distant -- florida a few days later, where we had a distant cousin who came and got us. i think i always knew i was a writer on some level, but i kind of stopped when i became a cop. i used to write short stories, and i thought someday i'm going to write a book about all these ad ventures that my mother took me on. when i became a cop, i found i turned off parts of my brain. i found i had to learn to conform, which was not anything i'd really been taught but felt very safe to me. i think i was drawn to police work because after coming from such chaos, it seemed like a very organized, but stable environment. and even though things happening, it felt like putting order on chaos and that felt very safe to me. my girlfriend and i were sitting in ve 150d uvio's bar,

and i looked out the window and i saw a police car, and there was a woman who looked like me driving the car. for a moment, i thought i was me. and i turned to my friend and i said, i think i'm supposed to do this. i saw myself driving in this car. as a child, we never thought of police work as a possibility for women because there weren't any until the mid70's, so i had only even begun to notice there were women doing this job. when i saw here, it seemed like this is what i was meant to do. one of my bosses as ben johnson's had been a cop, and he -- i said, i have this weird idea that i should do this. he said, i think you'd be good. the department was forced to hire us, and because of all of the posters, and the big recruitment drive, we were

under the impression that they were glad to have us, but in reality, most of the men did not want the women there. so the big challenge was constantly feeling like you had to prove yourself and feeling like if you did not do a good job, you were letting down your entire gender. finally took an inspector's test and passed that and then went down to the hall of justice and worked different investigations for the rest of my career, which was fun. i just felt sort of buried alive in all of these cases, these unsolved mysteries that there were just so many of them, and some of them, i didn't know if we'd ever be able to solve, so my boss was able to get me out of the unit. he transferred me out, and a couple of weeks later, i found out i had breast cancer. my intuition that the job was killing me. i ended up leaving, and by then, i had 28 years or the years in, i think. the writing thing really became intense when i was going

through treatment for cancer because i felt like there were so many parts that my kids didn't know. they didn't know my story, they didn't know why i had a relationship with my mother, why we had no family to speak of. it just poured out of me. i gave it to a friend who is an editor, and she said i think this would be publishable and i think people would be interested in this. i am so lucky to live here. i am so grateful to my parents who decided to move to the city. i am so grateful they did. that it never >> it's great to see everyone kind of get together and prove, that you know, building our culture is something that can be reckoned with. >> i am desi, chair of economic

development for soma filipinos. so that -- [ inaudible ] know that soma filipino exists, and it's also our economic platform, so we can start to build filipino businesses so we can start to build the cultural district. >> i studied the bok chase choy her achbl heritage, and i discovered this awesome bok choy. working at i-market is amazing. you've got all these amazing people coming out here to share

one culture. >> when i heard that there was a market with, like, a lot of filipino food, it was like oh, wow, that's the closest thing i've got to home, so, like, i'm going to try everything. >> fried rice, and wings, and three different cliefz sliders. i haven't tried the adobe yet, but just smelling it yet brings back home and a ton of memories. >> the binca is made out of different ingredients, including cheese. but here, we put a twist on it. why not have nutella, rocky road, we have blue berry. we're not just limiting it to just the classic with salted

egg and cheese. >> we try to cook food that you don't normally find from filipino food vendors, like the lichon, for example. it's something that it took years to come up with, to perfect, to get the skin just right, the flavor, and it's one of our most popular dishes, and people love it. this, it's kind of me trying to chase a dream that i had for a long time. when i got tired of the corporate world, i decided that i wanted to give it a try and see if people would actually like our food. i think it's a wonderful opportunity for the filipino culture to shine. everybody keeps saying filipino food is the next big thing. i think it's already big, and

to have all of us here together, it's just -- it just blows my mind sometimes that there's so many of us bringing -- bringing filipino food to the city finally. >> i'm alex, the owner of the lumpia company. the food that i create is basically the filipino-american experience. i wasn't a chef to start with, but i literally love lumpia, but my food is my favorite foods i like to eat, put into my favorite filipino foods, put together. it's not based off of recipes i learned from my mom. maybe i learned the rolling technique from my mom, but the different things that i put in are just the different things that i like, and i like to think that i have good taste. well, the very first lumpia that i came out with that

really build the lumpia -- it wasn't the poerk and shrimp shanghai, but my favorite thing after partying is that bakon cheese burger lumpia. there was a time in our generation where we didn't have our own place, our own feed to eat. before, i used to promote filipino gatherings to share the love. now, i'm taking the most exciting filipino appetizer and sharing it with other filipinos. >> it can happen in the san

francisco mint, it can happen in a park, it can happen in a street park, it can happen in a tech campus. it's basically where we bring the hardware, the culture, the operating system. >> so right now, i'm eating something that brings me back to every filipino party from my childhood. it's really cool to be part of the community and reconnect with the neighborhood. >> one of our largest challenges in creating this cultural district when we compare ourselves to chinatown, japantown or little saigon, there's little communities there that act as place makers. when you enter into little philippines, you're like where are the businesses, and that's

one of the challenges we're trying to solve. >> undercover love wouldn't be possible without the help of the mayor and all of our community partnerships out there. it costs approximately $60,000 for every event.

undiscovered is a great tool for the cultural district to bring awareness by bringing the best parts of our culture which is food, music, the arts and being ativism all under one roof, and by seeing it all in this way, what it allows san franciscans to see is the dynamics of the filipino-american culture. i think in san francisco, we've kind of lost track of one of our values that makes san francisco unique with just empathy, love, of being acceptable of different people, the out liers, the crazy ones. we've become so focused onic maing money that we forgot about those that make our city and community unique. when people come to discover, i

want them to rediscover the magic of what diversity and empathy can create. when you're positive and >> shop and dine in the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do their business in the 49 square files of san francisco. we help san francisco remain unique, successful and right vi. so where will you shop and dine in the 49? >> i'm one of three owners here in san francisco and we provide mostly live music entertainment and we have food, the type of food that we have a mexican food and it's not a big menu, but we did it with love. like ribeye tacos and

quesadillas and fries. for latinos, it brings families together and if we can bring that family to your business, you're gold. tonight we have russelling for e community. >> we have a ten-person limb elimination match. we have a full-size ring with barside food and drink. we ended up getting wrestling here with puoillo del mar. we're hope og get families to join us. we've done a drag queen bingo and we're trying to be a diverse kind of club, trying different things. this is a great part of town and there's a bunch of shops, a variety of stores and ethnic

restaurants. there's a popular little shop that all of the kids like to hanhang out at. we have a great breakfast spot call brick fast at tiffanies. some of the older businesses are refurbished and newer businesses are coming in and it's exciting. >> we even have our own brewery for fdr, ferment, drink repeat. it's in the san francisco garden district and four beautiful muellermixer ura alsomurals. >> it's important to shop local because it's kind of like a circle of life, if you will. we hire local people. local people spend their money at our businesses and those local mean that wor people willr money as well. i hope people shop locally.

[ ♪ ] >> thank you, wow, we're starting on time, huh? hey to everyone here in soma. i am so excited to be here. this project was approved in 2015. i was on the board of supervisors with former supervisor jane kim. there were a lot of delays. but delays don't mean denials. this project is going to be done. it is not only going to provide office space, it's going to provide much needed housing in our city. over 800 units of housing with

245 unit of affordable housing for seniors and families who are experiencing homelessness. this is the kind of project that should not be delayed. this is the kind of project that we need in communities all over san francisco. because we know, we have challenges with affordable housing. and we know that sometimes even when we have the financial resources to get the job done, our bureaucracy sometimes gets in the way. we have to change that. because the people who need this housing the most, they're counting on us to make better decisions. they're counting on us to get these projects done. so i want to thank brookfield and the hertz corporation for sticking with this project to get the job done. this project will provide $76 million in community benefits for the soma neighborhood. and let me just say --

[applause] -- that one of the things i'm most excited about, is that it will be providing art support. as a former director of an arts organization, our arts and our culture are critical to the success of our communities. and it has to be at the center of all of these major projects that we produce. so i'm also excited that soma filipino heritage district is receiving the kind of support it needs, to not only be a cultural district in this community, but it will help to make sure that we provide the kinds of programs and things so that people are reminded of the rich history and culture of the filipino community and the soma community. so thank you so much for all of the resources, all of the support, all of the excitement. this community-driven project, that is going to really

revitalize and change and shape this community and do so in a way that provides mixed-use, that provides new opportunities and that ensures success and safety for this community. thank you, all, so much for being here and playing a major part in sticking with this project. and being very patient, rudy, as we know it took a lot of patience to get this project done. no more delays. we're breaking ground and we're going to get it done. thank you, all, for everyone who played a role in this. [applause] >> thank you so much, mayor london breed. at this point, we'd like to welcome brookville properties vice president of development, jason bonet. >> well, this is a very exciting day for all of us. over a decade in the making.

we've reached this moment because of the vision, and support. because of the tremendous leadership of mayors past and present. thank you to late mayor ed lee for his commitment for more housing to the city. thank you, mayor london breed, for being here today and for your tireless efforts in this city. thank you to our great partners hurst and to our team at brookfield that is stewarding the project today. mostly we're here because of the dedication of neighbors, artists, nonprofit groups, educators and so many others who

are deeply vested in the past, present and future of soma. it provides -- together we create an economic, social and cultural formula to support positive growth. this formula includes sustaining the neighborhood's inclusivity, creativity and roots. it promotes culture and the arts. it provides places of serendipity for people to socialize and exchange ideas. welcoming to all. all this makes 5m what it is today and it will be. the next generation of mixed-use urban projects. thank you to all of you who showed up today. thank you for the good weather and i'll pass it back. >> thank you, jason.

hurst corporation extends more than 130 years here in san francisco. as owner of the project, that storied history continues. please welcome the vice president and general manager stephen hurst. >> reporter: thanks everybody. we're no stranger to the neighborhood. as you heard, 130 years. my great-grandfather took possession of the san francisco examiner in 1887. i moved up here after doing a stint at the l.a. examiner and magazine group in 1984 and worked in this building 15 years and held 9 different positions. they told me the glass was bullet-proof, all i know you couldn't see in unless it was night. at any rate, we're a longtime

member of this neighborhood. we love it. we have a vested interest and we were in on the ground floor planning, along with the city and brookfield going forward. they've both been great partners. we're very pleased to see it coming to fruition. and the mayor mentioned bureaucracy. 11 years is too long to move a project like this that benefits so many. we can't wait to see the open space. it's going to be graen, it's going to be beautiful and i'm sure people are going to enjoy it on a daily basis. with that, i say thank you very much for joining us. enjoy your day. >> thank you, stephen. the support and guidance of former district supervisor jane kim resulted in a project that always puts the community first. please welcome former district supervisor jane kim.

>> thank you so much. it has really been a long journey to get to where we are today. i just want to acknowledge a number of people who made this project, not just possible, but the project that is sitting before you today. a project that is going to achieve 40% affordable and middle income housing, including very low-income housing. a project -- thank you for the applause. a project that is going to achieve open space and arts and also much needed housing here in san francisco. but it took a lot of folks to get us here today. and first i want to acknowledge all of the members of our community. particularly here in south of market who get involved and engaged on every single new development here in our city, because this is our neighborhood. like many of the folks i'm about to acknowledge, i also live one block away from this development

site, so it matters to me what we get to be a part of when we build this community. i want to acknowledge west bay filipino. podco. tenderloin filipino community association. and the mint mall resident building and their leader stefani. and of course, united players. [applause] the many years that we spent in putting this project together, i still remember the first meeting i had with hearse when they told me the project would be coming to me within a year or 14 months for approval. i smiled. about five years later we had them come before the board of supervisors, but there was a small group of folks that worked

to make this happen. now brookfield, jack and alexis and karen johnson and april ng and many of our community leader who told us what they wanted to see. ensuring that as we build more housing and grow this neighborhood, that those who have lived here, can afford to live in this development as well. while 40% is not equal in every development, it's important to know that 40% part of 5m is for formally erly -- formerly homeless. it's important as we build, to include those struggling, but working to live in the city. i'm so proud of this project. thank you to everyone involved.

especially the ladies. they were involved in the negotiation room. alexis, april, karen, in the office, it was a pleasure to see this through. thank you very much and congratulations to brookfield hearst. >> thank you, former supervisor kim. united players says it's takes a hood to save a hood. so organization has been active and participatory in the creation of the 5m program. please welcome united players executive director rudy corpus. [applause] >> thank you, jocelyn. first of all, i want to say thank you, god, for giving me this opportunity to be here to share with you guys. and be up in here with the mayor, the arest of the you guys. when i walked in earlier today, several people asked me, what

you doing here? i said i live here. right down the block. why shouldn't i be here? so i say that because, in order for us to stabilize our community where you have over 100 years of filipino history, you have to be a part of the decision-making that is happening in your community. so when you ask to take the hood to build the hood, i am the hood. i've been here all my life. i used to run up and down these alleys down here and make bad choices, but i'm still here. me and our organization and other organizations here like west bay, the oldest filipino organization on the west region, we been here. but it's important for us to build relationships. to understand, to be a part of the solution and to be at the table with the people who are here also.

that's what community is all about, building relationships. we all going to agree? no, we're not, but we got to sit at the table to figure out what is the best for our people that exist in this community right now. otherwise, we're not going to have no filipino community. you got a building right here, 90% of the people that live here is filipino. we have so many good ideas, but you have to make sure you're sitting with the people that is currently living here to build them bridges. i'm into building bridges, not walls. if you want to come to a neighborhood where i'm at, come see me. because we're going to be here. that's right, come see me. matt is the district supervisor, but i'm the godfather of this neighborhood. believe that. so i finally want to say this to all my united players to did all the amazing work. we have over 200 kids right now,

mayor breed, in this community that we're working with. kids from all over the community. they can't be because they have programming right now. so i want to say. i was asked to come here to be a part of this ground-breaking. we going to use this shovel right here. this is symbolic shovel and i share with you why. green door, other ones, right, was also supported by the late mayor ed lee and the current mayor london breed and jane kim. we melted them guns down for mothers who lost their kids to gun violence. we put the gun parts in a furnace at 3,000°. we melted it down and made 50 shovels. this shovel right here for the commemoration of martin luther king, had a 50th anniversary

when he was assassinated in april, they planted a cherry tree. this is the shovel that was used. his great-great granddaughter used this, to plant a tree for martin luther king. where him and his wife was buried. we use soil from a man who was lynched because he looked at a white woman and they said, you can't look at white women. they use his remains because they burnt him. and they threw him in the ground of the river. the mothers who lost their kids to gun violence, we melted it down and made this shovel. then when i came back to san francisco, we used this shovel when mayor ed lee died. and we planted this tree. the mahogany tree by the library. so this symbolic shovel is being used to plant things that are

really special. so now we breaking ground with this to plant this building right here. so everybody is doing something positive and productive and constructive is with this right here. may the earth again be free. in the bible it says, that swords would be turned into plow share. this is one right here. so you cannot touch nothing unless you using all the right energy and the spirit of love that came from m.l.k., martin luther king, jr., mayor london breed. this is made out of guns, you all. this is going to break ground for our community and our people. i'm always here to acknowledge my filipino people and everybody from this community that has been here. because when i'm done finished speaking and breaking ground,

guess where i'm going? walking right back to my neighborhood. thank you. >> thank you, rudy. thank you to all our speakers. as you can see, we have plenty to grow here. and as we all together break ground, it's a special momentous occasion. so before we move on with our program, we'd like to ask our speakers to take a celebratory photo down here by the trees. because we have plenty of room to grow as a community together. but also wanted to share with everyone as we celebrate together, we have amazing artwork that is done and we have bags, so please join us in the continuous making of art together with the community. and at this time i'd like to ask

the speakers to walk down. >> mayor breed: going to turn the dirt. okay. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! [cheers and applause] [ ♪ ] >> i moved into my wonderful, beautiful, affordable housing

march 7th. i have lived in san francisco since i was two-years-old. i've lived in hunters view for 23 to 24 years now. my name is vlady. i use titus and i am the resident commissioner for the san francisco housing facility. from the very beginning, this whole transition of public housing and affordable housing was a good idea. but many, many residents didn't think it would ever actually happen. it's been a life changing experience. and i'm truly grateful for the whole initiative and all those that work on the whole sf

initiative. they've done a wonderful job accommodating the residents, who for many years have lived in delap tated housing. now they have quality housing. i was on a street where the living room and the kitchen and stairs. it wasn't large enough to accommodate. the children are grown. i had the accomplish of having a dishwasher in my home. i really like that. [laughter] i really like not having to wash dishes by hand. we still do it from time to time. the mayor's office has been a real friend to us, a partner. we know that our city supports us. i love san francisco. just to be able to stay in my community and continue to help the residents who live here and continue to see my neighborhoods

move into new housing, it's been a real joy. it's been a real joy. supporters of the eagle plaza. [cheers and applause] this morning, i was honored, my business partner, mike leon. on this historic day. i want to take the warmest welcome possible to the honorable mayor london breed,

supervisor haney, supervisor mandelman. the greatest community, members of the leather and lgbt cultural district and the friends of eagle plaza. we're all here today after a long road. great accomplishments. eagle plaza started as an idea. six years ago my business partner and i met, built and have a conversation about breaking ground for construct, where we floated idea of the construction of the plaza. between the san francisco eagle bar and the construction. a plaza unique to the world that will honor the leather and lgbt communities, serve as a focal part for them to have events.

and now this idea is about to come true. it's fitting this was elected for the first public plaza dedicated to the leather community. it's been the home for this community for decades. a special thanks to supervisor haney and mandelman for introducing and pushing forward the legislation to permit the construction of eagle plaza. [cheers and applause] without their efforts, eagle plaza would still remain as an idea. i would like to thank all of those who contributed financially to eagle plaza and to my eagle family for their support.

and, of course, the most special thanks to mayor breed, who removed road blocks, constantly moved the project forward to where we're here today at the ground-breaking of eagle plaza. i would like you to extend the warmest welcome to our mayor, london breed. [cheers and applause] >> >> mayor breed: thank you so much. i am so excited to be here today. we're going to have one of the most beautiful plazas in san francisco. i remember when it first became mayor and i knew that this idea had started over six years ago when state senator scott wiener was on the board of supervisors and i know a lot of the work he did helped to get us to this place. but i was really frustrated over the two years of bureaucracy. we already had the support. we already had the plan.

and the city bureaucracy continued to delay this project. so two years delay was just really unacceptable. so when i first became mayor, i made this one of my first directives and we got the approvals done in three months. so i'm really proud -- [applause] -- that we were able to work together to accomplish that goal. in addition to that, because this was such an amazing community-driven project, $200,000 from the community college grant was made possible to help fund this project. the work from build inc. and i want to thank lauren seguin for being here, as well as the folks from the park alliance and the friends of eagle plaza, you all came together to make this incredible project possible. and i also would like to say a special thank you to senator

scott wiener who put $100,000 in the state budget so we can have the additional support that we need. but here's the good news. we know that there is still a $50,000 funding gap and so that we can focus on the work and not on the resources needed to get the work done, i work with supervisor mandelman to come up with the $50,000 that we need to get this project done. [cheers and applause] >> mayor breed: so to the folks of the leather and the lgbt community and this cultural district that was made possible for the purposes of celebration coming together. and in the spirit of pride month here in san francisco that celebrates inclusiveness and love and all great things we are here in our great city, i would

like to say congratulations and thank you all for your hard work. i know when this plaza is completed, it's going to be used by so many people, to hang out, drink coffee, read, and celebrate and all the great things we do that make san francisco such a unique and special place for people to visit and live here. thank you, all, so much. [applause] >> now i'd like to present a very special award that the san francisco eagle bar to a very special person. this is called the leather feather. and it's given in recognition of someone who not only has supported the leather community in a special way, but performed extraordinary service in doing so. so for making eagle plaza a

reality, eagle bar is honored to present the leather feather to the san francisco mayor london breed. >> mayor breed: thank you. >> thank you so much. >> mayor breed: thank you. [applause] >> i want to have you guys now with bob, the chair of the leather and lgbt cultural district. [applause] >> i am proud to be here for this historic event and the leather district is delighted to have the eagle plaza in our district. and we look forward to its use as a gathering point in the district. i have the honor of introducing rafael mandelman, the district supervisor and native san franciscan. he supported the leather community even before he ran for

supervisor and can be seen in local venues periodically. [laughter] now he's reaching out beyond his district's boundaries to take real action to help make spaces like the eagle plaza come into being. his actions to make spaces for leather communities will keep this neighborhood's historic vibrant which will help perpetuate the city as a city for tolerance and acceptance. with that, i present to you rafael mandelman. [applause] >> supervisor mandelman: good morning, everybody. this is such a wonderful morning and as i look out at this crowd of gorgeous people who are doing amazing things in our city for so many causes and communities. i see race bannon. race always deserves a round of applause. [applause] san francisco is a city that does not forget its history.

we build on our history. we celebrate our history and make new things happen next to old things and that is part of the magic of the city. and i'm so pleased that this plaza is -- as the mayor said, it took a little longer than would have been ideal, but it is now finally happening. i want to say just a few -- maybe a year ago, or a couple of years ago, we were worried about whether there even would be an eagle, right? more than a few years ago, but the community came together and city hall responded and now not only is the eagle still here, it's still a place to enjoy on sunday afternoons and all the time. and thank you so much, lex and mike, but now we have not only the eagle, but this amazing plaza coming here. so thank you, all, for coming

out. thank you all for coming out. but have a very, very happy pride. [applause] >> thank you, supervisor mandelman. i now have the proud honor of introducing district 6 supervisor matt haney. i met matt when he reached out to the leather and lgbt district when running for office. he expressed support for our community then and is following through with his action. it's these spaces that form a community and those spaces for the leather and lgbtq communities are under constant threat in this neighborhood. matt haney is not only talking about preserving the culture here, he's sponsoring legislation to preserve the spaces that make soma a destination for people across the country and around the world. the fact that he is here today

showing support for the eagle plaza is one sign of his commitment to the communities. with that, i present to you supervisor haney. >> supervisor haney: thank you, bob. well, i want to say this one more time. this is going to be the world's first public plaza dedicated to the leather community. isn't that incredible? world first. and not only is it the world's first public plaza dedicated to the leather community, it is in the world's first cultural district dedicated to the lgbtq community. give it up for that as well. bob, tremendous leadership. i want to thank all of you who worked hard to make this happen. sf parks alliance, mayor breed, supervisor mandelman, senator wiener. this is an extraordinary effort that made this happen. far too often the things that

make this city wonderful, the things that built this culture, created our identity, the institutions, the businesses, are the ones that are constantly under attack. and sadly that's been the case here in western soma as well for the leather community. and with what we're doing today, the city is finally saying, not only are we going to preserve those institutions and that culture, we're going to celebrate it, have a permanent home for it in our city and we're going to do it in western soma. there is no west soma without the leather community. i'm excited about the future of this plaza for a number of reasons. also because we need more open space in this part of the city. soma and west soma has some of the least amount of open space, parks, places for people to relax, to bring their dogs, hang out. and i know this can be an extraordinary open space.

i may not have been to many leather events, but i have been here for the beer bust a couple of weeks ago. and this is a community that knows how to come together to have a good time. i want to give a shoutout to a group of people. i want to shout out to the construction workers behind us, who are actually going to build this thing. for all of their hard work, we're going to put on hard hats, but they do the work every day. thank you so much. t thank you all for being here. we'll champion the leather district, the eagle and the plaza. thank you, all, for being here. >> good morning, everyone. my name is victor, i'm the communications director for senator scott wiener. this is a project he has spent a lot of energy working with lex

and mike for the last six years to make this happen. he was very proud to get in the budget $100,000 to help make this a reality. [applause] i want to thank mayor london breed as well for her continued support of the plaza, as well as supervisor mandelman and haney. the leather community has always played an important role in the lgbtq community. at the height of the h.i.v. epidemic, the community stepped up to raise funds for h.i.v. care, research and care for the entire community and continues to do that to this day. this plaza will serve to commemorate that and to continue to allow that work to happen. i want to thank you all for being here today and all of you that helped make this happen today. thank you so much. [applause] i'd like to bring up lauren from

build inc. >> thanks. i don't know where to start. i mean, so many aspects of this are important. people think of us as developers, but really we're urban place-makers and this exemplifies the work that is important to us, every project we do. the neighborhood makes its place and has influence on what we can do there. so this is amazing. for my partners, on behalf of my partners, our whole build group, the team at the office, this is the work that is meaningful, rewarding and just makes it all worth while. so thanks to mayor breed, to supervisor mandelman, haney, lex and the whole community to help make this happen. it takes a village and this is our village. thank you. let's dig dirt and make it happen!

[applause] we have shovels right here. let's go dig. >> 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! turn that dirt! woo hoo! [applause] love that. that's a great shot. thank you.

as latinos we are unified in some ways and incredibly diverse in others and this exhibit really is an exploration of nuance in how we present those ideas. ♪ our debts are not for sale. >> a piece about sanctuary and how his whole family served in the army and it's a long family tradition and these people that look at us as foreigners, we have been here and we are part of america, you know, and we had to reinforce that.

i have been cure rating here for about 18 year. we started with a table top, candle, flower es, and a picture and people reacted to that like it was the monna lisa. >> the most important tradition as it relates to the show is idea of making offering. in traditional mexican alters, you see food, candy, drinks, cigarettes, the things that the person that the offerings where being made to can take with them into the next word, the next life. >> keeps u.s us connects to the people who have passed and because family is so important to us, that community dynamic makes it stick and makes it visible and it humanizes it and

makes it present again. ♪ >> when i first started doing it back in '71, i wanted to do something with ritual, ceremony and history and you know i talked to my partner ross about the research and we opened and it hit a cord and people loved it. >> i think the line between engaging everyone with our culture and appropriating it. i think it goes back to asking people to bring their visions of what it means to honor the dead, and so for us it's not asking us to make mexican altars if they are not mexican, it's really to share and expand our vision of what it means to honor the dead. >> people are very respectful. i can show you this year alone

of people who call tol ask is it okay if we come, we are hawaii or asian or we are this. what should we wear? what do you recommend that we do? >> they say oh, you know, we want a four day of the dead and it's all hybrid in this country. what has happened are paper cuts, it's so hybrid. it has spread to mexico from the bay area. we have influence on a lot of people, and i'm proud of it. >> a lot of tim times they don't represent we represent a lot of cultures with a lot of different perspectives and beliefs. >> i can see the city changes and it's scary. >> when we first started a lot

of people freaked out thinking we were a cult and things like that, but we went out of our way to also make it educational through outreach and that is why we started doing the prosession in 1979. >> as someone who grew up attending the yearly processions and who has seen them change incrementally every year into kind of what they are now, i feel in many ways that the cat is out of the bag and there is no putting the genie back into the bottle in how the wider public accesses the day of the dead. >> i have been through three different generations of children who were brought to the procession when they were very young that are now bringing their children or grandchildren. >> in the '80s, the processions

were just kind of electric. families with their homemade visuals walking down the street in san francisco. service so much more intimate and personal and so much more rooted in kind of a family practice of a very strong cultural practice. it kind of is what it is now and it has gone off in many different directions but i will always love the early days in the '80s where it was so intimate and son sofa millial. >> our goal is to rescue a part of the culture that was a part that we could invite others to join in there there by where we invite the person to come help us rescue rescue it also.

that's what makes it unique. >> you have to know how to approach this changing situation, it's exhausting and i have seen how it has affected everybody. >> what's happening in mission and the relationship with the police, well it's relevant and it's relevant that people think about it that day of the dead is not just sugar skulls and paper flowers and candles, but it's become a nondenominational tradition that people celebrate. >> our culture is about color and family and if that is not present in your life, there is just no meaning to it you know? >> we have artists as black and brown people that are in direct danger of the direct policies of the trump a administration and i think how each of the artists has responsibilitie responded ss

interesting. the common [♪] [♪] >> the meeting will come to order. welcome to the june 17th, 2019, meeting of the rules committee. seated to my right is supervisor shamann walton and to