By The Vanguard Staff
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A rally on the steps of City Hall was held here Wednesday to “denounce racism and gun violence and to unite Black and AAPI communities,” according to the District Attorney’s Office. See here.
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin; President of the Board of Supervisor Shamann Walton; and Supervisor Connie Chan keynoted.
Also speaking: Dr. Amos Brown; Reverend Arnold Townsend; Public Defender Mano Raju; Policy and Alliance Director of the Chinese Progressive Association Lai Wa Wu; and President of the New Breath Foundation Eddy Zheng also spoke about the “need for unity in light of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and elsewhere across the country,” said the SF DA Office.
District Attorney Boudin said he condemned the efforts of some to divide Asian and Black communities rather than unite all communities against hate.
“We must remember as Dr. Brown said, racism and white supremacy have deep roots in this country. As far as we come, we have not come far enough,” said District Attorney Boudin.
He added, “We continue to see mass shootings and violence—large and small—targeting immigrants and people of color, and we continue to see many people use fear and division and language barriers as a wedge to divide our communities.
“Since day 1 in office, I have fought to expand language access, expand Victim Services, and build the kind of restorative justice partnerships between communities that have long been divided to come together. We know we are stronger when we stand as one. We know we are stronger when we are united.”
DA Boudin also committed to “three concrete actions to end gun violence and support victims of violence,” including:
“Continue to expand the Office’s Victim Services Division and continue to request more funding at every city budget cycle;
“Continue the partnership with Attorney General (Rob) Bonta to get and keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a danger to themselves or others; and
“Take aggressive action in the coming days in the District Attorney’s lawsuit against ghost gun manufacturers, which he filed last year with Keker Van Nest & Peters and the Giffords Center to End Gun Violence and which Attorney General Bonta’s office joined late last year.”
“In light of the recent violent hate crimes that have happened in Buffalo, Orange County, and Dallas, targeting the Black and Asian community, and on the birthday of Vincent Chin, who was murdered in 1982 because he was mistaken as Japanese and blamed for the layoffs in the auto industry, we are here in solidarity to denounce hate and white supremacy in our all of our communities,” said President Shamann Walton.
He added, “We still have a lot of work to do in this country and in San Francisco to make sure that no one is targeted because of their race, color of their skin, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion or any other factor. We cannot do this work separated and we are stronger together with our communities united. Racism and white supremacy has no place in our society.”
“Thoughts and prayers are not enough to stop racism and gun violence—action must be taken now,” said Supervisor Connie Chan. “I support District Attorney Boudin’s stance on gun laws and his pursuit to prevent gun violence and ghost guns. I thank him for his crucial investments in victim services so we can prioritize the needs of victims and focus on criminal justice system reform.”
The rally included many Victim Advocates from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office’s Victim Services Division, including the Chief and Deputy Chief, Assistant District Attorneys, members of the Brady Committee Against Gun Violence, members of the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, and community advocates.
