By Laura Waxmann on January 25, 2018 3:44 pm
At least 300 people took to the streets of the Mission District on Thursday afternoon to rally for affordable housing, protections for community-serving businesses and cultural institutions, and a stake in the development of the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.
“It’s a public health crisis that people are getting pushed out — it’s violent, it’s cultural genocide and it needs to stop,” said Mission resident Elsa Contreras. “We are demanding real policy change. People in office are catering to the big money developers, the wealthy contractors, and we are here to fight that.”
Hundreds marching down Mission Street toward 16th Street, en route to City Hall. Police are redirecting traffic. @sfexaminer
Representatives of a slew of community organizations, local merchants and Mission residents participated in the anti-gentrification march hosted by United to Save the Mission — a coalition of 17 community organizations seeking policy changes and legislative action to maintain the traditional working class neighborhood’s affordability and character.
Citing the need to preserve and enhance the culture of Mission Street, the group demanded legislative directives and funding to designate the commercial and residential street as a Latino Cultural Corridor. Similar to the Calle 24 Latino Cultural Corridor along the Mission’s 24th Street, the designation would allow for increased protections for commercial spaces.
“A Latino Cultural Corridor will ensure that we are able to promote and retain local community serving businesses, create higher levels of affordable housing, greater equity in transit and more importantly, it’s going to make sure that the community has a voice in shaping Mission Street,” said Carlos Bocanegra, an activist with United to Save the Mission.
Activists call on City to designate Mission Street as a Latino Cultural Corridor to curb gentrification of the area #sf #sfmission @sfexaminer @CulturalActNet
Chanting “No Valencia on Mission Street” — a reference to an influx of upscale eateries and boutiques on Valencia Street in recent years — participants marched from 20th and Mission streets toward City Hall. Some 40 police officers were sourced from Mission Station and other police districts to oversee the peaceful rally and redirect traffic.
Heavy police presence for anti-gentrification rally happening now in #SF Mission District. @sfexaminer
The protesters stopped at several locations along Mission Street to commemorate mom-and-pop businesses, community nonprofits or institutions that have been displaced, and to protest several new developments, including a 10-story condominium complex slated to rise at the 16th Street BART Plaza.
(Contributed to OSF.net by Ruthie Sakheim.)
