as many of you know, supervisor ronen has stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder -- [speaking spanish] -- all the way through many -- many times. and so at the many meetings, at the many hearings, it has just been such a breath of fresh air to have such a fighter in the public arena, as a public

elected official be there with us. so it's my pleasure to introduce amy, senior legislative aide to supervisor ronen to offer remarks. >> i'll stay away from the jokes. [laughter] hi, my name is amy, i'm a legislative aide to supervisor ronen. it breaks her heart to not be here today, but i know she is sending her warmest wishes, her fists in the air, go. it's so important. this is an amazing project. this is the fifth ground breaking in the mission in what we look at as a year, i guess. it's pretty amazing and every single one of these reflects an incredible amount of hard-fought

struggle to make sure that what is happening in the mission is starting to repair the damage of the devastating amounts of eviction that have been occurring here. so thank you, meta, thank you, two of the best community based affordable housing developers. i would say the importance of community-based development and bringing that capacity like olga said, it's so critical that the skills and the capacity are developed within the community. obviously, meta is not new to this, but they're growing all the time. i know how stressful this is, so thank you to the project managers who have fought their way through all the tough decisions, all the late nights. on this project, you're really pulling together the essence of the mission. we celebrate, offering high

quality education for families who are going to be living in this building. and for their neighbors. we celebrate having a home for homeys. and we celebrate creating a permanent home. anchor of the latino cultural district. i'm pleased if you haven't yet come, stop by the district 9 office and see their mind-blowing installation in our offices. we're so honored to have them there. so casa is today's victory. know that supervisor ronen is committed to working with all of you here today, all of you community partners, so we continue to keep the pressure on, continue to call the attention to the needs of the

mission. and to keep an active pipeline for the many years to come. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, amy. as we think about building, i think certainly bricks come to mind and as we are breaking the ground today for the building that is going to be this beautiful, beautiful site to behold of nine stories. you're going to hear nine stories several times, because we want to emphasize that. this is also what i call the building hearts. the building hearts that started this. that have been part of laying the heart foundation for where we are right now. and so i want to bring up professor richard baynes and dr. baynes up. [applause]

if you don't know them, you'll see why i was saying this. so let me tell you about professor baynes, he's a native of california, a founding faculty member of csu and current chair of the music and performing arts department. he's a founding director of education for the san francisco symphony and former director of the san francisco symphony youth orchestra. for the past 24 years, he's been active in the local monterey bay area community. recently he received the 2017 arts council of monterey champions of the arts award for professional artist. and very appropriate to this occasion, he served for 18 years as president of the board while here in san francisco. [applause]

and, of course, dr. baynes. if you don't know her, you should. curator, many titles, artist and educator. and mark mcarthur genius fellow award. she has defined latino esthetic in the united states and latin america. many things have been written about our amazing brilliant, but one that i really always liked to read is that her work honors women who have broken social barriers. so dr. baynes, please come on up. [applause]

>> well, i'll try not to cry. we've been only waiting 48 years, so, that's all. i'm very happy to be here and grateful to share this. and to know that in this historic moment we understand as many have said before, starting early this morning in the blessing and the ground, when you actually put our little seeds down, that no place is empty when we reach it. there have been spirits that have gone before. and the spirits of this space, as many have said, are first nations, but they're also the spirits of those who have built all of these community organizations. i would be remiss without acknowledging, of course, the

founders, the first group included people like the late peter rodriguez. the founder of the museum, rupert garcia and then the late renee ines and ralph, who presented and held down that space for so many years. they were joined by other people, including the artist who was the first curator. we moved on people like maria pineta were here to run studio 24. after liz, came catalina and then our own. so i liken it to a very long and bumpy relay run, where we've been passing that baton until we got to this unimaginable moment. this time in which we understand that we are beginning.

i call it remembering the future. we are here because someone came before us and someone will come after us. and all of that is but one fabric of memory, of justice, of commitment, of resiliency and of art. there are so many artists in this room today. so many people. i can't see you all. but i know you're here. there was a moment in the making of the history that was one of serious struggle. there was police harassment. what is ironic, that many of the things we talked about then are present now. i have a favorite writer, walter benjamin and he says to articulate the past historically does not mean to recognize the way it really was. it means to seize hold of a memory as it flashes up in a

moment of danger. and that is what we have been experiencing for decades, but most truly in these last years of gentrification. what we see in the national picture is phobia of anti-latino sentiment. we know that the housing crisis we're experiencing across the country is profound here in san francisco. so all the things that it has stood for, the artists that have performed, the artwork shop, the concert efforts, the building of the regeneration projects so that young people could come. those were all the makings of a common path and the resiliency of a sign of promise for the future. and that promise and their future has arrived. so i say today, we are here, because those who came before us and those who come ahead, they are right here now, young people, out there. they'll be the next.

and they'll take that baton and they'll move it forward. and i think it is totally fitting that it should be in a home place with teen, youth, and with babies and children. because that is the full circle of life. and that is what we are as cultural workers and as artists. so i hope that we will look back on this day when this building is built and the nine stories are there, and the 143 families are there, and our artists are there, and we'll see is that this next generation with all of the complexity of lgbtq, of all of the complexity of global identity, of all the border struggle we've been through, will be a home place for those who dream of the next future, who remember the next future. [speaking spanish] [applause] [cheers and applause]

>> thank you so much. very inspiring and just powerful words to remind us what we're doing here. and one of the organizations that is going to bring the babies into the picture, and the children, is a longstanding community based institute, the felton institute that will be providing the preschool and after-school programs here. and we're very pleased and honored to have the president and c.e.o. of the felton institute, al gilbert. please join us. [applause] >> good afternoon and welcome to this glorious celebration. we had a blessing of the ground

earlier today. and it was extraordinarily touching, because it remind me of the deep -- reminded me of my ancestral relationship. and the other part of my family, you might have guessed, comes from africa. and i had the opportunity to go back to montgomery, alabama, two months ago to visit the lynching memorial. at the memorial i was able to visit the memorial for two of my family members who had been lynched in the 1900s which wasn't that long ago. one of which was lynched in my lifetime. it brings me back to the importance of building a community like this, where we're going to support both our babies, young families, and create safe communities for us to live in. it also reminds me that whenever

we think we're working hard, we're not working hard compared to those who have come before us. who have given their blood. to make it so that we can sit here and make this kind of magic come together. i want to thank the community members who pushed hard to make sure that the politicians recognize the importance of this sacred space. i want to thank the builders as well as the community agencies that participate in this community along with us. i'm reminded about mission creek that runs under this land and keeps this land fertile and it reminds me of my attachment to water. felton celebrates 130 years anniversary this year. previously known as family service agency of san francisco. so that is how you probably

recognize our name. [applause] joanne and delores, please stand up, because these are the individuals who work with our babies and work with our divisions and make our work so successful. thank you for your continued support of this project. anything that we can do to make this a safe and nourishing community, we're committed to doing that, thank you so much. [applause] >> you know, as we went to some of the planning commission meetings advocating, it became such a family affair, particularly having the son of thomas, who testified at the commission. and i think he was the deciding voice. [applause] so, thank you for being part of the struggle.

and speaking part of the struggle, i love this -- the acronyms, homeys organizing the mission to empower youth. how many clearer could that be? [applause] -- how much clearer could that be? homeys have dedicated the mission to work with young adults. they do it by empowering the youth and delivering their programs with hope, with empowerme empowerment, leadership, culture and most importantly with love. i want to turn this over to the director of homey, roberto. turn it over to you, right? [applause]

sp [speaking spanish] we ain't going nowhere. we ain't going nowhere. how many 100% affordable housing developments is this? five. five. against impossible odds. against impossible odds. our community has stood up. people have said it's impossible to build in san francisco, it's too expensive. they said, why your community is being displaced, there is no latinos left in the mission. they said all kinds of things to our community. 143 new units are going up right here. three organizations, 15,000

square feet of community space that are going to be owned, assets to this community. we're not done yet. we're not done yet. there is still work to do. there is still work to do. we have -- we stopped to build this building and we need everybody here's support to build this up. elected officials, foundations, we need everyone. and i hope, and i pray that in two years' time that we come back and we celebrate the grand opening. felton institute and homeys organizing the mission to empower youth. we ain't going nowhere. when i was a young boy, born and

raised in this neighborhood, i used to come to this bakery right here with my dad. he used to buy it for me in the morning time. i told my dad the other day, i said, pop, we're going to build it. he said, where? i said that place you used to buy me -- and he was excited, excited we're doing this. old time mission. owner paco's tacos. right? back in the day. we're here with the young people. that's our future, man. we've got to fight for them. they're here representing. i hope that you represent for them because there is things to do still. there is more housing to be built. there is homeless people that we know that are part of our

families that are suffering right now. and i take that seriously and so should you. there is a lot to do. so i want to take this time, this opportunity, this moment, to bring up one of our precious elders in our community. she is the former executive director of institute. and she's a precious treasure in our community. she has put in many decades of work and i am most honored to introduce her to have her say some words. she was here this morning blessing the ground, so i've been putting her to work this morning. so sorry. she decided to stay because she wanted to say words. she caught the feeling. right? and i hope all of you do, too.

lastly, i want to say, you know, meta, tndc, all our city family, i want to send you some love and some thanks for doing this. because this is not just for me, this is for our community, it's for our people. and these institutions, creating these buildings, they're going to be the hubs for our community. they're going to be the places where people come and get services and celebrate weddings and have a beautiful time, and all the beautiful things in life. these buildings are go to help us thrive. we don't want our community just to survive, just to get a survival program, we want them to thrive. we want them to be the next leaders, the next tech executives.

all the things that we dream for them, they're going to happen in these buildings. so i thank you all for making it possible. i thank the community organizations here that are struggling hard, fighting hard every day with the people, right? struggling. it's a struggle right now, man. it's a struggle. so we're going to continue. don't let anyone tell you it's impossible to dream, that it's impossible to make it happen, [speaking spanish] -- come on! what was that? [speaking spanish]

>> can you hear me? [speaking spanish] we are one. this hand, these singers, all the different communities together as one. we can move the mountain. we can move many mountains. this morning i was here and

remembering that there were many who have walked here. our ancestors, the first nations people, who were dispossessed by whoever came by. spaniards, mexicans. everybody dispossessed them. so it is good they're involved in this process. and we must not forget them because they are only 1% of san francisco. they are an important 1%. they carry our ancestral history for us. and so it is such a good day. you know, sometimes people say it's a good day to day. i say it's a good day to be alive today. >> hear, hear! >> and i would challenge all of you, as we all struggle to be present at that struggle.

you know, there are people that don't want us. that's the truth. we hear it all the time. go back where you came from. and i said, well, i came from st. mary's hospital, right? [laughter] because they're ignorant. but we have to remain in that struggle. and i want to see all of you there when we need you. because it's powerful. numbers are powerful. politicians want to be elected, so they check out the numbers. they check out who's there. and then they often claim that they've done it themselves. but we know who has done it, we have done it together. and brought them in to join us. that's one way to be fully

empowered. now i'm in the health field. and to me health means that you're also healthy not only physically, mentally, spiritually, but also economically. we must have a roof over our heads. you cannot have a good family life or a quality of life if you don't have a roof over your head, or stability, knowing that you can remain there. so if we want to have a healthy community, this is part of health. it's not separate from health. so let's continue. it's good to see so many young people that i have known. she is young, because i taught her in high school. [laughter] you know, i'm old. >> you were a very young teacher! >> very young teacher. thank you, all.

thank you, meta, for moving yourself in a direction that has made this possible. and i'm so happy that we're finding a home. i remember them on 24th street, now they'll be in a different place. and of course, homeys. i want to mention that homeys also has an ancestor. some of you may remember the real alternatives program, rap. that is the ancestor of homey. so you know, something dies or we think it dies, something else grows. that is what has happened and homey is here. very present. i see all of my homey cohorts. you know, it's a wonderful time for me to be an elder, because everybody looks after me. you know? do you want this, do you need this? i have to say no, i can do it, but it's a wonderful feeling.

that's what we want in this community. that the children learn that tradition. that they carry it on so that no elder can ever be homeless again. right? that's something to -- no homeless children. no homeless elders or anyone in between. and this is a beginning. and we did it. this community did it. i'm sure the struggle will continue. it will continue. so be us in that struggle. and thank you. [applause]

no worry. we have time. [speaking spanish] hi, everyone. i'm the executive director. thank you. it's an honor to be here. and i want to start off by saying happy mother's day. it is mother's day in latin america. [speaking spanish] and what a momentous time to be here honoring and blessing mother earth today and putting our intentions forward for what we see in our future. it's an honor to be working with all of the agencies, meta, tndc, homey, and felton. and today, i really wanted to

make sure that elders were heard. this is a project that i said earlier has been happening for almost like 50 years. it's a continuation of movement that came before us. i want to offer a little bit of the magic that got to happen today here. we showcase exhibitions, the monthly literary events, one of the only bilingual event that happens in the bay area, under the moon, honoring our traditions. and i want to call some of the artists that were nurtured in that corner on 24th and bryant that started their careers there. that gave us their [speaking spanish] to heal. it didn't matter what day of the week it was, when prince passed, when all the major like awful things were happening, it was always a place we got to share

magic. i don't know why i just named prince. i guess i was thinking about him. [laughter] i'm thinking purple. i want to focus on bringing the artists, who are the people for us that have given us, made a perfect world out of an imperfect situation. that is what olga said, i want to bring those words up and start out by inviting -- yes. she is an interdisciplinary artist and author of too much girl. she is the recipient of four san francisco arts commissions artist grants and has lived and made art in the mission district of san francisco for over two decades. she's a longtime educator and community worker and teaches at san francisco state university. but more than anything, she

gave -- it wasn't -- she brought the magic and we got to see so many important first-time works where there was literary performance. and she's part of the regeneration program, if i'm not mistaken, which was started to create a platform for artists to be cultivated, nurtured and have elders. we needed to have the words. i wanted to acknowledge two more little people. i want you two to hear these voice, these words and have it in your heart, this is your truth, too. you can speak your truth. this space is not just for us. we look to you little guys to come up and continue making this magic, okay. so listen.

[applause] >> it's such an honor to have -- to be able to share this with you. [ ♪ ] [singing in spanish] [singing]

[cheers and applause] [speaking spanish] the tropical beach. memory blurry in the rearview. entangled. with her golden shadow holding the compass. our lives full bloom. each mural rendered in a palace that shows our fist in the air.

pen the anthems to make our feet move. [speaking spanish] talking to them in rhymes we can't reason. know how to see in the dark. [speaking spanish] [cheers and applause] again, i'm honored to share my palm song and my attitude with you this afternoon. and we break the ground with our

action. we are accustomed to excavation, to ripping up and unearth silence and harvest truth. to throw it up into the sky for everyone to see, like a colorful piece of graffiti. we are here. we live here. we are still here. we have the right to stay, just not the millions. our community, our children, our artists deserve better. and this is on the way to better. this is an international beacon that welcomes and displays the complexity of us and our accomplices. that's a good word. i am among many who wouldn't know where i would be without -- [ ♪ ]

i conjured up a song for the bilingual monthly poetry. while our poetry lives in the streets and other community hubs, we ultimately always end up here, which is our sanctuary where we preserve ours. i have lived longer in this body than anywhere else in my life. i stepped into leadership, become a mother, developed as an artist and it has been part of every step of that, giving me space, opportunities, joy, refuge. i was there when prince passed. we cried together. we did. always on my mind, too. like so many others of you, my

husband and i are family came to set roots here, contribute, build community, build that family we crave and bear the fruit of that in place with an important central american legacy of art and activism. this is the meeting place. the living room where we gather. it's our sanctuary. there we convene with our elders. celebrate our children. experience each other's creation. honor those who have passed. as we mark this moment, i hope you'll join me in telling that everyone will stand and the mission community remains. [cheers and applause] i know that my neighbor still walks down the block as always.

and i know that he's watching over us and that he is going to watch over this corner. and i know that you will, too. applause

>> that was beautiful. that was a beautiful reminder of why we're here today. these projects take a lot of effort and there are a lot of different folks that are part of this work, so it should go without saying that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of the consultants, all of the attorneys, all the folks that help us. and so i want to start by -- before introducing a very important person, by acknowledging the support that we've received from the mayor's office of housing and community development. the support from bearings, u.s. bank, from the california tax credit allocation committee. [laughter] from the california debt limit allocation committee. our architects, ryan jang and

richard stacy. our contractors. general contractors. i want to close by acknowledging that in the city of san francisco we've had a very special financial partner that believes in us and has believed in us for quite some time, so much so, they have helped the city transform a portfolio of its old housing into opportunities of hope through its funding of the rental assistance demonstration project. and here specifically they've helped us realize this project. and i'm talking about bank of america. and here today on behalf of bank of america is liz minute, who for the last 15 years has been an integral part of their leadership team. we'd like to invite her and acknowledge our gratitude to bank of america for their

support of this project. [applause] >> thank you so much. and good afternoon, everyone. what an amazing way to end a week in this beautiful, beautiful day here in the mission. as was just said, bank of america has a long history in san francisco since our founding here in 1904 to getting people back in hair homes after the -- their homes after the earthquake, to building and financing both of our large bridges here. and with reference to our $2.2 billion commitment to the san francisco rental assistant development as well. we're so very, very thrilled and honored to have the partnership that we do with the tndc and meta and to be able to provide over $92 million in financing commitments for what is going to be this amazing property and the ground-breaking that we're here for today. we'd like to continue to thank all the teams that made this possible.

our bank of america team that made this possible. our partners within the mayor's housing group. some of whom i see today, to our partners within the supervisor's office. please send our thanks and then to our mayor, the honorable mayor london breed and everything she has and continues to do for affordable housing in the city. mayor breed. [applause] >> thank you. i feel like me and liz are a tag team, because we've been all over the city doing amazing work together on projects just like this. and i'm so excited to be here in the mission once again for another 100% affordable housing project! [cheers and applause] and i think the -- there is one special group of people to thank that made this all possible. and that is the mission

community. we know as someone who is a native san franciscan and someone who has seen and lived through a lot of the changes in the western community, i understand the challenges that this community has and continues to face with displacement and watching as your neighbors, who you once knew when you were growing up, the people that -- and the businesses that you were familiar with, all of a sudden, are no longer there. to look around and not really recognize your community, is something sadly that i know the mission community has been experiencing for the past several years. a couple of years ago, when mayor lee was here with us, there was a lot of advocacy. i was on the board of supervisors. and there was a commitment made in the general obligation bond and a commitment that we would

not only continue to work with this community, but we would invest that previous bond an additional $50 million specifically in the mission community. we know that is not enough. but here's the good news. we're finally realizing the fruits of your labor. four affordable housing projects that are under way, under construction as we speak, with 459 units. and when you add this project with 143 units, you get over 600. and we know that there has been a lot of organizing so that we can get to 2500 units. with the additional windfall money that we received at the city, we're committed to purchasing two more properties in the mission. we are committed to investing the dollars if you will help us get this next bond in november passed, so that we can get more

affordable housing units built. and then on top of that, what will happen in this community that should have happened in the western edition, with our neighborhood preference legislation, this community will be prioritized for access when these units are built. [cheers and applause] >> mayor breed: that is so significant. because i got to it will you, when -- tell you, when i looked around and wonder why when we built affordable housing in the western addition, why i couldn't get access at the time, and so many of my neighbors and friends and the lottery system and the challenges with the lottery system, i was frustrated. i didn't want the city to continue down that path, so that when we build these units and we say they're for the community, we have to mean it. so with 40% of these units being prioritized with this community, that's a good step in the right direction. and i am so excited, because in

addition to investing in housing, this property will have a child care facility. this property will be home to homey. this property will celebrate and support the organizations that make this community so special. and we will take it even a step further, because we know that there has to be outreach. we have to make sure that people in this community know that they qualify for these units and that they apply, apply, apply. we have to make sure that the applications get in. so we're going to be working and investing the resources to outreach to the community so we can get as many folks as were born and raised in this community into these units when they're completed. that is my goal. i know that you believe in that goal as well. and so as we break ground today, and as we celebrate on this beautiful day with the sun shining and, yes, the wind

blowing, typical san francisco weather, we remember those people who really fought for our ability to exist. our ability to exist and be a part of such an amazing place like san francisco. so many people like my grandmother, ms. brown and mama fay and mary rogers and so many people who fought against the injustices of redevelopment so i could even stand here in an amazing position to help make the kind of change that will really make the difference in communities like the mission. i am so honored to serve as your mayor. and i am so excited about the future and what we're going to do together with more affordable housing projects in this community and all over san francisco. thank you, all, for being such an amazing partner. thank you to meta, tndc, for continuing to be housing champions for affordable housing

throughout san francisco. let's break this ground. let's get these units built. and let's get folks moved into their new homes. thank you all so much. [cheers and applause] >> apparently i'm leading the toast now. this is all improv now. i'm going to do it latino-american style. for those who don't speak spanish, bear with us and just follow. so in honoring all of our ancestors, honoring all of you here and the future generations moving forward -- [speaking spanish]

>> all right! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! woo! here we go. >> i have been living in san francisco since 1957. i live in this area for 42

years. my name is shirley jackson, and i am a retirement teacher for san francisco unified school district, and i work with early childhood education and after school programs. i have light upstairs and down stairs. it's been remodelled and i like it. some of my floors upstairs was there from the time i built the place, so they were very horrible and dark. but we've got lighting. the room seems lighter. they painted the place, they cemented my back yard, so i won't be worried about landscaping too much. we have central heating, and i like the new countertops they put in. up to date -- oh, and we have venetian blinds. we never had venetian blinds before, and it's just cozy for

me. it meant a lot to me because i didn't drive, and i wanted to be in the area where i can do my shopping, go to work, take the kids to school. i like the way they introduced the move-in. i went to quite a bit of the meetings. they showed us blueprints of the materials that they were going to use in here, and they gave us the opportunity to choose where we would like to stay while they was renovating. it means a lot. it's just that i've been here so long. most people that enjoyed their life would love to always retain that life and keep that lifestyle, so it was a peaceful

neighborhood. the park was always peaceful, and -- i don't know. i just loved it. i wanted to be here, and i stayed. >> you know i've always wanted to do this job that drives my parents crazy we want to help people i wasn't i did not think twice about that. >> i currently work as cadet

inform the san francisco sheriff's department i've been surprised 0 work within criminal justice system field i had an opportunity to grow within that career path. >> as i got into the department and through the years of problems and everything else that means a lot i can represent women and in order to make that change how people view us as a very important part of the vice president you have topanga you have to the first foot chase through the fight are you cable of getting that person whether large or small into captivity that is the test at times. >> as an agent worked undercover and prevent external and internal loss to the company it was basically like detective work but through the company

from that experience and the people that i worked around law enforcement that gave me an action when i came to be a cadet i saw i was exploded to more people and the security he was able to build on that. >> unfortunately, we have a lot of women retire to recruiting right now is critical for us we gotten too low faster the percentage of women in the department and us connecting with the community trying to get people to realize this job is definitely for them our community relations group is out attempt all the time. >> in other words, to grow in the fields he capitalized any education and got my bachelors degree so i can current work at city hall i provide security for

the front of the building and people are entering entering but within any security or control within the building and checking personal bags is having a awareness of the surrounded. >> there is so month people the brunet of breaking into this career that was every for easier for me had an on the with an before he cleared the path for laugh us. >> my people he actually looking at lucid up to poem like he joe and kim and merit made they're on the streets working redondo hard their cable of doing this job and textbook took the time to bring us along. >> women have going after their goals and departments line the san francisco sheriff's department provide a lot of training tools and inspiring you

to go into the department. >> they gave me any work ethics she spider me to do whatever he wanted to do and work hard at the intersection. >> if you're going to make change you have to be part of change and becoming law enforcement i wanted to show women could do this job it is hard not easy. >> finds something our compassion about and follow roll models and the gets the necessary skeletals to get to that goal with education and sprirmz whatever gets you there. >> if this is what you want to do dream big and actually do what you desire to do and you can go vertebrae far it is a fast job i wouldn't do anything

else. >> ♪ ♪ ♪ >> good evening.

please turn off your cell phones. the signals tend to interfere with the recording equipment in the room. if we can stand for the pledge of allegiance. [ pledge of allegiance ] >> good evening, commissioner hirsch. i would like to take roll. >> thank you.