Remarks—Red Carpet Party, San Francisco Transit Riders, December 2021 

Good Evening San Francisco Transit Riders Members, Generous Volunteers, Senator Weiner, Director Chang, Supervisor Preston, SFTR Board Members, our small but mighty staff, friends and former colleagues.

Thanks for being here tonight, 

It has been a short yet exciting ride for me so far. And I am continuously amazed to learn about what the Transit Riders has achieved over these last 12 months, including the last three where the group’s successes were also mine. I am gradually inching my way inside yet being new I also bring an outsider perspective of how I have seen things elsewhere.

I have believed for a while that non-profits play a critical role of being bridge builders between the communities who need resources and policy makers who bring the resources to the communities. And it is not that simple because communities not only have a stake in those resources, but as part of a democratic process, they have a say in the allocation of those resources. And despite best intentions, communities have felt left out in decision making of policy makers. And that is where the role of non-profit advocates like San Francisco Transit Riders is so crucial. We facilitate leadership and agency among our riders for instance to improve access to transit in the city.

So when Speaker Pelosi’s office was involved in the transit recovery efforts in the country, our transit dependent members emphasized why restoring service was essential to get them to work, to school, to medical appointments. And because they spoke, we secured $4billion in transit recovery funds for the Bay Area. 

And when our municipal transit agency went to the drawing board with the 2022 service plan, our coalition of students, parents, seniors, labor and community activists petitioned, rallied and wrote passionate op-eds against service cuts that would be burdensome. And as a direct result, on Tuesday SFMTA Board approved a restoration of almost every pre-pandemic line. 

Writer Kafui Attoh claims that fights for transportation justice, are rarely fights over transit alone. They invoke the things we value: vibrant neighborhoods, clean air and water, participatory politics, equitable distribution of resources, public space where we are free to speak, gather, play, create, and organize. 

Our transit only lanes approved for the T Third, 38 Geary, 14 Mission and 19 Polk are the claims our members have made to improve speed and reliability for riders. But in the process they have also exercised a right in Kafui’s words “to be at the heart of urban life”. 

And it is in an attempt to further reclaim this city to its full potential and to not get shut off yet again, our partnership with Bayview-Hunterspoint leaders won us a multi-year grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District--to enable and embolden the resilient community to continue their resistance to the long-standing despair and neglect.

So a heart felt thank you to our members for these successful rides this year—And about where we can go next, you will have to wait until the end of the evening to see where Zack offers to take you.

Enjoy the evening.