Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2014
CONTACT: Lisa Marie Alatorre, Coalition on Homelessness, SF
Cell: (510) 982-9275
Urgent Community Blockade to Stop Eviction of Recycling Center
What: Protest and Non-violent Civil Disobedience
When: Wednesday July 16, 2014, 6:01am
Where: 2020 Market St. (at Duboce), SF Community Recycler's Center
San Francisco, CA – Safeway has filed the eviction paperwork and SF County Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi has calendered the eviction of the San Francisco Community Recycler's Center (SFCRC) for anytime after Wednesday, July 16th at 6:01am. Community members and activists will be gathering in front of the entrance to the last non-profit recycling center located on the corner of Market & Duboce to form a non-violent blockade to stop the eviction of this critical pillar of San Francisco. Community-based recycling provides critical work and an economic lifeline to poor, elderly, disabled, undocumented, and struggling San Franciscans.
“Almost all poor San Franciscans redeem their recycling and as a city we are reliant on street-based recycling,” says Jennifer Friedenbach from the Coaition On Homelessness. “Eliminating community-based recycling not only reduces access to economic opportunities for San Franciscans, but it also leaves real gaps in recycling for our city parks and streets. It will impact small businesses who will now be responsible to act as recycling centers, and it means developers and condo owners have more power than legislation like the Bottle Bill. This is bad city policy and we must stop these evictions immediately.”
This trend of pushing out community-based recycling is a result of pressure from condo development, Supervisor Scott Wiener, and further city-wide gentrification efforts. Elected leaders such as Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, Board of Supervisors Eric Mar, and Supervisor John Avalos have spoken out in favor of preserving and expanding recycling in the city. More recently May Ed Lee's Department of the Environment issued a “Request For Qualifications” which calls for the expansion of recycling to all districts in our city, including keeping ALL current recycling sites.
“Recycling is a great service to our cities and in service to our city's green aspirations.” says Ed Dunn of the Market Street San Francisco Community Recyclers Center. “Eliminating community based recycling has grave impacts on San Francisco, from public safety to huge environmental fails including moving us away from goals of being Zero Waste in 2020. It is sad to think any elected leader would support a move like this and a corporation like Safeway would get away with turning their back on their corporate civic responsibility to something as vital as recycling.”
Community members will be blockading the entrance to the recycling center as an act of solidarity with community recyclers, many of whom are out working at that time. Protesters will be demanding that the Sheriff refuse to carry-out the reclamation of the site. Protesters will also be sending a message to Safeway that this eviction, based on hate of poor, disabled, homeless, and people of color will not be tolerated in San Francisco. There will be high spirits, chanting, and signs for visuals and is a planned non-violent act of civil disobedience and some participants may choose to risk arrest.