The overt racism emerging in the fall supes campaign and the discussion around admissions changes at Lowell has reached a level I honestly didn’t expect to see in San Francisco in 2020.
Among the attacks on Vilsaka Nguyen, a candidate in D7, funded by real-estate and GOP interests, is a mailer that depicts him as a jungle animal.
That’s alarming: Racists for years (in what we think of as much worse times) has depicted immigrants and people of color as animals. It’s hard to imagine anyone would do that in San Francisco today.
But there it is:
The mailer was funded by the same group of big real-estate interests and GOP donors that have been attacking progressives in the past few weeks. It’s primary source of information is Lou Barberini, a writer for the Marina Times, who’s recent stories include totally inaccurate information.
Meanwhile, two School Board members have been hit with racist online attacks over their position on admission to Lowell. The board voted unanimously in favor of the changes. The only ones so far facing these attacks are two women of color.
The attacks on Gabriela Lopez and Alison Collins have been traced to one young man – but even if he’s acting alone, it’s scary.
The attacks on Nguyen are part of a coordinated campaign that is also attacking Sup. Dean Preston, John Avalos, and Nguyen.
It’s shocking, and every local elected official ought to be denouncing the GOP-backed committee that is doing this.
Myrna Melgar, who is running in D7, told me the attack is “offensive and embarassing.”
Joel Engardio, who is also running against Nguyen in D7, told me:
I denounce the PAC ads against Vilaska Nguyen. The Lion King reference is problematic and inappropriate.
Since the committee funding this is attacking all of the candidates opposed by the mayor, I await her comments.
