Petrelis Files

Stop Evictions & Executions Forms; Monday Mtgs Announced

A new ad hoc committee has formed to address pressing housing needs in the San Francisco Mission District and to organize for the upcoming 10th anniversary of Iran hanging two gay teenagers.

SEE, Stop Evictions & Executions, is dedicated to open discussion about halting Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi from executing any tenant evictions, seeking a court-ordered eviction moratorium, and collaborate with global gays to end the death penalty everywhere for every reason.

Among the top concerns are filing public records requests with Sheriff Mirkarimi, using responsive records to stop evictions, developing a strategy to fully fund right to Civil Counsel and organizing against state-sanctioned executions everywhere. Since 2012, low income San Franciscans have had a right to an attorney to help defend evictions, but the program is still unfunded. 

The two leaders are Michael Petrelis of Gays Without Borders and Sonja Trauss of the San Francisco Bay Area Renters' Federation. Both have been active in Mission affordable housing issues. 

Petrelis is working in coalition human rights advocates who in late July will commemorate the execution by hanging of the Iranian teenagers, and call for a moratorium on executions.

Trauss continues to advocate for open dialogue about deeply affordable housing and all development needs and concerns in the Mission and around the Bay Area.

The San Francisco eviction and execution moratoriums are two areas of agreement that Trauss and Petrelis will work on, then assess if they will continue to collaborate.

Five meetings are scheduled, all on Mondays from 6 pm to 8 pm at Cafe Tazo on 16th Street, near Valencia. The meetings happen on June 15th, 22nd and 29th, and July 6th and 15th.

Preliminary agendas will be shared via social media the day of each meeting and then finalized by participants who show up.

The draft agenda for the first SEE meeting on Monday, June 15th, includes these items: 

1) Introduction

2) Presentation of the agenda; group agreement on evening's topics

3) Examination of eviction stats and records from Sheriff Mirkarimi's office

4) Organizing a committee to request and share public records

5) Using public records to stop evictions

6) Status report on Toronto, London, and DC, perhaps even Tehran, LGBT solidarity actions in July

7) Announcements

For more info, contact the organizers:

MPetrelis(at)aol.com

Sonja.Trauss(at)gmail.com