Credit: Pixabay
Oh, San Diego: just how low can you go? How about shutting down a church-based program to feed the hungry right before the holidays? Or making it illegal for charitable groups to feed the homeless? Or trying to arrest your way out of the problem?
According to Fox 5 News, the La Jolla town council is demanding the Mary Star of the Sea church put an end to the nine year old ‘So Others May Eat’ program of feeding homeless and low-income people. And pastor Jim Rafferty agreed, saying “I don’t want to be known as the pastor that brought Hepatitis to La Jolla.”
The El Cajon City Council has bought into the idea that harassing homeless humans will make the problem go away, passing an emergency ordinance prohibiting food distribution on any city-owned property. Hundreds of activists from throughout the region will be converging on Wells Park on November 19 & 25 to test the city’s willingness to enforce this law.
San Diego has arrested more people than they found housing for in recent weeks, according to activist Lori Saldaña. The attempt by Father Joe’s to build more low-income units for people who need supportive services has prompted a shameful outbreak of NIMBYism, possibly worse than the Hepatitis outbreak the East Village Residents Group claims to fear so much.
Yes, I know it sucks to have homeless humans camping in your neighborhood. It also sucked when San Diego’s ‘leadership’ allowed ten THOUSAND low rent units to be destroyed without a thought to where all ‘those people’ might go.
It also sucks when city leaders spend millions on temporary tents, yet claim $5 million is too much to spend to turn the old downtown library into a shelter. And how about that $100 million the County can’t figure out a way to spend on mental health services?
How about the daily decision by the San Diego County Sheriff’s minions at the jails to imprison people charged with misdemeanors because they are poor? Did you know that the City Attorney will eventually drop charges on many of the 26% of the jail population who get to sit in a cell while the wheels of justice grind away?
UPDATE: The Fox 5 story has been updated with a revealing quote:
Catharine Douglass from the La Jolla Town Council said the church is making the right decision.
“Handing somebody a free sandwich, that doesn’t cure them. If you have people coming in with hepatitis A and they’re sitting down, they’re touching the chairs, they’re touching the tables, they’re using the restrooms, how do you disinfect that?” Douglas said.
SDPD Chief Shelly Zimmerman says a quote from her in the same story saying people should go to the East village for food is inaccurate.
Rather than demand action from people who have the resources and the power to fix the problem, it seems as though too many people in America’s Finest City would rather blame the victims.
Feckless Faulconer, as I like to call the Mayor, is holding yet another press conference on Tuesday where he’ll promise to show leadership on the issue of homelessness by urging the City Council to “borrow” $6.5 million from the pile of money not currently being used to build low-income housing.
Awareness of the issues surrounding homelessness in San Diego is at an all-time high, thanks to national publicity arising out of the region’s Hepatitis A epidemic. The Union-Tribune recently highlighted the story of two people from Salt Lake City who were sickened after coming to town for a Metallica concert.
This coming week (November 11-19) is national Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Starting at Villanova University in 1975, it has grown to include more than 700 colleges, high school, and community groups across the country working to raise awareness and encourage volunteers and supporters for local agencies
Southwestern College and UCSD both have programs throughout the week designed to help their students in understand the issues.
From an activist standpoint, the week represents an opportunity to bring pressure to bear on the politicians who are all talk and no action. Between the County’s cash reserves and the City’s unneeded special election fund (for starters), the resources already exist to take action. All that’s needed is the will.
The various proposals floating around to set up a permanent stream of housing funding need to be fully examined. One thing is for sure, the schemes to use public concerns about homelessness to fund an expansion of the Convention Center are a non-starter.
In the meantime, there are plenty of real events happening in San Diego over the next 10 days, including at least 8 connected with activism around the issues of hunger and homelessness. And this number doesn’t count any press conferences by elected officials promising leadership on the issue.
Check out this week’s Progressive Calendar listings below. Following those listings are upcoming events of national importance, along with opportunities for organizational involvement.
Get your event listed: I try to list the next 10 days or so of mostly non-commercial events I think our readers might find of interest. I source my material from social media listings and press releases. Club meetings will be listed IF there are speakers and they are open to the public.
Democratic Candidates: I will list all non-fundraising events open to the general public. A listing does not imply endorsement. Events that are listed on Facebook as ‘private’ or sold-out are not listed. In cases where there are competing but similar events or campaigns of the progressive persuasion, I do my best to list everything.
November 10
Homelessness is to San Diego as Unsafe Water is to Flint MI
Friday, November 10, 11:30
San Diego City Hall
For More Information
Hosted by Women Occupy – San Diego
We will stand Silent Vigil with Signs for the 3000+ Unsheltered San Diegans who have no safe place to stay, as Mayor Kevin Faulconer continues to refuse to activate San Diego’s designated Mass Emergency Shelter: Qualcomm/now SDCCU Stadium — as it was for wildfire victims in 2007. Why not for indigent San Diegans, of which 21% are African-American/Black, made homeless by the City’s decisions to replace low income housing with market-rate/luxury development? See more here.
We will face C St at 2nd Av, by the main entrance to City Hall TODAY from 11:30a to 1p — with the Trolley passing by and pedestrian traffic.
DACA NOW
Friday, November 10, 7pm
Camino de la Plaza (San Ysidro)
For More Information
Hosted by Dreams Without Borders/Suenos Sin Fronteras
Dreams Without Borders will begin a series of events at different high transit bridges throughout the San Diego County to advocate solidarity with DREAMers, AB540 Recipients, and the community at large that will benefit from an Immigration Reform.
Opening Night Reception & Youth Scholarship Fundraiser
Friday, November 10, 6pm
Digital Gym Cinema
2921 El Cajon Boulevard
For More Information (Tickets)
Hosted by Youth Media & Tech Camp at the Media Arts Center San Diego
Opening Night Reception & Youth Scholarship Fundraiser. Join us for LIVE MUSIC, celebrity chefs, ART sale, MUST-HAVE RAFFLE PRIZES Y MÁS!
The San Diego Latino Film Festival will be kicking off The Hola Mexico Tour 2017 with an Opening Night reception on Friday, November 10th from 6pm to 8pm. This reception will serve as the annual Youth Scholarship Fundraiser for the Media Arts Center San Diego in support of the organization’s year-round youth education programs. Our goal is to reach $7,000 to offer 40 scholarships for this 2017-2018 project year!
Sierra Club’s Film Night “From The Ashes”
Friday, November 10, 6:30pm
8304 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard #101
For More Information
This powerful documentary explores the experiences of Americans in communities across the country as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal industry, and what its future should be. From Appalachia and the horrors of mountain-top removal to strip mines and polluted lands in the Powder River Basin, the film goes beyond the rhetoric of the “war on coal” to present compelling and often heartbreaking stories about what is at stake for our economy, our climate, and the health of our people.
November 11
Screening of “Tony – The Movie” Plus Discussion Panel
Saturday, November 11, Noon
Grassroots Oasis
3130 Moore Street
For More Information
On Veterans Day, the Grassroots Oasis is excited to host a free screening of “Tony-The Movie,” followed by a Panel discussion with:
The director, Dennis Stein;
The movie’s guide, Tony Rodriguez, and his partner, Ginger Stamper;
Lori Saldana, Former Assemblywoman and Community College Professor; and
A representative of San Diego Veterans for Peace.
A light lunch will be served before the movie screening. We will have a secure storage area outside for personal belongings (including bicycles).
Please click “Going” to confirm you intend to join us, so we can plan for food, drink, and seating. We have seating capacity for about 80 people.
November 11-19, 2017, is National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. “Each year, we try to choose one policy issue as an advocacy theme for Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. For the past couple years, our theme has been the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness.
Escondido Democratic Club – November Meeting & Candidate Forum
Saturday, November 11, 10am
Escondido Senior Center
210 East Park Avenue
For More Information
For our meeting in November, the Escondido Democratic Club will host local candidates running for Assembly and Congress! This is your opportunity to hear directly from the candidates and ask them questions. Bring your friends!
Rally for Deported Veterans at Larsen Field
Saturday, November 11, 11am
455 Sycamore Road (San Ysidro)
For More Information
Please join Charlie Mercado and support deported vets! We are holding a rally for awareness and support. We feel if a person will die for this country, they should be allowed to live here as a citizen.
San Diego Veterans for Peace: “Hometown Arlington West”
Saturday, November 11, 8am-5pm
Lawn in front of the USS Midway Museum
910 North Harbor Drive
Chapter veterans from all five services will be honoring our 300+ fallen brothers and sisters from Southern California who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with special memorial markers. The public is asked to stop by, read their names, honor the ultimate sacrifice made by these local fallen veterans, and to reflect on the overall costs of these two ongoing wars.
Protest at Del Mar Race Track
Saturday, November 11, 11am
Del Mar Racetrack
For More Information
This is part of the short fall “season” at Del Mar. We will meet at the usual place inside the parking lot. Materials provided.
November 12
Vista Community Organizing Precinct Walk
Sunday, November 12, 11am
600 North Santa Fe Avenue (Vista)
For More Information (RSVP)
Hosted by Flip the 49th Neighbors in Action
No experience needed! We provide training, script, walk lists, and snacks. Wear walking shoes, hats (or sunscreen) and sunglasses; and get ready to take some direct action and talk to voters!
11:00am to 11:30: Training and Preparation
11:30 to 2:30pm: Talking to Voters!
Getting rid of Darrell Issa depends on engaging voters and informing our communities about the federal issues. We just need 1000 more voters to get to the polls next year and say NO to Issa and he is gone. YOU can help make that happen!
Braceros: Capturing History Through Our Stories
Sunday, November 12, Noon
Bread & Salt
1955 Julian Avenue (Barrio Logan)
For More Information
Hosted by Chicano Park Museum
The Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center is pleased to announce the first publication as part of its new publication series. We welcome all community members to bring their stories and pictures so we can continue to write our history.
If you or a family member was in the Bracero Program from 1942 to 1964 we encourage you and your family to share and document your story at this event. We will scan photographs and documents you are willing to share to help us document this part of history from your perspective.
Prevent Cruelty California Campaign Kick Offs! San Diego
Sunday, November 12, 2pm
2201 Adams Avenue
For More Information (Tickets)
Please join us for the launch of the historic Prevent Cruelty California campaign! We’re a broad coalition working to end the abusive confinement of farm animals in cages, and they need YOUR help. You’ll learn about the powerful and fun ways that grassroots volunteers can help, while meeting like-minded animal advocates in your community.>
We Are One!
Sunday, November 12, 3pm
Cottonwood Creek Park
95 North Vulcan Avenue (Encinitas)
For More Information
Hosted by The Wagon Circle
Love is Louder. Join us in a collaborative celebration of one year of resistance and solidarity in protecting marginalized groups and influencing the political outcomes in our district and beyond. We will honor our veterans and transgender service members.
Hear from the three Women’s Convention in Detroit MI. Our giving Circle is on behalf of women and teen girls. Bring tampons, pads, underwear.
November 13
Light Brigade: Housing Not Handcuffs
Monday, November 13, 5:15pm
6th Avenue Overpass on I-5 (Downtown)
For More Information
Hosted by San Diego Housing Emergency Alliance
November 11-19, 2017, is National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. “Each year, we try to choose one policy issue as an advocacy theme for Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. For the past couple years, our theme has been the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness.We need 10 people to hold Lighted Letters spelling out HOUSING NOT HANDCUFFS, facing heavy Southbound Rush Hour traffic. It is easy, very impactful, and FUN!
November 14
Scrooge in San Diego
Tuesday, November 14, Noon
San Diego Civic Center Plaza
For More Information
Hosted by San Diego Housing Emergency Alliance
In observation of National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge waking up is retold from a San Diego perspective. Will #MayorKevinFaulconer wake up before it is too late?
Written and staged by Suzanne Morse of Heartfelt Voices United.
Don’t miss this!
El Cajon City Council – Break the Ban
Tuesday, November 14, 3pm
200 Civic Center Way (El Cajon)
For More Information
The El Cajon City Council voted 5-0 on October 24th to ban the feeding of the homeless. This is their answer to the Hepatitis A outbreak amongst the homeless of San Diego County. Join us at the next El Cajon City Council meeting to tell them we reject their punitive action against the homeless. To tell them that a morally bankrupt law must be rejected. Hepatitis A is not caused by feeding the homeless, it is caused by not having bathrooms and hand washing facilities. Please arrive early and fill out speaker slips.
Existing is Resisting: Workplace Intersectionality
Tuesday, November 14, 5:30pm
Center for Intercultural Relations
5500 Campanile Drive (SDSU)
For More Information
Hosted by Women’s Resource Center at SDSU
A panel discussion about how to use an intersectional framework in your daily work life.
Fake News, Real Problem
Tuesday, November 14, 6:30pm
San Diego Central Library
330 Park Boulevard
For More Information
Hosted by SPJ San Diego Pro Chapter
Whether you’re a journalist or a news consumer, chances are you’ve heard the term “fake news.” Fake news is more than a label, it’s a problem journalists across the country are confronting when trying to gain the trust of their audience. As journalists, how do we combat these accusations while not dismissing our audience? Does research show any promising results when it comes to journalists correcting misinformation?
Join the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Tuesday in the Shiley Special Events Suite for a discussion on Fake News/Real Problem.
Moderator Tom Jones, consumer/investigative producer for NBC7, will talk with panelists Matt Hall, editorial and opinion director at The San Diego Union-Tribune; Rachel Laing, principal of Laing Strategic Communications, and Rachel Moran, a researcher and doctoral student at USC Annenberg.
This event is free and open to the public.
Action! Oceanside Teachers Association Rally
Tuesday, November 14, 5:15pm
Chavez Middle School
202 Oleander Drive (Oceanside)
For More Information
Hosted by San Diego Labor-Council
Oceanside Teachers Closing in on 500 Days Working Without Contract
You may have heard that the Oceanside Teachers Association has not settled their contract with the district for over 490+ days. This is accurate. They have met over seven times with the district over the course of almost two years. They have been asked to wait until they have accurate budgetary numbers, and if there is any money left over they would be able to talk compensation. Teachers have been waiting patiently, and learned that in September the district had an increase in the ending fund balance from $21m to $27.7m. This is a “leftover” of $6.7 million.
The teachers, need your help!
They are asking for affiliates to:
• Write to the OUSD School Board members and Superintendent Duane Coleman
• Stand outside with teachers during their public demonstrations
• Wear Red on Tuesdays in support of teachers and students
Weekly Issa Resistance Rally
Tuesday, November 14, 10am
1800 Thibodo Road (Vista)
Come be part of history!
Please note that we are the LONGEST running protest in the USA 🇺🇸.
.@darrellissa we are throwing you out. 🦅@IndivisibleSDNo https://t.co/WCG66ZdAWD
— Lenore “IM🍑!” (@SanDiegoResists) November 10, 2017
November 15
Behind Farm to Table: The Labor of Farming
Wednesday, November 15, 6pm
Kitchens for Good
404 Euclid Avenue
For More Information (Tickets)
Hosted by Berry Good Food Foundation and Kitchens for Good
Join us for “Behind ‘Farm to Table’: The Labor of Farming,” our final multidisciplinary panel discussion of 2017 addressing the challenges of farming, including attracting a younger generation. With more farms per capita than any other county in the United States, San Diego must lead the way for farmer welfare and well-being.
Panelists at this time include (with more to come):
– Eric Larson: Executive Director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau
– Mike Ground: Executive Chef of the Patio Group
– Al Stehly: Farmer, Wine Grower, Consultant
The panel will take place at Kitchens for Good, which rescues surplus and cosmetically imperfect food from wholesalers and farmers and engages students in a culinary apprenticeship program to transform these ingredients into nutritious meals for hungry families.6 – 6:30pm: A free buffet of organic farm fare 6:30 – 8pm: Live panel discussion
An Evening with John Craigie
Wednesday, November 15, 7:30pm
Grassroots Oasis
3130 Moore Street
For More Information (Tickets)
Renowned for his eloquent Americana style, engaging live shows, and off-the-cuff clever observations, John Craigie carries on the legacy of classic singer-songwriters, while blazing a trail of his own.
Recently, that trail twisted and turned into new territory for the Portland, OR performer who The Stranger appropriately dubbed, the lovechild of John Prine and Mitch Hedberg. His music speaks loud to both audiences and fellow artists.
When Craigie plays, it’s one of those special shows that can make you laugh and cry in the same song. It’s a musical journey that can’t be denied.
Voter Registration at the November Naturalization Ceremony
Wednesday, November 15, 10am
San Diego Civic Center Plaza
1200 Third Avenue
For More Information
Hosted by San Diego County Democratic Party
Come register voters with us at the November Citizens’ Naturalization Ceremony. We will be in the plaza in front of the civic center. We recommend taking the trolley to avoid paying for parking.>
Swanaa-Sd General Body Meeting
Wednesday, November 15, 7:30pm
3742 Wilson Avenue
For More Information
Hosted by SWANAA-San Diego
If you identify with the SWANA region (Southwestern Asia & North Afrika) and you are passionate about social justice campaigns and building a community with fellow organizers, then we invite you to join us in our first General Body Meeting of the year. SWANAA stands against hate speech, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, anti-Semitism, police brutality, cultural appropriation, Zionism, the prison industiral complex, etc…
SWANAA is inclusive of all regardless of gender, ethnicity, spiritual beliefs, religious sects, race, class, and all identities.
Come be part of building liberation for our Southwest Asian and North Afrikan communities in San Diego together!
November Meeting with Betty Yee
Wednesday, November 15, 6pm
Elijah’s Restaurant
7061 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard
For More Information
Hosted by San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action
The topic of divestiture, i.e. selling off business interests and investments in harmful environmental activity, has been one of the most frequently requested topics among club members, particularly since CalSTRS – the nation’s second-largest public pension fund – voted to divest from coal this spring. CalPERS similarly completed divesting stock in 14 coal companies this summer.
As the leader of the California State Controller’s Office, Betty Yee sits on the boards of CalPERS and CalSTRS, as well as the California State Lands Commission. She also supports investing in alternative energy and opposes fracking in oil exploration. Learn more at our November club meeting with special guest Controller Betty Yee.
Our Public Utilities Are Trying to KILL Us and Make Us Pay For It!
Wednesday, November 15, 7pm
Sizzler Steak House
3755 Murphy Canyon Road
For More Information
Hosted by Our Revolution
We will have a conversation with Charles Langley, the Executive Director of Public Watchdogs, and some of the Watchdogs staff.
Charles Langley was formerly writer, editor and publicist for UCAN (Utility Consumers’ Action Network.) You may recognize his name form the Gas Project where he gave price reports through the local media. When he saw UCAN imploding and “irredeemably corrupt” he left and formed Public Watchdogs. He has been building it in La Mesa with staff and volunteers into a powerhouse, looking out for our well being.
We’ll be talking with him and some of the Public Watchdogs staff about all of the above and we will ask about other assaults on us by the Public Utilities in California.
November 16
Caravan for Housing/Stop the Ticketing!
Thursday, November 16, 10am
Parking Lot, West Side of Park Boulevard @ Presidents Way
Balboa Park
For More Information
Hosted by San Diego Housing Emergency Alliance
November 11-19, 2017, is National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. “Each year, we try to choose one policy issue as an advocacy theme for Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. For the past couple years, our theme has been the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness.10:00am: meet @ the parking lot on the west side of Park Blvd at President’s Way to decorate vehicles for the Caravan for Housing through Downtown San Diego
11:00am: Rally/Press Conference
11:30am Performance by Voices of Our City Choir
12:00pm: Caravan of RVs, vans and other vehicles through Downtown San Diego
November Meeting: A Ton of Endorsements
Thursday, November 16, 6:30pm
Joyce Beers Community Center
3900 Vermont Street (Hillcrest)
For More Information
Hosted by San Diego Democrats for Equality
We will be endorsing in the following races:
Friendly Incumbent: SDUSD Trustee Dr. Mike McQuary
San Diego City Council District 2
San Diego City Council District 8
Chula Vista City Council District 1
Chula Vista City Council District 2
Congressional District 49
No Target in OB Organizing Meeting
Wednesday, November 15, 7pm
New James Gang Location
4851 Newport Avenue
Our Community, All working together, can preserve the Quality of Ocean Beach!
Encinitas Unity: Darrell Issa Street-Corner Protest
Thursday, November 16, 4pm
Encinitas Boulevard & El Camino Real (Northeast Corner)
Please join us every Thursday to protest Darrell Issa! He was the deciding vote in the house to approve the AHCA. He is a strong ally and backer of Trump. He is the richest representative in Congress and votes party over country again and again.
We have had enough of Darrell Issa and we will vote Issa out in the coming mid-term elections next year. Please come join us with your signs, friends, neighbors and family members.
This is a friendly non-violent protest exercising our first amendment rights. Parking is available in the shopping center next to the Chase Bank and Discount Tire
November 17
Join the Light Brigade Dump Darrell Issa
Friday, November 17, 6pm
San Diego Visitor Information Center
2688 East Mission Bay Drive
For More Information
Hosted by Our Revolution San Diego
Help us dump Darrell Issa! Will you join us?
We will meet at the Mission Bay Visitor’s Center, and walk the short distance to the Clairemont overpass. We will have lighted letters reading Dump Darrell Issa. We need volunteers to join us and have each of you hold one of these letters. Help us get our message across!
In 2016 we came within 1650 votes of unseating him. This time, let’s close the gap and oust him.
November 18
League of Women Voters Homelessness Meeting
Saturday, November 18, 1pm
Point Loma/Harvey Library
3701 Voltaire Street
The Public is Invited
The LWVSD Study Committee on Homelessness has been providing information on the homelessness issue in the last three newsletters.
Plan on attending the General Meeting to hear further information and ask questions. This is in preparation for consensus meetings to be held in February and the creation of a position for our League.
Not One Penny Rally
Saturday, November 18, 11am
Westfield Mall, North County
272 East Via Rancho Parkway
For More Information
Hosted by Flip CA 50th
In early November, Congressional Republicans released a bill that would give massive tax cuts to the rich and wealthy corporations. The cuts for the already-wealthy would come on the backs of seniors with fixed incomes and those who can least afford them. The last thing we need is for the tax code to be even more rigged in favor of millionaires, billionaires, and corporate insiders. Instead, we need to fight for a tax code that makes the economy work better for working families. Republicans’ desires to cut taxes for corporations will undermine our commitment to public education, job training, Medicare, and Medicaid, and make it impossible to invest in the middle class. The NYT calls this “Paul Ryan’s 2017 Tax Increase on Middle-Class Families.”
Our Congressman, Duncan Hunter is in favor of this bill which includes the elimination of state and local tax (SALT) deductions, which affect 1 in 3 Californians for an annual average deduction of $5,507. He says, “Why punish the rest of the nation when California is stupid?” This bill also cuts coverage for CA wildfires, but not hurricanes. Our representative does not represent us. Bring your signs and voices and let’s show him how we feel!
Please park close to, but not adjacent to the Macaroni Grill, as those spaces are reserved for their customers. We are a peaceful, non-violent organization and do not tolerate disruptive behavior. We ask that all participants respect our policy.
So Cal Marxism Conference
Saturday, November 18, 11:30am
College-Rolando Library
6600 Montezuma Road
For More Information (Tickets)
Hosted by SoCal International Socialists
We need to build a left-wing resistance that doesn’t let the right go unopposed. We need to protest the reactionaries wherever they appear, and not go along with the liberal advice to ignore them and they will go away–because they won’t. We need to claim the right of free speech for ourselves to make our opposition heard.
But we need something else as well: a left that puts forward a political alternative to the right’s scapegoating and hate.
This is the case for joining the struggle for socialism today. The disasters of capitalism are as numerous and obvious as they have ever been–and so is the need to do something now to achieve a socialist future.
Conference Schedule:
11:30-12:00- Registration
12:00-1:30- Morbid Symptoms: How Do We Fight the Rise of the Far Right
1:45-3:15- Marxism, Class, and Oppression
3:30-5:00- The 100th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution
6:00- Dinner
November 19
Break the Ban – Feeding the Homeless in El Cajon
Sunday, November 19. 2pm
Wells Park
1153 East Madison Avenue
For More Information
The city council of El Cajon has voted 5-0 to ban feeding the homeless in El Cajon. It is now against the law. Please join us in an act of defiance to this ban as we feed the homeless in Well’s Park. When a law is immoral, it must be rejected. Please share this event across your networks and invite all of your friends. This ban is a punitive measure under the guise of combatting the Hepatitis A outbreak. Hepatitis A is not spread by feeding the homeless, it is spread when there are no bathrooms or handwashing facilities for these people. Please join us in saying no. #breaktheban
Town Hall in City Heights
Sunday, November 19, 2pm
City Heights Library
3795 Fairmount Avenue
For More Information
Hosted by Showing Up for Racial Justice – SURJ San Diego , Alafia Voices of the African Diaspora, Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego, ACTIVIST SAN DIEGO
Join us as we address issues that we are facing in our communities of color.
November 20
San Diego Transgender Day of Remembrance
Monday, November 20, 6pm
San Diego LGBT Center
3909 Centre Street (Hillcrest)
For More Information
Join us as we remember those we lost due to anti-transgender hate and violence. Together we will mourn, honor & celebrate their authentic lives. All are welcome.
6PM Vigil March (Meeting Outside of The Center)
7PM Program at The Center.
ASD Monthly Community Meeting
Monday, November 20, 7pm
Joyce Beers Community Center
3900 Vermont Avenue (Hillcrest)
For More Information
Hosted by ACTIVIST SAN DIEGO
Activist San Diego is calling on San Diegans to come together this month to discuss the issues that affect our community. We’ll have guest speakers, community discussion and ways for you to become active in San Diego right now! Please come to this meeting if you want to be working with kindred folks on making San Diego a better home for all.
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Monday, November 20, 7pm
Oceanside Public Library
330 North Coast Highway
For More Information
Hosted by Gender Advocacy Project
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
Save the Date
San Diego Handmaids March
Sunday, January 21, 11am
Planned Parenthood
2017 First Ave
Other Stuff to Do
Join the ACLU’s People Power: People Power is, at its core, a grassroots member-mobilization project. Through People Power, the ACLU will engage volunteers across the country to take action when Trump or his administration attempt to enact unconstitutional policies or trample on people’s constitutional rights. By mobilizing in defense of our civil liberties, volunteers will build local communities that affirm our American values of respect, equality, and solidarity.
Sign Up For SwingLeft: Control of the House in 2018 will be decided by a handful of Swing Districts, places where the last election was decided by a thin margin. Find your closest Swing District and join its team to learn about actionable opportunities to support progressives—and defeat Republicans—in that district, no matter where you live. Check out SwingLeft here.
Sign Up for Indivisible. All the cool kids are doing it. (Really!)
Run For Something: Learn more about running for office
San Diego Democratic Party Calendar Includes business meetings, chartered club meetings, voter registration events, election information, holidays, and other events of interest to Democrats.
SUBSCRIBE! IT’S FREE!
Looking for some action? The Weekly Progressive Calendar is published every Friday in this space, featuring Demonstrations, Rallies, Teach-ins, Meet Ups and other opportunities to get your activism on.
You can now get the Weekly Progressive Calendar delivered to your inbox every Friday. And it’s Free! Subscribe and get an email every time a new article in this series is posted!
I read the Daily Fishwrap(s) so you don’t have to… Send your hate mail and ideas to DougPorter@SanDiegoFreePress.Org Check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
Doug Porter
Latest posts by Doug Porter (see all)
- Last Call. Last Column. - December 14, 2018
- Which Presidential Candidate Will You Support in 2020? - December 13, 2018
- Mounting the Assault on Big Gay and Other Drivel From SDSU’s Minimum Wage Scrooge - December 12, 2018
The use of the Hep A outbreak to “cleanse” the streets and other places of the hungry and homeless is eerily familiar.
Remember what happened during the Aids epidemic in the 80s? Beyond the social stigma were housing, health and employment discrimination. That period remains a deep wound among us who still remember the dead and dying at the time. And the cruelty and ignorance.
Viewing our homeless neighbors (yes, they are our neighbors)as if they are vermin who were born and grew up on sidewalks, in alleys and canyons, as if they are feral cats, is not only ignorant and cruel–it is dangerous.
All of the people who are homeless now were sheltered at one time. As Doug so rightly notes “Yes, I know it sucks to have homeless humans camping in your neighborhood. It also sucked when San Diego’s ‘leadership’ allowed ten THOUSAND low rent units to be destroyed without a thought to where all ‘those people’ might go.”
How do clean for that??! Is she serious??!! BLEACH. There’s a damn link on the SD County website with instructions! You wash your hands! You make the people you’re helping wash their hands. You wash the tables down with bleach! The level of ignorance in her statement is angering.
If you’re concerned you wash everything, you wash hands.You wear gloves. You wear a mask. You make sure people don’t touch the food you eat. What you don’t do is stop serving a vulnerable population.
“How do you clean for that? Give me a fecking break.