Impressions of the Badlands Boycott Picket: Confronting Racism in the Castro
Just came home from the picket at Badlands. I'll blog more about it when I've had some rest but just wanted to note a few things when I was fresh from the picket lines...
1) Les Natali, owner of Badlands, has resorted to offering half price drinks and one dollar beers to bring customers in. He hired some kids to hand out cards advertising the half price drinks on the corners. He must be losing some real cash.
2) Many of the customers, probably because the drinks were half off, were really, really drunk. One of the chants was, "For real, no doubt, Badlands is so played out." Well, not only is Badlands played out, but the customers looked pretty played out tonight. Just not very attractive really.
3) I was pleased to see that more white folks came to the picket tonight. As Calvin Gipson noted at a rally in front of Badlands, white people need to actively confront racism. This is a real opportunity for white people to show in action, not just word, that they will fight racism in all our communities. Some have taken up this challenge, more need to. I know as a trannie, it means a lot to me when non-trannies confront transphobia.
4) The slick, disgusting hit piece that SF Weekly ran this week for Les Natali was being handed out by paid workers out front. Classic counter-organizing. It reminds me of union organizing campaigns and workers suddenly start saying, "I really, really love working for this boss."
5) Great turnout by leaders in the community. Supervisor Sophie Maxwell came and spoke at the rally before we went to picket. She came out swinging about how racist SF is. The two co-chairs from Alice B. Toklas, Laura Spanjian and Scott Wiener, were there. Current Vice-President of Harvey Milk, Saskia Trail and former President Michael Goldstein were there. Two of the Board members of the Pride Committee and two of the lead plaintiffs from the marriage equality lawsuit were there. One of the chairs of Pride at Work. Guilliana Milanese from California Nurses Association. Ed Kinchley, officer from SEIU Local 790, and Dale Butler from 790 were there. The organizers from And Castro for All should be incredibly proud of the work they are doing.
6) Instead of substantively responding to the findings of discrimination at Badlands, their spinmeisters continue to say that the organizers behind this are on the take of other bar owners. Really creepy stuff. But despite these appalling tactics, the supporters of And Castro for All continue to grow. Like I said on Friday, Equality California, the statewide LGBT Civil rights group came on board and more are in the works.
7) To read the substantive response to the the hit pieces from Les Natali, go here.
8) I found a great article on the And Castro for all web site that goes into the history of bars in the Castro asking for two forms of identification and why this policy was made illegal.
Picture in the Window of Badlands from last summer
1) Les Natali, owner of Badlands, has resorted to offering half price drinks and one dollar beers to bring customers in. He hired some kids to hand out cards advertising the half price drinks on the corners. He must be losing some real cash.
2) Many of the customers, probably because the drinks were half off, were really, really drunk. One of the chants was, "For real, no doubt, Badlands is so played out." Well, not only is Badlands played out, but the customers looked pretty played out tonight. Just not very attractive really.
3) I was pleased to see that more white folks came to the picket tonight. As Calvin Gipson noted at a rally in front of Badlands, white people need to actively confront racism. This is a real opportunity for white people to show in action, not just word, that they will fight racism in all our communities. Some have taken up this challenge, more need to. I know as a trannie, it means a lot to me when non-trannies confront transphobia.
4) The slick, disgusting hit piece that SF Weekly ran this week for Les Natali was being handed out by paid workers out front. Classic counter-organizing. It reminds me of union organizing campaigns and workers suddenly start saying, "I really, really love working for this boss."
5) Great turnout by leaders in the community. Supervisor Sophie Maxwell came and spoke at the rally before we went to picket. She came out swinging about how racist SF is. The two co-chairs from Alice B. Toklas, Laura Spanjian and Scott Wiener, were there. Current Vice-President of Harvey Milk, Saskia Trail and former President Michael Goldstein were there. Two of the Board members of the Pride Committee and two of the lead plaintiffs from the marriage equality lawsuit were there. One of the chairs of Pride at Work. Guilliana Milanese from California Nurses Association. Ed Kinchley, officer from SEIU Local 790, and Dale Butler from 790 were there. The organizers from And Castro for All should be incredibly proud of the work they are doing.
6) Instead of substantively responding to the findings of discrimination at Badlands, their spinmeisters continue to say that the organizers behind this are on the take of other bar owners. Really creepy stuff. But despite these appalling tactics, the supporters of And Castro for All continue to grow. Like I said on Friday, Equality California, the statewide LGBT Civil rights group came on board and more are in the works.
7) To read the substantive response to the the hit pieces from Les Natali, go here.
8) I found a great article on the And Castro for all web site that goes into the history of bars in the Castro asking for two forms of identification and why this policy was made illegal.
Picture in the Window of Badlands from last summer
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