Every Picture Tells a Story – Abusive motorists edition
Liz and Lee Heidhues – 5.29.2021
San Francisco’s entitled motorists continue to ignore Slow Streets with impunity. In the most cavalier manner motorists blithely drive around and through the signs. Everyone is at risk, including birds as the sad photo of a dead pigeon sprawled on Cabrillo Street in plain view clearly indicates.
Motorists have to get the message they don’t own the Planet.
Lee Heidhues 5.27.2021
There is a close relationship between the current battle in San Francisco to create The Great Walkway and stories involving big energy. Royal Dutch Shell lost a legal battle in Holland. Exxon Mobil shareholders, led by a group of investors based in San Francisco, have elected climate change advocates to the Board of Directors.
In San Francisco a battle is being waged over which way this supposedly “progressive” City will go in the Climate Change war. Will environmental advocates prevail? Or will the auto addicted mob have its way?
The Great Walkway along the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco is coming. The San Francisco Metropolitan Transit Authority (SFMTA) has been very thorough and inclusive. The Howling Mob of self entitled motorists is unhappy with the public input which debunks the Mob. Its bullying and intimidation will not prevail.
As a real life example of the future I invite people to read today’s news about Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil. It’s on page one of the Wall Street Journal and The Nation. The Great Walkway is in step with the future.
The Nation 5.27.2021 – Mark Hertsgaard
all the lawyers.”
The Netherlands won a historic court case against the Royal Dutch Shell oil company that carries the most profound implications for defusing the climate emergency. The court ordered Shell to bring its global operations in line with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius; this will require Shell to reduce both its own and its customers’ greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent from 2019 levels by 2030.
Together with shareholder revolts demanding stronger climate action by ExxonMobil and Chevron, the Dutch court ruling made May 26 one of the biggest days of climate news in years. Following last week’s landmark International Energy Agency report declaring all new fossil fuel development must stop for the planet to avoid irreversible climate destruction, the events amount to a crushing repudiation of Big Oil’s long-standing assertion that its profits matter more than civilization’s survival.
The Dutch case is particularly remarkable, for three reasons. First, “because it is the first time a judge has ordered a large polluting corporation to comply with the Paris climate agreement,” Roger Cox, a lawyer for Friends of the Earth Netherlands (in Dutch, Milieudefensie)—which brought the case with 17,000 other plaintiffs—told The Guardian.
Second, because the judge held that society’s interest in emissions reductions takes priority over the commercial harm that Shell would suffer as a result. And third, and perhaps most far-reaching, because Shell must slash not only its direct emissions—the heat-trapping gases Shell releases when it drills for, refines, and brings oil to market—but also the company’s indirect emissions, the gases millions of customers around the world release when they use Shell’s gasoline and other products. As climate activist Greta Thunberg observed, this latter provision is what makes the court ruling such “a game changer.” If other countries apply the same logic, fossil fuel companies would have to leave much of their product in the ground, just as climate science says is imperative.
Meanwhile, the shareholder rebellions against the managements of ExxonMobil and Chevron flash an additional signal of public impatience with intransigence from Big Oil. The annual votes that shareholders of publicly owned companies cast almost always rubber-stamp management’s positions.
But at Exxon, at least two of management’s candidates for the company’s board of directors were defeated. The opposition was spearheaded by a hedge fund, Engine No. 1, and pension funds from California and New York; the fate of two additional board seats was unclear as this article went to press, the vote still too close to call.
“This is a landmark moment for Exxon and for the industry,” Andrew Logan of the nonprofit investor group Ceres told The New York Times. “How the industry chooses to respond … will determine which companies thrive through the coming transition and which wither.”
Legal News of the Day
A big story in summer 2020, when we weren’t obsessing over Trump, was the Central Park dog walker who summoned the cops. She felt threatened by a Black man taking his bird watching walk through the Park. The story, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement, went viral worldwide.
The woman who called the cops was fired from her job. Now, like any good American, Amy Cooper is seeking relief in the Courts. She’s suing her employer for wrongful terminaton.
Daily Beast 5.27.2021
Amy Cooper, the white woman who called 911 on a Black birdwatcher in Central Park, has filed a discrimination lawsuit against her former employer for firing her when video of the incident went viral.
Cooper, who was charged with making a false report but then let off the hook after attending therapy sessions, says the firm Franklin Templeton canned her without doing a basic investigation into the confrontation, basing its decision on her race and gender, the New York Daily News reports.
“Franklin Templeton perpetuated and legitimized the story of ‘Karen’ vs. an innocent African American to its perceived advantage, with reckless disregard for the destruction of Plaintiff’s life in the process,” the suit says.
It also brands Christian Cooper, the man on whom she called the cops, “an overzealous birdwatcher engaged in Central Park’s ongoing feud between birdwatchers and dog owners.”
Franklin Templeton said in a statement: “We believe the circumstances of the situation speak for themselves and that the Company responded appropriately. We will defend against these baseless claims.”
Photo above: Bird watcher Christian Cooper and Amy Cooper
Lee Heidhues – 5.25.2021
It was one year ago Derek Chauvin knelt on Georg Floyd’s neck and murdered him. The killer cop was convicted of murder last month and will spend decades in prison.
People took to the streets worldwide to condemn this action, all too symptomatic of American law enforcement treatment of Blacks. Derek Chauvin is just one symbol of the racism which permeates America at all levels.
The question today is, “One year after George Floyd’s murder by American law enforcement will there be any substantive change in how the cops treat Black people?”
Liz Heidhues – Blog Post and photo Contributor 5.25.2021
Let’s preserve our Slow Streets for the fast times of San Francisco’s post-pandemic recovery.
San Francisco motorists are angry. They plow through intersections where Slow Streets barriers are placed, honk their horns at me when I am walking in Protected Lanes, and careen through the Avenues.
Reckless driving and road rage in America are on the uptick. The National Highway Traffic Safety cited a report showing a 22% increase in the median speed of drivers in 2020.
San Francisco’s not doing any better than the rest of the country.
There are at least 800 people hit every year in San Francisco. In fact, San Francisco has more motor vehicle accident injuries per-mile-driven than any other sizeable city in California.
Traffic fatalities in San Francisco claimed 29 lives in 2020, the same number as 2019, an increase from prior years.
San Francisco is failing abysmally at meeting its goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2024, the Target of the Vision Zero SF program.
Since the inception of Vision Zero SF in 2014 more than 200 people died and another 20,000 suffered serious injuries from traffic accidents in the streets of San Francisco.
Slow Streets debuted in 2020 as a therapeutic response to the social isolation, economic upheaval, and online exile of the pandemic. Streets in San Francisco’s neighborhoods were transformed for the use of pedestrians, bicyclists, joggers, kids playing, wheelchair users, and urban animals to prowl without winding up as roadkill.
Rancorous drivers believe that San Francisco’s streets are solely for them to drive their cars on. Drivers are enraged to see their entitlement removed.
Motorists will never cede over ownership of residential streets to the rightful heirs. Neighborhood streets were built for people to enjoy and interact with – not for 2-ton vehicles that kill and maim.
The core experience of San Francisco is walkability.
Liz Heidhues is a life long San Francisco resident. Her means of transportation are her bicycle and her feet with an occasional trip on public transit.
Top photo – Road rage crashes into Slow Streets – 40th Avenue and Cabrillo, San Francisco
Housing is a human right.
Everyone must have a place to live at a reasonable price. In April one of Germany’s highest courts over turned a strict rent control measure instituted by the Berlin government. On Sunday in Berlin several thousand demonstrators took to the streets and the River Spree to vocally protest this abridgement of the right to fair housing.
High rents are a problem worldwide as the population increases, wages remain flat and landlords seek to gain more profit. The reality is that governments and courts side with the landlord class to the detriment of renters.
Governments and courts forget that renters are people. Not a disposable item to be bartered away to satisfy the landlords bank accounts.
Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 5.23.2021
Protesters voiced anger over rising rents in the German capital and a court ruling that overturned a major price control measure. However, police said the number of participants was much smaller than expected.
Some 2,500 people marched through Berlin against high rent prices in the German capital, police said on Sunday. The organizers, however, claimed “at least 10,000” people took part.
The protest took place after Germany’s constitutional court overturned Berlin’s rent cap, leaving tenants across the city suddenly facing price hikes. The constitutional court overturned the Berlin measure on April 15, ruling that the state government didn’t have a right to impose the cap.
The main rally, under the slogan “Stop the rent madness!” moved from Potsdamer Platz to the neighborhood of Schöneberg, starting one hour later than previously announced.
Protesters were seen carrying banners such as “To reside is a human right” and “No interest on rents.”
Separately, some 30 participants organized a demonstration of their own by sailing boats on Berlin’s river Spree (pictured below), and displaying the banners against the rising rents.
The rent cap was a measure implemented by the city-state’s government that went into effect in late February 2020. It froze the prices for nearly all apartments in Berlin for five years, locking them in place at their June 2019 level. New rental contracts were not allowed to exceed that rate — and some rents had to be reduced.
The Berlin state government said the measure was intended to reduce pressure on renters and buy time for more housing to be built.
The regulation also allowed for tenants to sue their landlords to reduce rents.
The measure was strongly criticized by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP), who lodged a legal complaint against it.
https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-protesters-urge-end-to-soaring-rents/a-57635183
Freed from the constraints of the Pandemic San Franciscans took to the streets on a sunny day in late May to show their love and support for the Palestinian people. The marchers included a number of Jews who support the Palestinians and deplore the recent military actions of the Israeli government in occupied Gaza.
The 11 day assault on the people of Gaza by the Israeli military supplied with weaponry by the American government is an outrage.
San Francisco has consistently shown its support for the people of Palestine whose land was taken from them in 1948 when the State of Israel was created after the Holocaust and World War II.
The living conditions for people in the occupied territories of Palestine are grim. There is not much of material value we in San Francisco can do. By showing its support the world knows that San Francisco has the people of Palestine in its collective heart.
San Francisco Chronicle 5.22.2021
A ceasefire is in place — for now — between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, but the international conflict prompted yet another outpouring in the Bay Area on Saturday, as hundreds of people rallied for the Palestinian cause in San Francisco.
A diverse crowd chanting “Free, free Palestine” and carrying signs marched from the Mission District to Civic Center Plaza, where they promised to keep demonstrating for a peaceful resolution to the latest military clash. A protest last Saturday drew several thousand in San Francisco, while one in front of the Israeli embassy on Tuesday attracted several hundred.
The demonstrations arose, in part, because of the heavy casualities sustained on the Palestinian side since the fighting began more than a week ago during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.
Lisa Rofel of San Francisco, a national board member of Jewish Voice for Peace, said the organization has 18,000 members and supports boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel as nonviolent means “to bring Israel to finally negotiate the end to their occupation.”
“The Israeli government claims to speak in our names as Jews,” she said. “We have the right and the responsibility to speak back, to support the end to the violent occupation. Jews need to speak out for justice for Palestinians just as we spoke out for justice for African Americans, for Native Americans.”
Dozens of Jewish people also showed up to say that being Jewish doesn’t mean they support the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“It’s painful to see my Jewish identity weaponized against the Palestinian people and used to justify atrocities,” said Sarah Small, a UC Davis law student and San Francisco native.
The ceasefire that took effect Friday paused 11 days of combat in which Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire left 248 Palestinians dead, including at least 66 children and 39 women, according to the latest estimates from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Rockets fired by Hamas forces killed at least 12 in Israel, two of them children.
Protesters said the temporary stoppage in fighting wasn’t enough.
“A ceasefire does not end or resolve any of the issues we’re dealing with,” Bazian told The Chronicle. “There’s still the siege, still the suffering that has been visited upon the people.”
The contentious dispute over who has rights to occupy an area east of Israel on the west bank of the Jordan River that contains a number of Jewish holy sites goes back decades. But it also involves a nation, Israel, that has been defending its right to exist since its creation in 1948, and a group of people, Palestinians, advocating for their own nation state.
Local demonstrators said on Saturday that they felt a surge of multiracial and multi-ethnic support for the Palestinian cause, as they marched down Van Ness Avenue alongside Black and Jewish allies.
Ahmina James, a 30-year-old legal assistant from Oakland, carried a handmade sign with gold letters reading “Black power for Palestine liberation.” She said she that support for Palestinian human rights dates back the Black Power movement.
“Before Black Lives Matter,” she said, “with the Black Power movement in the ‘70s there was huge solidarity with the liberation of Palestine. That solidarity is surfacing again.”
Liz and Lee Heidhues 5.21.2021
It’s a proud day as parents when you can say your son is a law school graduate and will forever have the title, JD (Juris Doctor) after his name.
The past nearly four years Paul has worked, raised a family and attended University of San Francisco Law School at night. Paul has overcome many hurdles, not the least of which is the fact Paul is visually impaired. Paul fought for the accommodations he needed from the USF Law School Administration. Paul prevailed. He attended class and completed the arduous workload before and during the Pandemic when San Francisco was transformed into a Virtual City.
Paul’s fight was tough. He’s always been a battler. When admitted to the California Bar, Paul will be a zealous advocate in whatever field of law he practices in.
The commencement speaker was Hon. Martin Jenkins, an Associate Justice on the California Supreme Court and USF Law school graduate (class of 1980). Justice Jenkins told the virtual audience, “I was proud that I had finished such a rigorous curriculum at USF. A curriculum that required intelligence, tenacity, and courage in equal parts.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who earned a Masters Degree from USF in 2013, told the graduates, “You have achieved this incredible milestone during an unprecedented and challenging time…I am so very proud of you.”
I can appreciate that the German government wants to display its ‘Solidarity for Israel’.
Germany will never be forgiven and the world will never forget the genocide the Hitler’s Nazi government committed against the Jewish people of Germany and Europe at large from 1933-1945.
I am unsure what will be the impact of a ‘Solidarity for Israel’ rally while Israel’s brutal assault on the Palestinian people of Gaza continues. A feel good moment? Perhaps.
While the talking and rallies go on, the killing continues, The ceasefire reported today is only a lull before a new round violence, with Israel holding the heavy weaponry, begins again.
Deutsche Welle 5.20.2021
Politicians reiterated the country’s “special responsibility” at a Berlin demonstration, which aimed to show solidarity with Israel and reject antisemitism. For some onlookers, the government response was “one-sided.”
Thursday’s demonstration follows an increase in antisemitic attacks and demonstrations in Germany in recent days.
“Anyone who burns Israeli flags in front of synagogues, throws stones, calls for rockets against Tel Aviv, isn’t a so-called critic of Israel,” senior Green Party politician Cem Özdemir told demonstrators, adding: “They’re nothing more than a banal antisemite.”
Some people, however, argue the space for legitimate criticism of the Israeli government’s actions has become restricted due to the extreme actions of antisemites.
Just hours before Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire on Thursday evening, around a thousand people filled the square — Platz des 18. März — behind Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. While some donned Israeli flags like capes, or attached tiny flags to FFP2 face masks, others carried placards with slogans like “Israel has the right to defend itself” and “Free Gaza from Hamas.”
“Solidarity with Israel — against all antisemitism” was the official motto of the demonstration. Organized by a group of Jewish and non-Jewish societies and associations, several prominent politicians also gave speeches — all of them reiterating Germany’s “special responsibility” to protect Israel due to Germany’s history.
Germany’s Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said ensuring the safety of the Jewish state was among Germany’s national goals and ambitions.
“Nothing justifies the firing of thousands of rockets on the Israeli state by a terror organization whose stated goal is the killing of Jews and the annihilation of Israel,” the Social Democrat politician went on to say.
Hamas’ latest barage of rockets, which began 11 days ago, was in response to Israel’s crackdown on Palestinian protests against the threat of forced evictions in East Jerusalem. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be an official part of its territory, but the international community, including the EU and Germany, condemns Israeli settler expansion into the occupied Palestinian territories.
Yusef, a young Berliner, was cycling by Brandenburg Gate when he stopped to see what the demo was about. The tassels of his red, black, green and white scarf stand out against the largely blue and white emblazoned crowd at the demo.
“I wear it in solidarity with Palestinians,” he says. “It’s sad to look up and see just the Israeli and German flag up there on the stage. I have the feeling that nobody cares about all of the children being killed on the other side. And it’s difficult to voice legitimate criticism of the Israeli government.”
Another young man who asks to remain anonymous, looks on alone. Sporting a white sweater with a triangular Palestine logo, he says he wanted to see for himself what politicians had to say.
Towards the end of the demonstration, a Palestinian man wearing a keffiyeh walks through the crowd. Demonstrators are distracted only momentarily, as he strolls by, his arms raised in the air, his fingers making V-shapes. No one interacts with him except for the police officers in high-visibility vests, who tail him from a distance.
One member of the German-Israeli Society, Margreet Krikowski, however, said “now is not the time to be criticizing the politics of the Israeli government.”
“Israel is trying to protect itself,” she insisted.
https://www.dw.com/en/german-lawmakers-host-solidarity-with-israel-rally/a-57603521
An Olympic track and field record holder and early trend setter for Black empowerment in the sports world has passed away.
The Guardian 5.19.2021
Lee Evans, the record-setting sprinter who wore a black beret in a sign of protest at the 1968 Olympics, died Wednesday. He was 74.
USA Track and Field confirmed Evans’ death. The San Jose Mercury News reported that Evans’ family had started a fundraiser in hopes of bringing him back to the US from Nigeria, where he coached track, to receive medical care after he suffered a stroke last week.
Evans became the first man to crack 44 seconds in the 400m, winning the gold medal at the Mexico City Games in 43.86. His victory came shortly after his teammates, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were sent home from the Olympics for raising their fists on the medals stand.
In later interviews, Evans said an official warned him not do anything similar. He took a different approach, wearing a black beret to show support for the Black Panther Party and other civil rights organizations.
Like Smith and Carlos, Evans was a college star on the San Jose State ‘Speed City’ teams. He was also a high-profile member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, which called attention to racial inequality and oppression and spearheaded the protests at the 1968 games.
“His legacy of contributions to sports and the struggle for social justice is indelible and enduring,” tweeted Harry Edwards, the architect of the movement.
After running the 43.86, Evans anchored the US 4x400m team to a world record of 2 minutes, 56.16 seconds. The 400m record stood for almost 20 years. The relay record stood for 24.
Evans won five US titles at 400 meters and is a member of both the USATF and US Olympic halls of fame.
After he stopped running competitively, Evans spent ample time in Africa, working for the United Nations, and also coaching national teams in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. The Mercury News said he was currently coaching high school track in Lagos.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/19/lee-evans-sprinter-black-power-activist-dies
