resident of the city of san francisco. i thank you have heard what the public wants and what the public is demanding. i ask that you allow the san francisco arts commission to act within their authority to remove the statue. we are done with it and it is a shame to san francisco that this still exists here. please, let's move on from this and help the healing of the native people and to be the proud city that we tell the public that we are, that it is accepting and celebrating of cultural tradition, of people from all cultural backgrounds and stop glorifying white supremacy. thank you. >> thank you.

>> overhead, please. >> do you have something on the overhead? >> yeah. >> hello. my name is bernadette. i come from the reservation in manchester, up north. i just wanted to say, i was there with the mckinley statue in humboldt county when they were vowing to remove that. his seems to be working. at this gentleman back here, the way he was behaving and pointing at my people like we wanted to be belittled and underneath him, i didn't appreciate that. i see him and i'm standing behind him and watching him roll his eyes and everything everyone is saying and i hope you guys can see that. i don't know if everyone is blocking the view, with the way this gentleman is behaving it so disrespectful. my people are at. crying their hearts after speaking their minds of things that matter. this gentleman his back you're rolling his eyes and laughing.

it is not ok. he is saying that that statue is cultural significance to how my people are or saying because at that statue we are here today and that is true. i am glad we are here today in solidarity. i'm glad that statue is there and bringing us together so we can remove it as one people. this gentleman right here has been an exact example of what that statue shows for his people white supremacy. him telling you guys what you guys can and can't do, pointing his finger down at my people, not ok. thank you. >> thank you. neck speaker, please. -- next speaker, please. [speaking foreign language] >> i am a citizen of the cherokee know the donation of oklahoma. my father's father side, i'm a direct descendent of david rowe, cherokee supreme court justice. i am also, on my father's mother

pushed aside the descendent of a person who is taken from her family and raised outside of the community as one of the genocidal policies of the united states government. in addition, i am the mother of a dead daughter. if you think that statues like this do not degrade era community in a way that is worthy of attention, then i pity you. but i am also an art teacher and i want you to think about this. when we are talking about art and we're talking about civic art, civic arch is a very specific thing. it is not as was said to, out some other time, in these proceedings, akin to renaissance italian art. it is a specific thing. the statues were put up to honour something. we need to think about what we ought -- want to honour in the

city. sculpture and art is removed in this town all the time. the west berkeley shell amount was revoked. there were shell amounts in san francisco and they have been torn apart and removed. there are plenty of places that aren't nazi germany were statues have been removed. the ludwig statue was removed, the leopold statue was removed in the congo, stalin's statues have been taken down. this is not always an act of aggression against artwork. sometimes it is an education that we have proceeded as human beings. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> my name is doug. i am a fourth-generation californian. i am of jewish ancestry. i stand for the arts commission

and i sat through the board of historical preservation. this is the third time i've been here listening to this subject. and i think it was really relevant, when you said last time that it was worth revisiting this based on precedent, based on other things that are happening in this country, relative to this type of subject. i also think it was relevant mrp the subject of what was the intent of mr lake's estates. i think that you have a room full of people who feel, according to mr freer, causes issues. you have it two ways to go on this issue. you have the moral side, which this is a room full of people

with issues, and you could choose, based on the morality of the situation, to go and do the right thing. you also have the arts commission, they are chartered that says very clearly, that it can be an issue of accuracy. and when you have a plains indian in your town depicted as a different indian, that is inaccurate. clearly, if you just -- you want to keep take the low ground, it isn't inaccurate -- it is an inaccurate piece of sculpture and it needs to be taken care of you have a commission that is authorized to do that. thank you, very much. >> thank you. >> hello. my name doesn't matter. i am just a girl from the neighborhood who is also indigenous. this is a list of cities that have been taken down statues, published by fox news in august 21st, 2018. annapolis maryland, austin,

texas, florida, brooklyn, dallas , daytona beach, north carolina, in clinton ohio, florida, montana, kansas city, kentucky, los angeles, louisville, madison, wisconsin. new orleans, new york, orlando, richmond, ireland, san diego, san antonio, st. petersburg, washington, d.c. adds worthington ohio. i want to know why san francisco is not on this list when we claim to be so progressive and so promotion of unity and equality. it tells me that everyone is full of [ bleep ]. i want to say to stephen schmid, shame on you for having the privilege to make this go on as long as it has. i want to say all of the order board members that this statue will come down and the racists in the city and the racists in this room will just have to deal with it as we have had to deal with all of this for the past 500 years. it is shameful that san francisco will approve these

beautiful marches against climate change and have indigenous leaders and still have that statue standing. if you don't take it down, you will have a heavy burden on your souls for not doing the right thing. do the right thing and get that statue out of my [ bleep ] city [cheering] >> could i have the overhead, please create an tight white racism is alive and well in san francisco civic centre. the civic centre branch of the public library regularly host these totally toxic surge sponsored seminars where appetite wait access brainwashed wait parents instilling way short -- racial shame in their children. this billboard of a black fist punching a white man was part of the black panther art exhibit at

the public library in 2017. this anti- white hate art was insensitively displayed at the same time that the knockout game was still popular. it was also displayed shortly after the murder of justine damon's. because a value democracy, i tolerate having offensive art that insults my race, yet get now, intolerant nonwhites want to dismantle my artistic heritage by amputating early gaze off the pioneer monuments. i suggest a win-win solution so everyone can have something to feel proud of in the civic centre. if the indians let the white people keep early days, then i will personally get the funding, the technical expertise and the city approval to install a life-size bronze bust here in civic centre. in return, you have to let the white people keep it's art. white community, i refer to the white people who are still justifiably proud of civilization's magnificent accomplishments. if the indians want to stay true in cc