Anti Eviction Mapping Project Supports Our Candidacy

By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis

(Cross-posted to our campaign site.)

One of the most inspiring developments to rise up out of the horrible eviction epidemic displacing too many long-time San Francisco residents in recent years, has been the creation and activism of the Anti Eviction Mapping Project.

On their incredibly informative web site (http://www.antievictionmappingproject.net/), the group describes itself as "a data-visualization, data analysis, and digital storytelling collective documenting the dispossession of San Francisco Bay Area residents. The project seeks to de-isolate those displaced and act as a tool for collective resistance."

Members of the project and their allies in the affordable housing rights movement have done a terrific job of organizing attention-grabbing street activism, that has helped many keep their apartments and forced City Hall to listen to ordinary folks fighting gentrification. It is one grassroots group that the corporate media and real estate industry simply cannot ignore.

Today, we're very pleased to announce that the Anti Eviction Mapping Project has issued this statement in support of our candidacy:

"We're an organization fighting every day to curb the greed of real estate developers and housing flippers in San Francisco, and the politicians who support them. As proud direct-action advocates working to prevention evictions of poor and moderate income people, we don't make endorsements but we support Michael Petrelis and his alternative candidacy for District 8 Supervisor. His brand of DIY Democracy challenges the power-brokers at City Hall and we support the #ILikeMikeSF team!"

Thank you so much, members of the Anti Eviction Mapping Project, for your statement!

Here are four of the members at last month's Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club dinner, where they received a well-deserved community award.

No League of Women Voters Debates in SF
By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis
(Cross-posted from our campaign site.)
 

We've accepted an invitation from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters to participate in two crucial activities during the fall campaign season, starting with sitting before a camera and teleprompter to create an important video outreach instrument that is of great assistance to our DIY Democracy alternative candidacy.

Here is the first activity the LWV has organized for all Supervisorial candidates:

"This [video] initiative, in partnership with SFGOV-TV, is fair and neutral, and will provide you with an excellent platform to communicate
your message.

"'Meet the Candidates: Board of Supervisors' will air on San Francisco’s public, educational, and government access
cable channels, and will be made available on the internet through SFGTV’s website, as well as the League’s Website www.lwvsf.org.

"The program will contain five-minute statements from Candidates for the local Board of Supervisors’ races. Each statement will be
placed in the order in which it was taped, and aired multiple times before the November Election."

The second LWV activity is a candidate meet-and-great on October 23 at the Nissan/Infinity car dealership building on Van Ness Avenue. Our campaign will have the opportunity to engage with District 8 voters, the general public, members of the media and the business community.

We're very much looking forward to engaging with the LWV members and their network during these two components that enhance San Francisco's democracy, however, it's disappointing that the organization has no debates of any sort on their agenda before the November 4th election.

Our wonderful city and civic engagement is greatly diminished that the 2014 fall elections will take place without a single debate happening, as far as we know, in any Supervisorial race or over the various ballot propositions.

How did San Francisco reach the point where a fall vote happens and the voters and candidates are denied the opportunity to debate each other? It's troubling just asking this vital question but it must be raised and we wonder what your answer is.

Thank you, League of Women Voters, for your invaluable work!