A time for listening and action.
On Monday, I knelt with thousands of others at City Hall in San Francisco to call for action and real change in light of the turmoil and terror that the last week has brought.
My heart breaks for George Floyd, his family, and the entire African American community that has yet again experienced injustice at the hands of law enforcement. My heart is with all of you, regardless of race, who grieve with our African American Brothers and Sisters.
As a white male who has been surrounded by privilege my entire life, I know I need to listen more than I speak right now. I need to learn, empathize, and support.
To this end, I commit to having discussions with individuals and civic leaders from every corner of our community. These discussions must not be a one-off, one-time thing. Only “showing up” when there is a crisis deepens the distrust that marginalized communities have grown so accustomed to experiencing.
I’m starting these conversations now as a Candidate for office and will continue them as your next District 3 Supervisor. I pledge to have authentic discussions where participants are heard, where we identify specific ways that obstacles can be removed, and brainstorm concrete steps to move our community to a more equitable environment.
As a San Franciscan, I know that our communities are safest when our law enforcement is held to — and bound by — the highest standards. And I know the current system has failed us, once again at the cost of black lives.
We must take action.
To that end, I will prioritize ensuring that reforms from the 2016 Department of Justice recommendations are implemented more quickly. It’s unacceptable that under 20% of the recommendations have been finished some four years later. And, we must clear the backlog of requests from the Department of Police Accountability, where 94% of public records requests have gone unreleased.
This is just a start. We must rebuild our law enforcement system with diverse voices at the table and with accountability at the core.
Looking forward, my focus is on ensuring that this is a turning point in the history of our country. As during the Civil Rights movement of the ’60s, this must be a pivotal moment that ignites concrete change. It cannot be upended by a different crisis due to a new incident that pulls our focus away from the deeply embedded “Original American Sin” called racism.
Finally, I want to acknowledge that having discussions about race is difficult for many people. And, for white people, it is often met with indifference, denial, or even dismissal. But it is all of our responsibility to not let this denial or fear keep us from pursuing justice.
I hope you’ll join me in turning grief into action right now. There is nothing more important for us to do together in this moment.
-Danny
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Danny is a neighborhood organizer and non-profit director. He’s running for District 3 Supervisor in San Francisco’s November 2020 election. Learn more.
