Bayview Library: Building down, price up $2 Million

p emstrongEditorial by Willie span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Ratcliff" data-scaytid="13"Ratcliff/span/strong/em/p div class="img alignright size-full wp-image-23554" style="width: 450px" div On July 12, when demolition of the old span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="21"Bayview/span Library was getting underway, all the construction workers were white. ndash; Photo: Natasha Reid/div /div p On the corner of Third and Revere, where the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="23"Bayview/span Library used to be, nothing is left but bare ground. One of the few places in the neighborhood where youngsters felt safe and enriched and everyone was welcome is gone./p p nbsp;If the City had allowed the low bidder to build the new library, it would have been at least halfway to completion by now. The youngsters who love the library would be watching their parents and older brothers and sisters build a beautiful new library for them to return to in a matter of months./p p Liberty Builders, my general contracting company, was that low bidder. If yoursquo;ve been reading the Bay View for at least a year, you know that the City awarded the contract, I signed and returned it, and then the City snatched it back. Their flimsy excuse was that my insurance broker was a day late submitting a certificate proving I had auto insurance, even though Irsquo;d given the City a certificate for that same auto insurance policy over four months earlier./p p On Aug. 18, a library activist friend called and suggested I check out the agenda for the Library Commission meeting later that afternoon. Item 2 on the agenda was described like this: ldquo;Branch Library Improvement Program Budget Transfers Action (Discussion and possible action to increase BLIP program reserve through transfer of span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Visitacion" data-scaytid="53"Visitacion/span Valley Infrastructure fund revenue; and transfer of funds from program reserve to increase span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="25"Bayview/span Branch Library Project budget).rdquo;/p p They werenrsquo;t talking about transferring a little bit of money; no, the Library Commission that day approved a transfer of $1.7 million. On top of the $310,000 extra the City is unnecessarily paying span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="KCK" data-scaytid="55"KCK/span Builders, the second low bidder ndash; thatrsquo;s how much higher his bid was than Liberty Buildersrsquo; bid ndash; the ldquo;progressiverdquo; City of San Francisco is paying a total of over $2 million more taxpayersrsquo; dollars for choosing to put a white contractor in charge of building the new library instead of sticking with the low bidder, a Black contractor./p p I went to the Library Commission meeting that day, and Claude Carpenter went with me, even though he was recovering from surgery. Claude was the first president of the African American Contractors of San Francisco, and I was the second. He knows and I know and you know the good that an infusion of construction jobs would do for this community. Thatrsquo;s why I bid to build the new span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="27"Bayview/span Library./p p Construction workers make good money, enough to support an extended family, and a Black contractor who cares about the community will be happy to hire you even if yoursquo;ve been locked up, as so many have these days. The trouble is that because of hostility from City Hall, the number of licensed Black contractors in shape to bid City work can be counted on one hand with a few fingers left over./p div class="img alignleft size-full wp-image-23555" style="width: 380px" a href="http://sfbayview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Bullet-hole-in-our-bedroom-window-051310-by-Francisco.jpg"img alt="" height="285" src="http://sfbayview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Bullet-hole-in-our-bedroom-window-051310-by-Francisco.jpg" width="380" //a div When a .44 caliber bullet was shot through our window at 1:45 span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="a.m" data-scaytid="1"a.m/span. on May 13, 2010, from the roof of the bank next door, Mary span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Ratcliff" data-scaytid="15"Ratcliff/span reported in the Bay View, ldquo;(Willie) span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Ratcliff" data-scaytid="17"Ratcliff/span has a strong hunch it was fired by someone trying to scare him into withdrawing from the competition for the contract to build the new span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="29"Bayview/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Library.”" data-scaytid="3"Library.rdquo;/span The bullet was fired exactly one week before the City issued the final bid package for the library. Read more in ldquo;Bullet through Bay Viewrsquo;s window: Whorsquo;s afraid of Black power?rdquo;/div /div p We told the Library Commission that they could save that $1.7 million to buy more books and keep the library open more hours if the City would sit down with me and Claude and others in the community with decades of experience hiring our own people and work out a way to get construction of the new span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="31"Bayview/span Library back on track. Today, as you can see whenever you pass Third and Revere, our beloved library is nothing but a vacant lot./p p nbsp;/p p Ho hum, who cares? The long struggle for construction work by Blacks in span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="33"Bayview/span Hunters Point ndash; that was the other demand besides an end to police violence that kicked off the world famous Hunters Point rebellion 45 years ago, on Sept. 27, 1966 ndash; has been a span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="snoozer" data-scaytid="61"snoozer/span at City Hall among the powers that be. But itrsquo;s not any more./p p This morning, the struggle over the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="35"Bayview/span Library literally woke people up all over San Francisco when it was a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/29/MN5L1KS0PR.DTL" jquery161046892778666693574="67"font color="#265372"the main story on the front page of todayrsquo;s San Francisco Chronicle/font/a. I applaud the Chronicle for taking the issue on, but I wish theyrsquo;d told the real story. The writer, Stephanie Lee, also attended the Aug. 18 Library Commission meeting. We talked then and she called and interviewed me later by phone. Not a word I told her made its way into the story she wrote./p p She wrote that the libraryrsquo;s price is up more than $2 million because subcontract bids are coming in way high, but she didnrsquo;t say why. Two main reasons were expressed at the meeting. White contractors complain about the workers, saying span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="37"Bayview/span Hunters Point workers will drive up the price, implying theyrsquo;re inexperienced ndash; and thatrsquo;s true for the younger folks; Blacks here have been locked out of construction since 1998 ndash; and hinting theyrsquo;re also slow, stupid and lazy./p p Black contractors know the truth ndash; that Black construction workers are the best in the business. What Black contractors complain about is bonding and financing, saying the City wonrsquo;t let them bid without it, when everybody knows that banks and bonding companies are racist to the core. Even the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="U.S" data-scaytid="5"U.S/span. Supreme Court has told cities over and over again not to exclude Blacks when banks and bonding and insurance companies keep them out of the game ndash; not due to their ability but due to their color./p p Irsquo;ve spent a lifetime ndash; and so have Claude and other veterans of the struggle ndash; figuring out how to put our people to work in spite of all that. I would have used those techniques if the City had let the low bidder ndash; Liberty Builders ndash; build the library. And itrsquo;s not too late. Irsquo;m waiting for a call from Mayor Ed Lee inviting us to the table to work out a plan using contractors and workers who live here to build the library our children are waiting for./p p And I know that when one of our two favorite candidates for mayor ndash; wersquo;re endorsing Public Defender Jeff span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="63"Adachi/span first and Supervisor John span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Avalos" data-scaytid="65"Avalos/span second ndash; replaces Ed Lee, wersquo;ll really put our people to work, not only on the library but year lsquo;round, year after year./p p Mike span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Hannegan" data-scaytid="67"Hannegan/span of span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="KCK" data-scaytid="57"KCK/span Builders, who was given the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="39"Bayview/span Library contract almost immediately after the City snatched it back from me, even though his bid was $310,000 higher than mine, has no idea how to put our local Black contractors and workers to work. Hersquo;s not even from here./p p The Chronicle story claims that span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="KCK" data-scaytid="59"KCK/span is ldquo;a company in the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="41"Bayview/span,rdquo; but I went to visit Mike shortly after the City gave him the contract last November. I went to the address on span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Egbert" data-scaytid="69"Egbert/span that hersquo;d given the City./p p What I found was another companyrsquo;s office suite. The owner showed me Mikersquo;s office: a room that was almost empty except for a desk and chair./p p I agree with one person quoted by the Chronicle: Library Commissioner Larry Kane said regarding the extra $1.7 million, ldquo;Obviously, I would prefer not to have that money spent, to keep that money for hours and librarians and library span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="services.”" data-scaytid="7"services.rdquo;/span So would I, and so would you no doubt./p div class="img alignright size-full wp-image-23556" style="width: 248px" a href="http://sfbayview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Dr.-William-Mason-president-Metro-East-Black-Contractors-Organization-MEBCO-atty-Eric-Vickers-St.-Louis-0811.jpg"img alt="" height="302" src="http://sfbayview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Dr.-William-Mason-president-Metro-East-Black-Contractors-Organization-MEBCO-atty-Eric-Vickers-St.-Louis-0811.jpg" width="248" //a div Dr. William Mason, president of the Metro East Black Contractors Organization (span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="MEBCO" data-scaytid="71"MEBCO/span), and attorney Eric Vickers fight for economic equity in St. Louis./div /div p The Chronicle reports, ldquo;So far, 10 of the 27 subcontracts are set to be awarded to span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="43"Bayview/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="companies.”" data-scaytid="9"companies.rdquo;/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="45"Bayview/span companies, hmm. This is the ldquo;low rent districtrdquo; for office and warehouse space, and non-Black contractors are flocking to it. But a span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="47"Bayview/span Hunters Point address doesnrsquo;t guarantee a commitment to the people who live here./p p nbsp;/p p If itrsquo;s any comfort, we in San Francisco are not alone. Blacks are fighting City Hall in other cities to put their people to work. Our old friend Eric Vickers in St. Louis, a lawyer whorsquo;s nationally known for fighting to stop the now nationwide lockout of Blacks from construction, made the news this week in a local Black paper, the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Rivercity" data-scaytid="75"Rivercity/span Examiner./p p He and Dr. William Mason, president of the Metro East Black Contractors Organization (span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="MEBCO" data-scaytid="73"MEBCO/span), want to shut down the Mississippi River Bridge construction. When the agency in charge, the Illinois Department of Transportation (span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="IDOT" data-scaytid="81"IDOT/span) wanted to meet anywhere but East St. Louis, the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Rivercity" data-scaytid="77"Rivercity/span Examiner wrote:/p p ldquo;What span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="IDOT" data-scaytid="83"IDOT/span obviously didnrsquo;t realize was that their refusal to meet in the very city of the citizens that they were depriving of opportunity further showed their racist perspective on Blacks. It was a continuation of their discriminatory principles and practices. They could make the arrangements for Whites, by the truckloads, to go into East St. Louis (a city which is 99.5% Black) to work on the bridge project and take the money back to their White communities, but they certainly couldnrsquo;t participate in a meeting to discuss the depth of the outrage of the Blacks who were affected by the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="deprivation.”" data-scaytid="11"deprivation.rdquo;/span/p p Theyrsquo;re fighting discrimination on the multi-million dollar renovation of the local library too. The span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Rivercity" data-scaytid="79"Rivercity/span Examiner made a video thatrsquo;ll make your blood boil. Watch it below. It shows 97 workers walking onto the worksite one morning with their big lunch boxes ndash; so they wonrsquo;t have to spend their money at a Black restaurant ndash; and guess what? Every one is white./p p If we donrsquo;t intervene soon, that could be the sight that we and our children will see live every day that the new span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="49"Bayview/span Library is under construction ndash; if it ever gets started ndash; for the next year and a half. Sounds a lot like the five years we were locked out of building the light rail, the one the T-train runs on, the one Kenneth Harding was exiting when a couple of cops asked for his transfer as proof hersquo;d paid his fare./p p He ran, they shot him, he died hellip; just like Matthew ldquo;Peanutrdquo; Johnson 45 years ago this month, whose police murder sparked the 1966 Hunters Point rebellion ndash; or riot ndash; that made headlines around the world and showed the world that span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="51"Bayview/span Hunters Point is one fierce neighborhood./p p This time, letrsquo;s settle our differences with City Hall at the negotiating table. Mayor Ed Lee, wersquo;re waiting for your call./p p emBay View publisher Willie span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Ratcliff" data-scaytid="19"Ratcliff/span can be reached at (415) 671-0789 or a href="mailto:publisher@sfbayview.com"font color="#265372"publisher@sfbayview.com/font/a./em/p