Dear John,

Over the past week, millions of Americans have taken to the streets to defend the rights of women, girls, non-binary, and trans folks. Meanwhile, the powerful leader among House Democrats, Nancy Pelosi, has continued raising money for anti-choice reproductive authoritarian Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).

Would San Francisco make better choices if the press reported the facts, rather than actively obscuring the conservative history of incumbents from Pelosi to Feinstein by privileging their rhetoric over their records?

Join us today to work around the failures of the press establishment and put us in a position to do their job of informing San Franciscans about history and their options going forward!

This weekend, the first broadcast outlet in San Francisco to cover our 2022 race aired a live interview that we’re excited to share with you.

Mutiny Radio is a non-profit community radio collective based in a storefront in San Francisco’s Mission District. Hosts Val Ibarra and Diamond Dave Whitaker have hosted us before, and previously organized the last debate that happened in San Francisco among primary congressional candidates challenging Pelosi.

That was 4 years ago. I won that debate, and then won the jungle primary in 2020. We're excited to finish the job in 2022 with your support!

Diamond Dave—a poet, organizer, activist and San Francisco icon who mentored Bob Dylan in a previous era—has helped empower my community organizing since 2003. That was the very same year I organized direct action across the Bay Area responding to Bush's invasion of Iraq before volunteering for the inspiring mayoral campaign of Matt Gonzalez, the former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who went on to run for the White House as a Vice Presidential candidate and continues to serve our city as the Chief Attorney for the SF Public Defender’s Office.

I was thrilled to join both Matt and Dave last night at the invitation of host Val Ibarra. Activists Joan Rivard and Mona Lisa joined us, as well as poets including SF educator E.K. Keith. Click the photo below to listen to Mutiny Radio's "Sounds from the Street" broadcast this Saturday. Our interview begins at 24:25.

Want to bring our analysis to a wider audience and offer more voters a chance to make better choices? Join us today to help expose the corruption embodied by the leader among House Democrats and force accountability!

One of the themes that Matt Gonzalez raised during our interview was the arbitrary way that political establishments guard themselves by attacking the legitimacy of challengers. He faced the same pattern himself two decades ago that we confront today, recalling how “I didn’t want to wait my whole life for things to change,” and how “repressive ideas remained in place” until “people stood up” to force accountability.

Another part of the interview explored the leaked Supreme Court decision that threatens to overrule Roe v. Wade. Activist Mona Lisa noted how women were formally denied equal rights even before last week's leaked Supreme Court draft opinion, and a pianist & singer visiting from Texas powerfully shared her personal feelings about living in a state poised to deny her rights.

Many voices have responded to the leaked decision as if it were a fait accompli, leaping from outrage to mourning without recognizing potential action opportunities. We’ve noted in other forums how Congress can and should end judicial life tenure in order to force turnover on the bench. That’s a longer-term solution I’d like to take to Congress if San Francisco cares enough about women’s rights to vote for change.

Want a voice in Congress willing to wage hard battles from which others have chosen to shrink? No one in Washington has climbed a steeper hill than the one we’re tackling, and few have mustered the insight to offer equally visionary solutions to structural problems that continue to plague our country.

We also discussed a further suggestion based on the case study of how movement voices reversed the North Carolina "bathroom bill" targeting trans folks in 2016-17.

My suggestion emphasized the opportunity for boycotts by blue states of other states poised to deny the rights of women & girls if Roe gets overturned. Because it threatens commerce and capital—the only things to which Washington responds—it's the kind of approach that could actually force Justices to reconsider their opinions.

Our campaign, and independent media sources filling the gaps left by absentee journalists, are working hard to confront and overcome the corporate corruption of Congress. We recognize that power concedes nothing without a demand, and are happy to build—with your crucial support—an alternative.

Thank you for supporting accountability and fundamental rights!

Your voice,
Shahid

1. Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, May 10 at 5pm, at Broadway & Normandie Terrace to call out Pelosi's hypocrisy in supporting anti-choice Democrats while mouthing support for reproductive rights.
   
   
2. Join us this Wednesday, May 11 at Madrone Art Bar (at Divisadero & Fell in the Lower Haight) from 8-10pm to meet other supporters and learn how you can support our efforts between now and the June 7 jungle primary!
   
   
3. We're also hosting a special event on Sunday, May 22 from 4-6pm featuring music, food, and a presentation about the history of San Francisco's countercultures in an iconic setting. See you there!