Singers of the Street takes to the street against Prop L

Today, Singers of the Street (S.O.S.) led a protest rally in the Castro neighborhood. It went very well and we chose the best two hours of weather for the whole week! We had a good turn out, and looked fabulous in our new purple S.O.S. t-shirts that Sam screen printed for us on t-shirts donated by James (he’d been stockpiling them at home for years). I had secured green signs and placards from the No On L/Sidewalks Are For People organizers, so we had everything we needed.

Since we’re a choir, we composed a simple, on-the-spot a song that we chanted as we walked along the street:

“Sidewalks are for people,
No on L.”

We sat on the ground on the corner of Castro and Market, where the F-line MUNI stops, and other people came and joined us, including some clergy members from Metropolitan Community Church.  After singing a few songs, we then walked down to Church and Market, singing as we went.

A string of F-Line trolley cars stopped one behind the other on Market Street, and their drivers stood together in solidarity and showed us their support. The folks at Raphael Mandelman’s campaign headquarters were also very encouraging. As a contrast, we stop and jeered at Scott Weiner’s campaign headquarters, since Weiner is supporting Prop L.

Some passers-by asked us for signs to put up in their windows. Award-winning local singer/entertainer Carly Ozard happened upon us, and when she realized what we were up to, she immediately lay sprawled on the sidewalk to let everyone know what she thinks of the proposed Sit-Lie Law!

Our merry band constituted about three dozen people in all, which was great. Several journalists, photographers and others filmed and recorded our hour-long protest, so I’m sure we’ll make an even larger impact ultimately.

On the corner of Church and Market we sang some more, until we were hoarse. Even more people joined us, and we attracted the attention of several more homeless people who sat on the Safeway steps to watch us.

After singing, we enjoyed packed lunches in the nearby Duboce Park. The lunches were delivered to us by some of the S.O.S. volunteers. Everyone’s spirits were high and we really felt like we made a difference in the fight against Proposition L. Jason joined us for lunch. He was homeless and carried a guitar. The S.O.S. members encouraged him to come along to our next rehearsal.

S.O.S. member Frankie chose not to come along today. He said he had a dental problem to take care of. I found him later sleeping on a discarded mattress on a sidewalk in the Castro. He waved to me and, with a toothy grin, said he’d see me at rehearsal next week.

If Prop L passes, anyone sitting or lying on any sidewalk in San Francisco after 11:00 pm can be arrested. Supposedly, the proposed law is intended for trouble-makers, but there are already laws in place for people who are disturbing the peace or being a public nuisance. This new law is going to make life even more difficult for those who simply don’t have anywhere else to go. It’s often too cold to be in a park or under the freeway. There are NOT enough beds in San Francisco for the 7,000 souls who are homeless.

Like most minority groups, the individuals living on the street who are most visible are the “stereotypes” and not necessarily typical. Homeless people who are visibly drunk or drugged only make up a very small percentage. SF’s homeless people include:

• legal immigrants
• folks who’ve been laid off in the recession and suffered foreclosure of their homes
• women and children who’ve been deserted or abused
• veterans and others with disabilities, injuries, or illness who are unable to work
• people with mental illness who were abandoned during the Regan years
• teenagers who have been kicked out of home because of their sexual identity

How do I know this? Well, I’ve met them. In the last six weeks I’ve learned a great deal about these issues, and I encourage everyone to do more to truly understand the big picture before voting. This is more than not wanting to step over a person on the sidewalk. It is my studied opinion that anyone who supports Prop L really cannot understand the facts of the matter. Reading a couple of biased paragraphs in a newspaper is not the same as spending time with folks who actually live on the street, or talking to the beat police officers who would have to make decisions about enforcing Prop L, or meeting the case workers who don’t know what to tell the people in their care.

This situation makes me even more determined to continue on my path with Singers of the Street. I’ve seen what a difference “visibility” can make to those who are living on the streets.

The solution really is simple. Every San Franciscan needs to think about why we love this City. It’s not just the Bay or the Giants or the Golden Gate Bridge – it’s the unique and generous heart of its people. Every time we ignore or step over or walk past a person sitting or lying on the sidewalk, we bring shame to our City and we turn our backs on what we hold most dear.

Instead:

Stop for a moment.

Make eye contact.

Say hello.

Shake hands.

Tell a joke.

Ask a question.

Talk about the weather.

Open your heart.

Be human.

It’s not about opening your home, or offering money, or even food – it’s simply about human decency.

I PROMISE: it’s not hard to do. It will change your life, the lives of those you reach out to, and ultimately it will make San Francisco the Utopia it was always destined to be.

In the words of Mother Teresa:

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody – I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”

Craig opened his heart and shared with courage, truthfulness, and great humility his remarkable and inspirational journey. It was specific to music and to conducting, but the lines between the personal and the professional were blurred in such a way that a light bulb came on for me with blinding clarity. It was one of those rare and magical defining moments. What I came to realize is that the elusive answers I’ve sought in my personal life are the exact same answers I should also have been seeking in my work as a musician.

Suddenly it all seems so simple. Lately I have been posing a lot of specific questions to the Universe. My answers came today ten-fold today. And they keep coming in abundance. I feel joyful, relieved, and grateful. My faith is restored.

One of the many gifts Craig shared with us was a list of questions to ask ourselves. These were huge questions that will take a lifetime to answer, but are ones that I intend to continue to ask myself for years to come:

• WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
• How do you make art?
• What do you love?
• What music do you love?
• What music don’t you like?
• What do you feel surrendered to?
• What do you give your energy to unquestionably?
• What would you like to give your energy to bust still withhold?
• What parts of the repertoire are you willing to pass on or advocate for?
• What repertoire would you like to grow?
• What traditions do you want to honor?
• What modern (classical and popular) music are you drawn to?
• What musically challenges/frightens you?
• What poems/literature/writers move you?
• What is close to you?
• What is a part of you?
• WHO ARE YOU?

At the start of the day, Craig invited us to find a “pine cone” moment that led us to our passion as musicians. I found mine in a moment I had long forgotten – the moment I discovered the beautiful complexity of contrapuntal Bach on the guitar at the age of ten. It changed everything for me. I know I will now continue to re-visit that moment again and again.

At the end of the day, Craig shared with us some of the answers he found at a dark time in his life: to find enchantment, to care for yourself, and to invite others in. And most importantly, to speak from the heart and not fear how it will be received. Only then will our obstacles fall away.

What a day. I am transformed.

I expect this will be a sort of stream of consciousness, relating my thoughts and dreams and worries and triumphs. I hope it makes sense. I may be the only person who ever reads it, which is just fine. I guess I want to start writing down some of my thoughts as a snap-shot of how I feel at a given point in time. I plan to write only when I have something to say, and that’s how I’m feeling today.

This has been a very eventful week in the big scheme of things. On Sunday at church – Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco – the new choir, S.O.S., was announced at both services. I made a few remarks, and senior pastor, the Rev. Dr. Lea Brown, said a blessing and the congregations raised their hands in prayerful support. I was quite taken aback by their extremely positive responses. The folks at the evening service stood to their feet and applauded. I thought “well, I haven’t done anything yet.” But it did feel good to know that the mere idea of this project was able to elicit such positive energy. I truly felt lifted up, and it reminded me that I’m not in this alone.

Knowing that it was now less than a month until our first rehearsal, the time had now arrived to let the public know about S.O.S. The press release had been drafted a month earlier, but we had to get our ducks in a row before we could go public (e.g. securing volunteers including a pianist, finding a rehearsal venue, and having a very modest budget approved). I crossed my fingers and sent the details out to a few journalists.

Also realizing the importance of the internet to spread the word (I’ve learned recently that people who are homeless in San Francisco can get free email access in places like public libraries), I set about making a Facebook page for the group. It’s now 24 hours later, and we have almost 100 fans already! Heartening news.

When I woke up this morning, I turned on the TV and heard that the group called Sidewalks Are For People was to launch its campaign against Prop L at 10 am (i.e. less than 2 hours hence) at Harvey Milk Plaza. I was startled. What synchronicity! I sent a text to Lea right away, and then headed to the Castro neighborhood. En route on MUNI, I busied myself by writing the S.O.S. URL on the back of a few business cards. S.O.S. is so new, we don’t have any materials yet.

Upon arriving at Castro Station at around 10:15 am, I went up the escalator and suddenly found myself in the middle of a rally. A small but passionate group was gathered, including representatives from a variety of groups including the Mission Neighborhood Day Workers and others. Many held signs. There were TV cameras and photographers. I felt ill-prepared, to say the least. Lea hadn’t arrived yet. I spied my old friend Joey Cain standing behind the speaker at the microphone. I sidled up to Joey and whispered “Have you heard about my new project?” He indicated that he hadn’t, so I gave him my 10-second elevator (or in the case, escalator) speech.

The speaker at the microphone ended his speech. Joey snapped to attention, with yellow note pad at the ready, and sprang to the mic to introduce the next speaker. What luck – Joey was the organizer of this auspicious gathering! He said he couldn’t fit us onto the program this time, but he would for sure next time. He did, however, announce our new venture to the crowd.

The speakers at the rally included a variety of people. A young Hispanic woman with a small baby talked about how she didn’t want to raise her son in a place where he would feel afraid to do something as natural as sitting. An almost-80-year-old priest said that sometimes his tired bones require that he should sit down. It was acknowledged by all that Prop L was about finance. The supporters of Prop L have already received sizable donations from corporations. Those who opposed Prop L have very modest means indeed.

Joey concluded the rally by reminding us that Harvey Milk had fought against this same proposed law when he was in office. Standing there in Harvey Milk Plaza, fighting for this new cause (I mean, new to me – I’ve been fighting almost solely for gay rights for the last decade), it all started to fall into place. A shiver came over me, but not just from the freezing summer fog that had enveloped us. It was the sort of shiver that gives you goosebumps. The shiver of being in the right place at the right time.

Harvey Milk and I share the same birth date: May 22. It was at Harvey Milk Plaza, almost ten years ago to the day, where I learned this fact, printed on a plaque on a brick wall in the Plaza. This was also adjacent the site of my office when I first started with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) in 2000 (the old bank building on the corner of Castro and Market, which is now a Diesel store). I felt the same shiver all those years ago. You see, SFGMC’s first ever public appearance was at the candlelight vigil the night that Milk was assassinated. Milk is forever tied to the history of the world’s first openly gay men’s chorus. It had given me pause ten years ago when I first made this personal connection.

Today, it all hit me again. I had been wondering how I was going to make the shift from gay politics to protesting basic human rights for people who are homeless. But Harvey helped me… again. He reminded me, through Joey’s words, that it’s all the same fight. It’s about fighting for what’s right. Standing up (or even sitting, in this case) for the values that make San Francisco the Utopia it was intended to be.

It was also the day that SFGMC sent out a press release announcing my resignation, and that my final concert would be Dec. 24, 9 pm at the Castro Theatre. As I stood there on Harvey’s corner, across the street from the Castro Theatre, I was struck with a powerful sense of momentum. Today wasn’t the beginning of the end – it was simply the beginning of the next phase. I would stand alongside the Joey Cains and Molly McKays and Lea Browns and many others I’ve had the good fortune to get to know and continue in Harvey’s name to raise our voices for justice, healing, and ultimately – joy. And this is the mission of S.O.S.

By the end of the day, as I mentioned, S.O.S. had almost 100 fans on Facebook. Chuck Nevius had mentioned S.O.S. in his column in The Examiner. I had heard from journalists from SF Chronicle, New York Times, and a film producer in LA. All this attention, and we don’t even have choir members yet! But knowing from experience the power that music has to reach the soul and change hearts and minds, I now have no doubt at all that S.O.S. truly will make a significant difference.

The most common question I’ve been asked since we announced S.O.S. is: “But how will you find people to sing in it?” Such is the wide gap in our society. We see people on the streets every day, yet they are invisible to many. Last week, I was walking along Powell Street near Union Square. A disheveled man was asking passers by for change. I caught his eye, smiled, and said: “Sorry, I don’t have any today.” He beamed a wide grin right back at me, and thanked me for speaking to him. Suddenly, he looked no different than everyone else on that street.

I am convinced that S.O.S. can help to make everyone visible. That is the essential first step toward building a humane society. If any city can do it, San Francisco can. We just need to help soften some hearts, and music is the way to do it.

Thank you, Harvey, and Joey, and the man on Powell Street, for reminding me what this is all about.