City of San Francisco Giving Human Rights Awards While Continuing Human Rights Abuses

An alliance of community organizations in San Francisco that have been working to hold the City of San Francisco and the San Francisco Police Department accountable for the deaths of brown and black people who have been killed by the police have been called to receive a human rights award by the City of San Francisco.

These groups, including the Idriss Stelley Foundation, Amor for Alex Nieto, Justice 4 Amilcar Perez-Lopez, Do No Harm Coalition, Justice for Luis Gongora Pat, and Justice 4 Jessica Nelson-Williams express deep concern at the actions of the City which seeks to praise their activism while failing to address any of the systemic issues that lead to the disproportionate killing and economic displacement of people of color with no mechanism in place for justice. In response to the lack of justice from the City of San Francisco, the SFPD, its District Attorney, the Attorney General of California and the lack of any binding investigation from the Department of Justice, these groups have contacted the UN Committee on Torture and will be filing a complaint with the International Court of Justice, seeking assistance now from the international community to respond to the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the City on people of color and the economically disadvantaged in San Francisco which continue. In light of the findings of the damning Blue Ribbon Panel and the community’s call for justice, it is crucial that the City acts immediately to suspend the ongoing intimidation by the SFPD, to allow for the prosecution and removal of killer cops from its force, to cease evictions that are destroying the cultural integrity of neighborhoods of people of color and to stop its intimidation and harm of the unhoused.

With the police killings of Idriss Stelley, Mario Woods, Alex Nieto, Amilcar Perez Lopez, Luis Gongora Pat and Jessica Nelson, we see a City that is unable to guarantee the protection of human dignity and justice for all of its citizens.

Dr. Rupa Marya, professor of medicine with the UCSF Do No Harm Coalition: “When the body is fighting cancer, you need medicine, not awards. And the body of San Francisco is suffering from the cancer of disparity in income, safety and respect. The medicine here is justice.”

Please join us to document the Human Rights Awards Ceremony where each of these groups will voice their respective thoughts on this award and the state of Human Rights in San Francisco. Immediately following, there will be a press conference to answer specific questions from the press.

San Francisco Human Rights Commission Hero Award Ceremony

San Francisco City Hall

Room 250

Thursday, July 28th at 5:30pm

Media Contact:

Rupa Marya rupa.marya@ucsf.edu