Protest Rumba to Save Jelly's A Dance Café from Eviction

LATINO CULTURAL ENCLAVE FACES ILLEGAL EVICTION AFTER TELLING THE PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO THAT THE PORT'S SEWAGE SYSTEM IS BROKEN AND
CAUSING RAW SEWAGE TO LEAK INTO THE BAY

Jelly's A Dance Café,
A Woman-Owned Landmark And Latino Cultural Resource,
Faces Eviction By Port of San Francisco On August 18th

Please join us for a Protest Rumba at Pier 1 on the Embarcadero, San Francisco in front of the Port Authority's main offices on Friday August 13 from 4pm - 7pm.

Background:
Jelly's A Dance Café, is located at Pier 50 in San Francisco. For over 16 years, Jelly's has served as one of only two woman-owned businesses on the Port of San Francisco, and as a resource and cultural enclave for the Bay Area's Latino community, through weekly events such as "Club Havana."

On July 19th, however, the Port of San Francisco served Jelly's with a notice of eviction, which seeks to evict Jelly's from its location after 16 years of service to the community. The eviction is currently scheduled for August 18.Jelly's is vigorously fighting this unfair and illegal eviction. To date, the Port has refused to meet with Jelly's attorneys, Matt Gonzalez and G. Whitney Leigh, of Gonzalez & Leigh, LLP.

We encourage members of the community to support Jelly's at this protest rumba.

The Port first issued an eviction notice immediately following false news reports suggesting that a fatal shooting that took place on Sunday, July 11 had originated in an argument inside of Jelly's. Within days, the homicide inspectors handling the incident confirmed that these early reports were inaccurate, and the San Francisco Entertainment Commission conceded that these reports were false at a public hearing on July 27.

Yet, despite the fact that both the San Francisco Police and the San Francisco Entertainment Commission have admitted that the early reports linking Jelly's to the July 11th shooting were false, the Port has continued to seek eviction. Why?

The answer is simple. The Port's eviction came within less than a month after Jelly's paid over $20,000 to replace rotting, rusting sewage pipes owned by the Port that were spewing raw sewage into the Bay, as they're still doing. Jelly's repeatedly told the Port that the Port's sewage system was broken, and that there were likely other sewage pipes on the Port's property that were causing raw sewage to leak into the Bay. The Port refused to listen and days later, served Jelly's with an eviction notice.

The Port has alleged that Jelly's eviction is proper because Jelly's does not serve food during its many events for the Latino community, in violation of the terms of its lease. As anyone who has attended "Club Havana" knows, this allegation is demonstrably false. More importantly, Jelly's has been operating in the same manner for over 16 years. Why is the Port only now seeking eviction? Jelly's is operating just as other restaurants leased by the Port with the same leases, such as Kelly's Mission Rock or the Ramp. The only difference is that these other establishments are owned by men, they serve a more homogeneous clientele, and they did not recently repeatedly tell the Port that the Port was causing raw sewage to leak into the Bay.

With the Port's action, San Francisco faces the loss of a unique community venue for dance and entertainment. As a supporter recently stated before San Francisco's Entertainment Commission:
"I've been a patron of Jelly's since before the ballpark. I stop in for a drink before Giants games. I frequently attend Club Havana on Sundays and I have even rented out the place for family parties. I have also made Jelly's a must-see destination for my out-of-town guests. This is a wholesome, family-friendly establishment that means so much to so many in the San Francisco community."

- Clarice and Ricci, Owner of Jelly's A Dance Cafe.
Join us on August 13 to voice your support for Jelly's