Open Letter To Progressive/Left/Radical Activists to Help Gonzalez Win and Build Movement

Open Letter To Progressive/Left/Radical Activists to Help Matt Gonzalez Win and Help Build Movement for Justice

On December 9th, we have a real opportunity to win an important victory in San Francisco. Electing Matt Gonzalez to Mayor would be a step in the direction we need to move in this city, state and country.

We urge you, if you are not already, to campaign and vote for Matt
Gonzalez for Mayor of San Francisco. We are community organizers, left/radical writers and direct action activists who see this campaign as an opportunity to help build the power of our social change movements. On Nov 4th we won a landmark living wage campaign (Prop L), which will increase the wages of an estimated 54,000 workers. We also lost against Gavin Newsom's Prop M which increases the power of downtown corporations
and increases the crackdown on poor people, mostly poor people of color. Right now, our movements faced violent police repression opposing the FTAA in Miami, forcing a weak compromise amongst trade delegates. We won an important victory against the WTO in Cancun. We are on the move.

We write to you as radicals who believe that power comes from the bottom up and that people's movements make history. We argue for a diversity of tactics in an overall strategy to oppose capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, heterosexism and imperialism. We see this election as one of many tactics that we should use to help us build our movements.

A broad coalition of community, environmental, queer, feminist, racial justice and tenant groups along with unions willing to endorse outside the Democratic Party and a wide spectrum of activists is on the move to win this election. This coalition isn't about Matt Gonzalez, it's about building power to fight back and win.

Willie Ratcliff, the editor of the SF Bay View endorses Matt arguing that it will increase the chances of the Black community to gain economic security and fight against police brutality. Long-time anti-war direct action organizers Leda Dederich and Keith Hennessy announced their fundraiser for Gonzalez with a declaration to "Help build democratic, community-based political power in San Francisco." They helped shut down the financial district protesting the war.

We urge you to get involved not because we expect that Gonzalez would solve our problems, rather that a victory by this coalition will help build our power to solve our own problems. We need everyone working on the Gonzalez campaign now to continue fighting for economic, environmental, racial and social justice after December 9th, no matter who wins. Help make this a reality.

For more information about getting involved go to mattgonzalez.com. You can vote by mail now. Applications for absentee ballots are due by 5pm Tuesday, December 2nd. The campaign needs people to phone bank, table and get out lit in neighborhoods. There are campaign events and fundraisers
everyday leading up to Dec 9th.

In solidarity,

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, SF writer
Chris Crass, Challenging White Supremacy Workshop*
Mohammed Mansoor Ahned, SUSTAIN*
Brooke Atherton, activist
Clare Bayard, Anti-Racism for Global Justice*
JC Callender, Ruckus Society*
Josh Conner, Childcare Collective*
Kusum Crimmel, community activist
Leda Dederich, direct action organizer
Eman A. Desouky, Arab Women’s Solidarity Association, SF*
Gordon Edgar, Redwood HS class of 85 (w/Gavin Newsom)
Rayan Elamine, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, SF*
Gabrielle Falzone, activist
Seham Fare, Citizens for Fair Legislation
Fern, global justice activist
Michelle Foy, activist
Jeff Giaquinto, Food Not Bombs and Brass Liberation Orkestra*
Libbey Goldberg, Palestine Solidarity activist
Stefan Goldstone, Mandela Arts Center
Monadel Herzallah, Justice for Janitors*
Ilyse Hogue, SmartMeme*
Rahula Janowski, Heads Up collective*
Senan Khairie, Free Palestine Alliance*
Nadia Khastagir, activist
Jinee Kim, Conscious Roots and Schools Not Jails*
Danny Kirchoff, LGBT community activist
Jeff Larson, High School Teacher
Van Jones, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights*
Kerry Levenberg, Anti-Racism for Global Justice*
Barbara Lubin, Middle East Children’s Alliance*
Allison Lum, SHOUT/Coalition on Homelessness*
Claude Marks, Freedom Archives*
Sharon Martinas, Challenging White Supremacy Workshops*
Elizabeth ‘Betita’ Martinez, Institute for MultiRacial Justice*
Michelle Mascarenhas, food justice activist
Melanie Pilbin, Bay Area CISPES and Heads Up collective*
Osama Qasen, Arab Cultural and Community Center*
Leone Reinbold, global justice activist
Catrina Roallos, activist
Renee Saucedo, La Raza Centro Legal*
Jill Shenker, Jews for a Free Palestine*
Zak Sinclair, Vanguard Public Foundation*
Irene Snyder, Mission artist and activist
Rebecca Solnit, SF author
Jamie Spector, social worker and community activist
Marc Swan, activist
Liz Suk, JustAct: Youth Action for Global Justice*
David Taylor, Direct Action to Stop War*
Max Toth, Heads Up collective*
James Tracy, author of Civil Disobediance handbook
John Trinkl, Center for Political Education*
Mariana Virturro, tenant organizer
Uda Walker, Middle East Children’s Alliance*
Marty Wood, Bound Together Books and student activist*

*organizations listed for identification purposes only