Dear CCSF Community,
I join you as we join the world to mourn the public execution of Mr. George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day. My heart breaks, not just because one more time, we witnessed the utter disregard of the life of a black man, but because others, who could have and should have stepped in to stop the killing of George Floyd did nothing.
The death has sparked protests across the country, both peaceful and violent. To quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1967 Other America speech:
“Certain conditions continue to exist in our society, which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear?“
And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”
Dr. King gave that speech 53 years ago at Stanford University. And what has changed? “And what is it that America has failed to hear?”, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As you well know, people across the nation are protesting . . . for justice. As in cities across the country, San Francisco’s peaceful protests have escalated to riotous violence, vandalism and looting. Fortunately for CCSF, so far there have been no reports of injured CCSF students, faculty, staff or buildings.
On May 31st, to protect city residents and property, Mayor London Breed announced a citywide curfew. Many cities in the region and nationwide have followed suit. Tonight, the protests and curfew continue. Please protect yourself and keep our city safe by complying with the City Curfew as we work together to enact social justice change.
These are indeed trying times – COVID19, unemployment rates the highest since the Great Depression, shelter-in-place, curfews. As we continue to navigate through these challenges, now, more than ever, we must look out for each other. Stand up for each other. Help and protect each other.
President Williams will address the College via video message later today and we invite you to join in the Call to Action sponsored by State Chancellor Oakley at 9:00 am this morning, June 3, To join this webinar please click: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/299858221 or https://www.ustream.tv/channel/N9Y4Tnrue3t. City College’s own former Student Trustee, Bryan Daley, is one of the featured speakers.
Be well and stay safe.
In Solidarity,
Dianna R. Gonzales
Interim Chancellor
City College of San Francisco