Dear Shelter Clinic Volunteers,
Like many of you, we took this week to deeply reflect on the systemic racism, injustice, and police brutality that continues to plague our country everyday. We are heartbroken and angry from the pain we felt witnessing the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor whose lives were ended abruptly by police brutality and racist individuals. We stand in solidarity with their families and the countless families and friends within the Black community who have faced these atrocities unreported and continue to experience unwarranted racism and violence everyday. We share their frustrations and echo their call for action to demand justice and an immediate end to a system that perpetuates violence in our communities against Black people.
While we are fortunate to live and work in one of the most progressive cities in the world, we must not forget the wounds that SF has yet to heal - the wounds that directly affect the lives of our residents at MSC-South. Our city’s social and health disparities are notoriously built from the result of “Redlining” during the New Deal Era that was designed to systematically destroy the economic opportunities of Black families. Neighborhoods that were primarily occupied by Black families were circled in red ink, classifying them as “a highly hazardous area” simply because of their race. We continue to see the repercussions of redlining today, as more than 50% of the redlined neighborhoods are struggling economically, resulting in unacceptable health disparities and houselessness that is juxtaposed by the unfathomable prosperity of the rapidly booming tech industry in our city.
We share your frustration and anger towards the continuing injustice in our city and our nation towards the Black community. We have a very long way to go, but we are inspired by the vocal SF community that relentlessly demands for a world that strives for better human rights and health equity. As we watched and marched with the thousands of SF residents from Mission High to the Mission Police Department, we are reminded of the immense power we have by practicing our right and our privilege to protest against racial injustices and police brutalities that threaten our Black communities. We encourage you to support the movement in ways that you find most comfortable, whether it be by protesting, donating, signing petitions or educating yourself and your peers on these issues.
This is the time to use your voice.
We cannot be silent.
You can make an impact in the world.
Please see below for the many ways you can get involved, and make sure to remember to take care of yourself and others physically, mentally, and emotionally during this challenging time.
Donate: (some orgs out of MANY)
Reclaim the Block (https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home): Minneapolis-based organization devoted to reallocating funds from the police department towards community-led initiatives like violence prevention, housing, resources for youth, and mental health services
NAACP Legal Defense Fund (https://www.naacpldf.org/): Nationwide org that fights for racial justice through advocacy, litigation, and education
National Bail Fund Network (https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory): Network of 60 community bail/bonds funds that free people from jail & immigration detention through paying for their bail/bonds
Black Lives Matter (https://blacklivesmatter.com/):
National organization founded after the murder of Trayvon Martin that builds power to provide justice, freedom, and healing to black people all across the world
In Bay Area:
Supporting black-owned restaurants in the Bay Area (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1mTthE5lwqVnTCIm3iQtQXLyxwK-pc17cuCp--BhAYX8/htmlview?urp=gmail_link)
People’s Breakfast Oakland (https://www.instagram.com/peoplesbreakfastoakland/?hl=en):
Black grassroot org serving the people of Oakland and providing regular meals to the houseless community in Oakland
Sign Petitions:
Justice for George Floyd (https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd)
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery (https://www.change.org/p/district-attorney-tom-durden-justice-for-ahmaud-arbery-i-run-with-maud?signed=true)
Justice for Breonna Taylor (https://www.standwithbre.com/#petition)
Educate:
Systemic Inequality: Displacement, Exclusion, and Segregation - Housing (https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/reports/2019/08/07/472617/systemic-inequality-displacement-exclusion-segregation/):
Cities are being destroyed. California clearly isn’t as enlightened about race we think (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-01/california-race-protests-riots-gavin-newsom)
George Floyd’s Death Is a Failure of Generations of Leadership (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/opinion/george-floyd-protests-1960s.html)
Why the policing problem isn’t about a “few bad apples” (https://www.vox.com/identities/2020/6/2/21276799/george-floyd-protest-criminal-justice-paul-butler)
The American Nightmare “To be black and conscious of anti-black racism is to stare into the mirror of your own extinction” (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/american-nightmare/612457/)
Bryan Stevenson (founder of Equal Justice Initiative) on the frustrations behind the George Floyd Protests (https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/bryan-stevenson-on-the-frustration-behind-the-george-floyd-protests?fbclid=IwAR1LwW5rZc8pyBvvCWMKSjONSNwbbV_kE_BX3jrTL1mG92xePqudVLj1OJE)
“What Matters” web series/documentary made by Black Lives Matter with really interesting dialogues about media, COVID, justice (https://blacklivesmatter.com/whatmatters/)
Be An Antiracist - list of books compiled by San Francisco public library (https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/433865467_sfpl_readersadvisory/1494408919_be_an_antiracist?page=1)
Best Regards,
UCSF Shelter Clinic
