Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco, gubenatorial candidate; wouldn't let activist with sign into rally site.
SEE UPDATE BELOW.
CITY HEIGHTS, CA. Tonight outside a rally for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in City Heights, a local activist – and writer for the OB Rag blog – was prevented from taking her sign about the lack of funds for public transit into the rally site, a local City Heights school auditorium.
Anna Daniels, who has made a name for herself locally in saving city libraries from being closed, went to a rally being held in her community for gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom, the Mayor of San Francisco. For a while she stood outside holding her sign that read: “public transit almost bankrupt. do you care?” Daniels has recently been active around the issue of public transit.
The offending sign.
Anna described her sign: “Obviously an important question for a gubernatorial candidate. The State was able to balance the budget by cutting the transit allocation for the NEXT FIVE YEARS, among other cuts.”
Anna then reported what happened next:
So I stood outside with my sign, and after a while headed toward the school auditorium. I was told that I couldn’t take my sign inside. I said- “excuse me the mayor is from San Francisco and if you said that there, they would tear the building apart. The would tear the building apart NAKED!!!”
They still wouldn’t let me in. I said this isn’t very democratic and I want to go inside with my sign… No way. So I said this is bullshit and the man lost my vote right now. I was so pissed I came home.
Since when did carrying a sign to a political rally become off-limits?
Hey, San Francisco! What’s going on?
UPDATE:
Anna said that the person who refused her entry into the rally with her sign was a “young, polite guy in a suit.” He told her that she could leave her sign outside and she could go inside. The reason she had to leave her sign outside was because the rally was “a private event.” She retorted: “No, it isn’t. It was publicized and in a public space,” the school auditorium of Monroe Clark Middle School on Thorn Street in City Heights.
We now have an exclusive photo of the offending sign and have posted it above.
So, what’s up SF?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Umm, yeah, kind of looks like he might be a bit touchy on that subject .
George Bush wouldn’t let in people with signs about the Iraq war to his rallies. Why Newsom would do this, doesn’t make sense. Was it private security, a SD cop?, school cop?
Actually, local transit advocate (heroine?) Theresa Quiroz, a City Heights resident, did ask about transit and the Mayor was well versed on issues and gave a passionate pitch for our high speed rail system. But I do agree it was a shame that Ms. Daniels was turned away.
i posted this story on one of his facebook blurts. think anybody there reads their own stuff?
I’ve posted a photo of the offending sign and an update above in the post.
Did anyone take the woman’s sign away from her, knock her down on the ground and stomp on her head, the way Republican candidates do?
lol..wow. You must be a burnt out left over from the 60’s still trying to find something to protest and spin.
I flew an American corporate flag upside down once, to protest and raise awareness that 2/3 of corporations in the United States did not pay any taxes to the United states. Several of these corporations also receive govt subsidies that you and I pay tax dollars for. This was on a 60 minute episode. Well I did not make it half way across the Golden Gate Bridge, before I was stopped by law enforcement telling me not to in any way shape or form put my flag so that it blocks any bodies right of way. I informed him that I was in no way wanting to interfere with anybodies right of way, nor was I wanting anyone to infringe on my right of way for wanting to express myself and look out for my fellow human beings. We have to have signs to wake people up. Come on America let all your elected servants know that we are fed up with corporate greed. We should not have to slaves to corporations or government.
Rev. Robert Schuler