>> hi everybody. i am executive director of giffords. led by gabby gifford joining us today. we would like to welcome you to the giffords' san francisco gun violence memorial which serves as a stark reminder of gun violence that continues and increases to plague our great state of california, bay area and, of course, the country as a whole. in 2020 this state saw 3500 gun deaths representing a shocking 41% increase in murders. there is no single cause. gun sales are up. police community trust is down. the pandemic has led to an

unprecedented social dislocation. but we do know some of the answers to addressing the gun violence epidemic. two of them are simple. courage and determination. the courage of survivors like here and those from the 101 california shooting. over 25 years ago they turned grief into action, determination of survivors to keep at it year after year passing gun law after gun law which has allowed us in california to reduce the rate of gun violence over that amount of time in half. that is not enough. california is not an island. california must do more. for example, passing the

firearms industry responsibility act. we need to keep the drumbeat going in sacramento. we need to continue to invest in life saving violence prevention work. we need to shine a bright light on the inaction of washington, d.c. where despite 90% of americans who support universal background checks across the country despite the majority of americans that support deep investment in violence intervention and policies and investments despite the need for president biden to take further action, we have seen not enough. we are surrounded here today by a elected leaders, advocates, survivors, folks on the front lines to make it day-to-day work to create change we need for a

safer city, state and country. i am deeply honored to introduce san francisco mayor london breed. thank you so much for your leadership and in particular for your support for the $1.5 million investment in violence prevention services. >> mayor breed: let me say it is an honor to be here with our distinguished guests, including gabby gifford and the work she has been doing to address gun violence in this country has been extraordinary. this is how we connected because, sadly, this is why i got into politic in the first place. it has everything to do with growing up in a community where gun violence was normal. in junior high school it was easy for anyone to get access to buy or find a gun somewhere in

your home and this is in the western addition where myself and michael joining us today where we. >> up. too many funerals to count. i wasn't even 18 years old. when i think about these lives here represented in this way, 3449 people during the year of 2020 in the state of california. dying in this state, in this very wealthy state due to gun violence. half of these people because of suicide and african-american men in particular representing 4% of the population in this state. 28% of those who died from gun violence. kids ages 1-17. second leading cause of death in the state of california. in 2020 what we saw in san

francisco is that gun violence was a leading cause of death in our communities. we are seeing this happen time and time again. whether it is our synagogues or sandy hook shootings where our kids were murdered. in so many situations what is most frustrating to me is where is the compassion. where is the leadership? where is the courage? because i am certain, sadly, everyone here in some form or another is probably impacted by gun violence in some way. you directly or a family member. people in domestic violence situations one of the leading causes of death is by a gun.

how do we get rid of this? how do we stop this and make sure it is not one more? we can't give up this fight. the hurt is not just the people who are the victims directly. it is the families. it is the communities, the loss of life. heart and pain that carries on with you especially with the mothers. we are here with one of those mothers, those courageous mothers who has taken her pain and used it to advocate for other mothers, too much loss, hurt, too much pain. that is why we are here today. it is important to shine a light another this and never to give up. gabby would say never ever give up. on the need for change. on the need for justice. on the need to make sure the kids are not continuing to grow

up in these environments where this is normal because it is not normal. it is hurtful, painful and it is devastating to our city, our state, our country. we are better than this. we can do better than this. i am confident that the work that gifford does with a number of the people who are actively engaged in this fight we are going to get there. we are not going to give up and we are going to continue to fight to end gun violence in this country. thank you all so much for being here to support these efforts. [applause] >> thank you, mayor breed. as you heard from the mayor, there is no greater loss than the loss of the parent. our next speaker has grievously lost and she has also

courageously fought for safer gun lies. i am very sonnored and proud to introduce survivor lynnettemcelhaney. >> good morning. it is an awesome privilege to stand with this leader, our congressional leader and each of you who lifted up the cause of ending gun violence in this country today. i havingeled to figure out what -- struggled out what to say in a political or policy context to understand the importance of now. we are surrounded by 5 -- 3500 flowers representing the lives of californiaians lost to gun

violence in 2020. think about that over 10 years and go back to 2010. you will find a flower from my son, victor mcel haney. i was thinking about victor. i think about victor all of the time. he is the only son born to me. my only child, my only baby. i think about the promise that we all lost in victor. victor was born two months early but right on time. he chose to come on april 13th, he chose because he was a decisive child. arrived when tiger was winning the masters something i could not witness. victor said pay attention to me. he came in at 3 pounds. we named him victor because he beat the odds. he would need to be in a incubator for months and it was

only weeks. he came born to drums and brought music. at three he said music is medicine, mommy, don't you know that. he would drum his way to the university of southern california. where the transfer student he made teachers feel welcome in their place. we told him wherever he stepped foot it was his place to be and his place to serve. victor brought love into this world. he drummed for deaths and births and in celebration and created music and gave so much love. if you have ever been touched by music, ever been touched by a song, ever given you comfort and a time of stress or reminded you of joy us teenage years you know the power of music. i will tell you that on

march 10, 2019 that drummer was stopped from creating that memory or providing that tune or giving us that grace. victor was my sunshine. he was much more than that. he was a son of this great state, a son of his community. he chose to be a son of the world, and he wanted to share love, to heal all of the harms that would lead to the premature death of his god brother, his cousin, his nephew. it would ultimately take his life. just 30-days before he would have been 22. now people look at me and say you are so strong.

i don't know that that is true. there is not a day in these past three years that i don't weep. no a day i don't cry out. no time to rest. as marvin would say, there are too many mothers and fathers crying. now it would be one thing if we were just up against a disease we couldn't identify. a fight for cancer, viruses, things we bring science to. this is something we can cure. we know what to do. as peter so eloquently told us. 90% of us. we can't agree on the weather or time of day. 90% of americans know that this is something we can do without and we must bring an end to.

there are just a handful of wealthy people who profit on my pain. please help me stop them. please help me stop any other mother, brother, sister, cousin from living in this pain. thank you. (applause). >> thank you so much, lynnette. your courage as survivor is so remarkable. you are somebody who has been on the front lines of gun violence prevention for so long. i want everybody to know of your role in oakland of passing measure z which helped save count less lives through the services it funded. i want to introduce somebody now

who is on the front lines of stopping gun violence. the wrap around services at u.c.s.f. have comforted victims, stopped cycles of violence from continuing and saved so many lives. i am pleased to introduce our next speaker. >> i am mike. with the wraparound project over 16 years. we provide services for individuals impacted by gun violence. our mission is to really stop the reinvolving door of the violence in our cities. we provide services as far as victim services, court advocacy, job opportunities, employment opportunities, and really to

just the highlight a few individuals we have young folks who have been affected by violence now in the medical field and now they are also professors at san francisco state. thank you. (applause). >> thank you for your work and partnership. i am now pleased as mayor breed said gun violence takes many forms. from the daily community violence which devastates so many neighborhoods, suicide, also the nexus between gun violence and domestic violence. scott shelf from stop gun violence with the domestic violence consortium. thank you, scott. [applause] >> good morning. i have been working with rsp.

i started asen mate participant since 1998. i have been doing this for 24 years. it is my life work. i and honored to be here but i am sad to be here. that is how i feel. i feel sad about being here. i feel like we shouldn't be here but we need to be here. it is necessary that we are here. the impact of violence weighs heavy on me. sometimes i want to stop. i can't stop and won't stop. i have experienced violence at all level. i have worked with men sending violent texts and taken lives. why are you still working with them? my hope is they won't take another life. that is my hope. that is my reality.

our program is based in the principles of restorative justice. first about accountability. i can't help but notice the lack of accountability going on in our country. it is about time that we get accountable. my job is to hold men accountable for violence. that is my job to hold them accountable and hold myself accountable as well. we really need to step up our game because we are slipping. it is not working. clearly not working. i told beverly when i walked up and saw all of the faces i was overcome. 3449 people in one year. that shouldn't happen. i know people talk about the second amendment and stuff. it was ratified in 1791. that was a long time ago. guns have advanced.

it is time policies advance. it is long time. guns are far more advanced now. countless lives can be taken in a matter of seconds. it is like enough is enough. i work with men and challenge police systems. mr. bs. the belief system. we address gender roles and what men learn about what they are supposed to be as a man and their role and their partner's role. my job is to challenge that ideology. it is going on for hundreds of years. there is also some ideologies to challenge around gun culture. it is a shame to me that people are so caught up with guns. it is time we start taking on

those belief systems around guns, right? and around people's right to have guns. there are certain. i understand people want to have guns to protect themselves. if you are going to fight against the tyrannical government. good luck. that is not going to work out. i just want to mention some folks i have lost over the years, clients and friend. randolph grayson was 23 years old died on march 24, 2003. he had a smile and personality. first client lost in visitation valley. richard fowler 28 years old died october 3, 2011 at home playing video games. shot in the head. dante white. 22 years old. died april 27, 2006.

in class with his bigfoot filled smile on tuesday. on thursday he was gunned down at the community center. i will never see that smile again. nor will his parents or his child or any of his folks. they will not see that. shelton 10, 6, 14. we used to joke he was our son. he was 20 when i started working with him. he sat on many occasions at my desk. i said, look, man stop hanging out on the periphery. you are going to hurt somebody or be killed. i told him that three times. he was such a baby face and had a baby on the way. baby was born and he was taken. another father less child. he just started out in life.

randy armstrong, 54. coming up on a year killed. he was a peer in rsvp. he had quite an imposing presence 6-foot 9". he was a teddy bear. i loved that guy. shot and killed in potrero hill may 15, last year. >> cleveland reed client and co-worker 29. killed in potrero hill. a former co-worker killed walking dog in oakland worked apartment sevsevwith victims of vi-- worked at u.c.s.f. he would sit in our trainings when i started out. we became close. he ended up becoming the director of the program i went through. then went to continue his education at u.c.s.f. he was out walking his dog and

shot and killed for no reason other than initiation. he was not robbed. everything was in his wallet. david lewis, 54. he was killed june 9, 2010 at the hills dale shopping center. he was a giant in person and in the recovery circles. free at last in east palo alto. i wish i would have gotten to know him more. i can't now. i lost a cousin to suicide by gun back east recently. she was a young mother two kids, happily married. just in closing briefly i want it out there whoever is listening. if you need support i am here. reach out to me. if you need support or know somebody who needs support reach out to me, please contact me.

get me through the sheriff's department or community works west through the website. i am here to support anybody who wants it. you just need willingness to do some work. thank you for allowing me to be here today. it is an honor. [applause] >> thank you, scott for your courageous work and your remembrances. robin thomas executive director of givefords law center. -- giffords law center. over 15 years after being a top expert helped produce the policy gains that have helped us in this state achieve the decline this is per capita gun violence that are so important to protecting our communities.

(applause). on july 1, 1993, almost 29 years ago, a gunman walked into 101 california street in one of the buildings behind us and shot and killed eight people, left six wounded. forever changed the face of this city. the knowledge and understanding of this city of the toll of gun violence that can make any one of us acceptable to the havoc. the predecessor to the law center was founded in that tragedy. the mission was to reduce the goal of gun violence in san francisco, california, united states. i am proud to say that 29 years later we have had tremendous success since the shooting at sandy hook we passed 500 laws at

the state level. [applause]. since shooting at parkland high school we passed 250 laws at state and local level. in 27 states last year we passed 75 laws. that progress every day is very meaningful. frustrating, maddening to us that the translation of success. the laws passed to places like california and have reduced gun violence and gun deaths in california by almost half aren't something that is taken up by the federal government. this is a problem that has solutions. we don't have to be looking at almost 3500 flower in the field behind us. it is courage shown by people partnered with us today standing behind me today, shown by our leaders in washington, d.c.

we wouldn't have to be holding so many funerals and holding events to draw attention to this devastating problem. like giffords we are proud of the work we do and laws we helped pass. proud of the second amendment laws in the courts. cases right now today sitting before the supreme court of this country and decisions expected next month. this is not a problem that is going to be an immediate solution in the courts. we will fight as long and hard as it takes until we have success. we are proud of the partnership. proud of the fact we stand with youth alive and the wrap around be project and domestic violence which people are in the trenches every day fighting this fight, supporting their communities one life at a time. we know the folks and the work

they are doing. they have reduced gun deaths in oakland by almost 50% in the last decade. that is tremendous. [applause]. we are so proud to work with them every day and stand with them every day in their fight and to bring every ounce of the power we can lift voices to make sure this problem is never forgotten. this is something we are committed to as an organization, as individuals as a group to fight for until one day we don't have to stand here in front of flowers and don't have to hear from mothers who tragically lost children. i think about that all of the time. how it would be possible to get out of bed the next day or any day after losing a child. the only thing i hope is that this fight, the fight to prevent this from happening in the future to others motivates us to

never give up. we are never going to give up on this fight. i am so proud and humbled to be here representing someone who i know we all feel so strongly is not just our namesake but inspiration that shows us every day what it means to have courage, fight, believe in a future better than the one we have today. (applause). >> our lives can change so quickly. mine did when i was shot. i never gave up hope. i chose to make a new start. to not look back. i am re-learning so many things, how to walk, how to talk, and i am fighting to make the country

safer. it can be so difficult. losses hurt. setbacks are hard. i tell myself move ahead. i find joy in small things, riding my bike, going to the gym, laughing with friends. we are living in challenging times, but we are up for the challenge. my own recovery has taken years. many, many people have helped me along the way. i learned so much. i have learned when people care for each other and work together progress is possible. change doesn't happen overnight. we can't do it alone. join me. move ahead together. thank you very much.

[applause]. >> it is a windy day or the fight against gun violence, gabby gifford is up for any challenge. i want to note gabby's recovery has taken years and years. her recovery is the product not of miraculous medical discovery, not particularly awesome day of physical therapy but sheer determination and hard workday after day, hour after hour, minute after minute. she inspires us. that is fundamentally what we have to do to fight against gun violence. there is no silver bullet. the gun lobby is not going to just walk away from the field. we have rejoin the fight each

and every day, push the ball forward and save as many lives as we possibly can. we know what we need to do. the nra wants us to feel hopeless that gun violence isn't preventible when we know that it is. that is why we are honored to have our partners together in this fight to work with all of you. with that we will invite you to spend some time at the memorial today and this week. happy to answer any questions which we can do now. (applause).

(♪♪) [applause] >> thank you, lion dancers. [applause] you know it's a special occasion in san francisco anytime that you see the lion dancers here. and we are certainly celebrating a special occasion today. so it's so wonderful to see everybody. the weather is wonderful. the pre-program with all of the skaters is wonderful. and it's great to see everybody here today.

and you know what we're celebrating, right? [cheers and applause] we are celebrating because this 3.3 mile stretch of road behind me is finally permanently car free [cheers and applause] and it's wonderful to see so many people still behind us just walking and biking and skating. and it's wonderful to see people of all ages enjoying this promenade. my name is carol ann tyler and i'm your m.c. for this long overdue celebration. [applause] i was a news reporter and an anchor at abc 7 for more than 30 years. [applause] thank you. i covered a lot of the city's

challenges, and also successes and this is certainly a major success. [applause] j.f.k. drive is such a massive success that it is resonating all over the country. people are talking about what you have managed to do here. it's hard to believe that this oasis where now we're going to see all sorts of cyclists and pedestrians and walkers and everybody coming out and enjoying it, it's hard to believe that this is once on the high injury network. can you believe it? now it's off permanently. [applause] and that success is thanks to all of you and it is thanks to the bold leadership of our mayor, london breed. [cheers and applause] who has always been a strong advocate for the city's parks and open spaces.

i was hoping that she'd come out here on roller skates, but guess not today. but, please welcome to the stage the honorable london breed. [applause] >> thank you, carolyn. well, i really was going to come out here in roller skates, but then i got a little nervous. i didn't want anyone to catch me falling on video. i will say that i i'm just really happy about what we're doing here today. and i don't know about you, but i'm a big fan of "bridgerton" that is on netflix, and i always wanted to promenade down some sort of walkway, because they always talk about going somewhere to promenade and now we have our own promenade here on j.f.k. it's going from a drive to a promenade, a place

that we can all enjoy. and i remember coming here with my aunt who went to washington high school and i thought that i was a big girl hanging out with all of the high school students this place was always packed with people on roller skates with those radios that we had to use the big batteries with. and a lot of people would roller skate and some bike, and mostly roller skaters back then and david miles will remember that time because i think that he was a grown-up during that time and i was just an itty-bitty kid. and the fact is that, you know, this is an incredible park. and it's a huge park filled with open space, with plenty of opportunities for so many different things. i know that many of you are so happy and grateful for what we were able to do together, not just me but all of you who advocated for this for many years as well as the members of the board of supervisors who are joining us here today. supervisor mandelman and supervisor mar and supervisor preston.

and getting that level of support, because it does take courage and i know that this was not an easy thing to do. but at the end of the day this was the right thing to do for the people of san francisco. that's why i'm so proud to be here and so proud to kick this off. golden gate park is a special place and when i traveled all over the country and all over the world to talk about san francisco, to talk about reasons to come to san francisco to visit, to convention, i talked about golden gate park and the fact that j.f.k. is now car-free and the fact that we have a battery bus opening up. and tunnel top park and san francisco park, and all of these great, wonderful open spaces in san francisco that are available. and i will say that this park was my saving grace during the global pandemic. i know that many of you felt the same way.

because i would come up here on a regular basis in disguise. and i would see the people with their babies in strollers. i would see folks in wheelchairs and i would see people on their bikes and i would see kids rollerskating and i would see them on their scooters and the thing that i saw more than anything else was not just all of the folks who were using this area, but i loved seeing the smiles on people's faces to be able to be out here in this way and to enjoy this incredible open space. so this is a victory for san francisco. this is something that we will be able to treasure, that kids now growing up and going roller skating and hanging out on j.f.k. promenade will be able to share with their children in this city. and i want to really thank so many of the various mommy groups because, man, when moms get

together and they want something to happen, they don't mess around. you better get out of their way and i want to thank all of the parents, the families, the community. i want to thank church on wheels and david miles. [applause] i want to thank the grannies over there too, and all of the great people. this is just really a beautiful day for san francisco. and it means so much and i'm so proud to be here today to sign this legislation, and i want to thank the rec and park director phil ginsburg, and the director of m.p.a., jeff tumlin. and they drove me nuts through this process, but they were fierce advocates for what they knew was right thing to do. the city has changed. people are using various modes of transportation and how we get around is so perspective. but also -- important. but also how we have open space

where we can feel safe. san francisco is one of the densest cities in the country and that's why a space like this being car free is so critical to ensuring that we have the ability to move around, to skate around and to bike around free of vehicles, because this is not a place that should be a highway or a freeway, or a cut-through. it needs to be a place for people to enjoy. and it's a space that you guys are going to enjoy, that you're going to take care of and you're going to continue to be proud of. so i'm excited to sign this legislation, but clearly somebody wanted to have a party today. so i think that i'm going to leo introduce phil or do you want me to bring him up? okay, you want to come on up. but, clearly, somebody wanted to have a party today because it's a big deal and it is a celebration. and as carolyn has said, you know, people are talking about

this all over the country, and really surprised and happy that we were able to make this happen. i think that this is going to be something that can happen for other large parks in the u.s. so i am just glad to be here and i am glad that you are all here and this is your golden gate park, enjoy it. >> thank you, madam mayor. i mean, golden gate park is definitely one of the crown jewels of this city and is known really worldwide and so it's great to have the car free stretch that the mayor is going to sign into law today. as she said, if we learned anything during the pandemic, it was that our parks are not luxuries. they're necessities. mayor breed talked about coming here to golden gate park in disguise. well, i went to my neighborhood and walked all the time along

the marino green and into chrissy field and it really helped during those dark days. these parks are really essential to our mental and physical health. they are some of the highest points during those dark days for us, during the health emergency. and they will continue to be here for us so that we can enjoy. i mean, just look around and it's so beautiful and so amazing. and the beautiful parks in san francisco are maintained by a very hard-working staff at the department of rec and parks. and we would like to give a hand clap to them. [applause] and our next speaker is the general manager of the department, phil ginsburg. [applause] >> hey, let's give it up for carolyn. thank you so much for being here today to celebrate this. so someone once said that the

best way to avoid criticism in life is to do nothing. that's not what we did today. great cities do great things and great leaders, mayor, help cities to do great things. and that takes bold leadership, it takes courage, and we are really grateful to you for your vision and for leaning into this, for steering us. thank you. thank you, thank you. [applause] we also really want to celebrate and to acknowledge the co-chairs of the legislation, assemblyman matt haney and our three board members from the board of supervisors, give it up for them. [applause] so golden gate park has always been the keeper of san francisco's stories. it housed refugees during the

1906 earthquake, and fire, and it's seen the heartbeat of love. and it has memorial grove and you can see it right here is a place of national reflection for all touched by h.i.v. and aids. and most recently as the mayor noted, golden gate park provided connection and healing during the covid-19 lockdown. and for me one of my greatest personal challenges during the covid-19 lockdown was indeed having a mayor in disguise here every single day. today we're adding a new chapter about the future of our city. this story is one of joy and safety, of people-centered parks and the determination of families. urban planner fred kent who was probably the founder of the modern placemaking movement said, that if you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get -- you get cars and traffic. if you plan for people and

places, you get people and places. of course that is easier said than done. and we couldn't have done it all without our partners from sfmta we are incredibly grateful to mta staff for their hard work and jeff tumlin -- where are you? just come on out and take a bow, please. [applause] jeff is our leader. he is a visionary in the pursuit of healthier, safer and more sustainable san francisco. and he's here every day too. i got a handful of difficult customers. anyway, jeff, thank you for leaning into this with your technical expertise, but most importantly, with your heart and empathy for making sure that this park is accessible and available for everyone. thank you, jeff, so much.

i also, as carolyn mentioned, i really want to thank our rec and park team who shepherded this project over two years and served with impassionate debate on all sides and our director of public affairs who worked so hard on this whole project for two years and worked so hard on throwing a great party today, sarah madlin. [applause] but none of this happens without all of you, so we want to thank all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly to secure this space thank you, david miles, thank you, where are you? the hardest working man in skating. the church of eight wheels, walk s.f. and the mayor's office on disability. and san francisco bike coalition and so many other wonderful grassroots organizations, i really want to thank tilley chan, with the transportation authority and the sfmta board of directors and our very own rec and park commission for leaning

in and sitting through some sawflly long hearings. but the last and the most important thank you goes to all of you. more than 10,000 san franciscans engaged with us during this conversation over eight months of outreach. and your input has not only led to a permanently car free j.f.k., but 45 different access improvements to ensure that everyone can enjoy this space. you all made the next chapter of san francisco's story today, you made history. thank you very much. and madam mayor -- we have a little something for you. a sign which we hope that adorns your office. you no longer need to be here in disguise. you are welcome along j.f.k. promenade anytime. [applause]

>> now if we could only find that guy from "bridgerton" to go with you. [laughter] mr. hotness, yes. [laughter]. thank you, phil, for those words. you know, car-free j.f.k. at its heart is all about kids as the mayor mentioned. i grew up in cheyenne, wyoming, and it's big open spaces and i never had to worry about a car running my down when i was trying to learn to ride a bicycle. in a big urban city like this, that's not necessarily the case so when you think about car-free j.f.k., i think about the kids who can learn how to skate, following in the footsteps of david miles, or can learn to ride their bike with their parents. things like that. they can get out in nature. they can play. the fresh air is accessible. those are the things that really make a difference.

and parents as the mayor mentioned played a huge role in advocating for this car-free space. and so we want to recognize one mom but she really encompasses the work of a lot of the moms and dads who have been pushing for the last couple years trying to get this going. so please welcome to the stage now district one mom and advocate, leanne chang. >> thank you. [applause] i am so honored to be here today with madame mayor london breed. i'm leanne chang, one of so many parents who love this space for our families and who got involved to help to make it permanent. almost exactly two years ago, mayor breed created a car-free space here in golden gate park and mcclaren park so that we

could have space for socially distanced recreation. and i want to share a little story with you from the very earliest days of the pandemic when we were sheltering in place. after many days of saying inside of our apartment, the first place that i took my son, he's over there in the pink pants -- jay -- he was three years old at the time and it was golden gate park. and on the way over here, it just felt like a revelation to me to be back in this city, like, back on streets of this city which, like, was so much more beautiful than i remembered. and i know that jay felt it too as we were crossing the street just up there at 8th avenue and we could start to smell the trees and see people walking and sitting on the grass, suddenly jay belted out "i love this town." i love everything in this town. i love everything and everybody in this town.

and that was his song as we made our way to a quiet corner of the park where we reconnected with nature. and from an extremely safe distance we reconnected with other safe san franciscans. and then mayor breed created a safe car-free space here on j.f.k. and suddenly we had a space where we could be not only in the city surrounded by the diversity of people and activities that you can only find in a city and really only in this city of san francisco. and at the same time, be safe from dangerous traffic. so, jay could listen to the music and join the party here at the skating place, and get a snack from a food truck. in fact, riding his bike, and, at the same time to see and meet other kids and adults, learning and even practicing tricks on

theirs. and all of this was so much more carefree for me, you know, not feeling like i had to constantly watch for cars. so i will be forever grateful to you, madame mayor london breed, for seeing that this safe family-friendly, climate-friendly space, could benefit san franciscans for so much more time after the pandemic. for every kid who now gets to grow up with the j.f.k. promenade for generations to come, i thank you. your leadership -- [applause] your leadership in creating the j.f.k. promenade makes me feel the way that i think that my son did when he sang out, i love this town, i love everything in this town, i love everybody in this town. so, thank you.

[applause] >> thank you, leanne. i love this town! [cheers and applause] i love this new promenade. and i'd like to thank everybody who came out today to celebrate so we're going to conclude our speaking portion of the program but we want all of the speakers to gather around because the mayor is now going to make this promenade official. she's at the picnic table. everybody should go over there as she signs the car-free j.f.k. ordinance into the law of the land. [applause] >> all right, are we ready to see this become law? [cheers and applause]

>> there it is. [applause] (♪♪) (♪♪) >> my name is julie maw. i am a captain in the san francisco fire department. i didn't grow up thinking i

would be a firefighter. i didn't realize it was an option. i didn't see other people who looks like me in the fire service, so i didn't have an idea that this was a possibility for me. what inspired me is i had a few friends from the hip -- hawaiian community who were applying for the job at the time and they encouraged me to apply as well. we are a pretty tightknit community. we are like a family, the fire service is like a family. food is essential -- is central to our gatherings in the fire service as well. and teamwork and being part of something bigger than yourself and really having community. that is what inspired me to be part of the fire department. when i was applying for this job and i was going down that route of the hiring process, i looked around and i started looking at the different engines and the rigs driving around the street and i said, you know what, there is somebody that looks like me. there is somebody that looks

like me. to me, that was really important. and that representation, what i saw, the light bulbs went on and i could see myself in the job. for me, being in this position as a captain, and being on the track and going around to her neighborhood, even when we are doing the most mundane of tasks, it is important that they see me in the role, right? asian pacific islander woman in a leadership position, that i am in this job. and even ringing the bell for the kids in the neighborhood, they see me, they cs, they see my crew and it is huge. that lightbulbs can go off for them as well like it went on for me. it truly is important to me to be part of an organization that supports diversity and representation. being in a job where we serve the community is really important that we represent the

community. i think visibility, representation is key to opening doors for others, other people of color, other women, other people in the asian pacific islander community and say, hey,, that could be need too. i could be here serving the community and being a firefighter. [♪♪♪] >> chinatown battleground is something i have always wanted to do because we have never had the chinese americans in the military. our history goes back all the way to 1861 to afghanistan. the exhibition is two-parts. one is a visual history which is

told through the banners. then basically what i wanted to do was make sure that people understood that every one of these objects tell a story. for example, my uncle was one of two chinese american pilots during world war ii. they come planed they were giving baggy men's coveralls to wear. we have a veteran of the war. now what is notable is that he is the first and only chinese american prisoner of war. we have the met kit. that was the only thing he has for water, rice and soup. he carried for over four and a

half years in captivity as prisoner of war. this exhibition is a first base undertaking. also important and i want to take away the big picture that the chinese americans have been involved in united states military since the civil war, over 150 years. we have given service to the country, blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice for a long time. our story of chinese americans are part of the mainstream. chinese american history is american history that is the take away i want to come off with, especially the younger generation.

25, 2022 the time is 5. . 01. this neating will be in person as authorized by california gentleman code section 54953e and mayor reed 45th supplement to her february 25, emergency proclamation. it is possible that some members of the fire commission may attend remote. those members will participate in vote by video. members miattend the meeting to observe and provide public comment at the physical meeting location at city hall in room 400 or online at the meeting link on the agenda posted on the commission website.