FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: [email protected]
DATE: May 10, 2025
***San Francisco Latino Democratic Club blasts outsider “Drug‑Free Sidewalks” rally, demanding investment in housing and care over arrests***
Mission District and Latinos Need Help, Not Harassment
San Francisco, CA - The San Francisco Latino Democratic Club condemns the “Drug‑Free Sidewalks” stunt orchestrated by Lily Ho, Cedric Akbar, Trevor Chandler, and Lanier Coles, members of the San Francisco Corporate Democratic Party. Members of their rally attempted to storm church grounds, and harass The Gubbio Project, an organization that offers sanctuary, rest, and dignity to our most vulnerable neighbors. Speakers of their rally demeaned unhoused residents with racist slurs like “methed out cholos” and tough‑on‑crime fantasies straight from the failed War on Drugs. This only reaffirms our decision to leave the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, to be affiliated with fear mongers and poverty pimps is deplorable.
Most rally‑goers were outsiders and non-residents—few Latino voices, with zero neighborhood credibility. Our communities will not be used as a political prop. Calling for mass arrests while peddling lies about “nonprofits hyping up fentanyl dealers” is outlandish, cowardly, and cruel.
We also condemn the physical confrontations that followed. Vigilantism endangers everyone and solves nothing.
The San Francisco Latino Democratic Club demands:
- Investment, not incarceration. Fund housing, harm‑reduction, and community‑based mental‑health services that actually make streets safer.
- Inclusion. No decisions about safety on 16th Street—or anywhere in La Misión—without Latino residents and organizations at the table.
We stand with The Gubbio Project, with our unhoused neighbors, and with every Mission resident disgusted by this cynical spectacle. You can make a donation to the Gubbio Project here.
Our fight is for dignity, equity, and real public safety - never for public spectacles.
The San Francisco Latino Democratic Club
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