Dog park plan gains support
13
13
ARTS
Castro Merchants shakeup
09
ARTS
02
Town Bar
Oaklash
The
www.ebar.com
Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971
Vol. 53 • No. 19 • May 11-17, 2023
SF supervisors ask DA Jenkins to release video in Brown killing by John Ferrannini
A San Francisco Board of Supervisors committee has approved amending the interior landmarking ordinance for the Castro Theatre to include the fixed orchestra seating.
Supe panel advances fixed seats for Castro Theatre
by John Ferrannini
W
ith little fanfare and hardly any public comment, a San Francisco Board of Supervisors committee on May 8 advanced an amendment that would see the fixed orchestra seating remain in place at the Castro Theatre. The amendment is to an interior landmarking ordinance that is expected to go to the Board of Supervisors May 16. The board has final approval over the landmark request, which was initially made by gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman last year. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission in February recommended the interior landmarking, but without specifying that the orchestra seating remain fixed. Hence, the amendment that was recommended May 8 and offered last month by District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston, a straight ally and vice chair of the land use committee. (The exterior of the Castro Theatre was designated a historic landmark in 1977.) The committee’s vote, should it be adopted by the full board, could be a blow to Another Planet Entertainment, which manages the historic movie palace and had sought to replace the orchestra seating with a motorized floor that would make both raked seating and tiered standing arrangements possible. On behalf of APE, gay spokesperson David Perry stated, “This was no surprise.” The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee forwarded the Castro Theatre interior landmarking ordinance – including an amendment that would landmark fixed, orchestra-style seating – to the whole board on the same 2-1 vote it preliminarily voted on last month. Preston brought forth the fixed seating amendment April 17, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, in a major victory for the forces who seek to stop the changes APE wants to make to the theater. See page 2 >>
T
he San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a resolution urging District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to “release police reports, witness accounts and video information” in the death of Banko Brown, the 24-year-old unarmed Black trans activist shot outside of a downtown Walgreens by a store security guard last month. The resolution, which is nonbinding, came about after Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin (District 3) first asked Jenkins to reconsider her May 1 decision not to file charges against Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, 33, who was initially charged with one count of homicide. Jenkins dismissed that charge May 1 because she said the evidence showed self-defense. Gay District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, a moderate from the westside who’s been a major backer of Jenkins, was one of the co-sponsors of the board’s resolution. Engardio told the Bay Area Reporter Tuesday that he worked with Peskin to amend the resolution “to remove a line that called for the district attorney to reconsider and reevaluate her charging decision.” “It was premature to call for a different decision when we had not seen all of the evidence,” Engar-
Eric Burkett
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is under pressure to release video in the shooting death of Banko Brown.
dio stated. “There is also the question of administrative interference, which supervisors are not allowed to do under the city charter. It’s important for each branch of government to respect the other’s process and autonomy.” Engardio stated that in spite of those concerns, transparency has to win out in such a contentious case.
See page 10 >>
Queer African-centric retreat coming to Big Sur
by Heather Cassell
A
queer African-centric retreat is coming to California’s central coast area later this month. The Rainbow Serpent retreat, titled “Harnessing the Power of Creation through African Ritual,” will be hosted at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur May 19-21. This is the second time the retreat will be hosted at the center. The first event was held in October 2022. The retreat is focused on African cosmological traditions using imagery, movement, writing, and rituals to help participants transcend personal blocks to move forward in their lives, according to organizers. Marques Redd, Ph.D. and Mikael Owunna, cofounders and co-organizers of The Rainbow Serpent, are leading the retreat. The two recently talked about it with the Bay Area Reporter over a Zoom interview. Redd, a 39-year-old gay Black man, earned his doctorate in English literature from UC Berkeley and an undergraduate degree in African and African American studies from Harvard University. He returned to UC Berkeley professionally, first working at the School of Public Health and then as dean of students at the College of Natural Resources from 2015 to 2020. He is an instructor at the Esalen Institute.
Courtesy Rainbow Serpent, Inc.
Marques Redd, Ph.D., left, and Mikael Owunna, are co-founders and co-organizers of The Rainbow Serpent, which will have a retreat in Big Sur in May.
Owunna, a 32-year-old Nigerian genderqueer person, is a photographer and the author of “Limitless Africans: Photographs and Interviews,” as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported. “Rainbow Serpent and Dr. Redd have infused the Esalen community with fresh energy and innovative perspectives,” wrote the Esalen Institute educational team in an email statement to the B.A.R. The Esalen Institute educational team added, “Dr.
SP EC IA
L IS SU E
- C A LI FO
RN IA PR
Marques Redd’s impact at Esalen is profound and exciting,” and they were thrilled to have Redd and the popular Rainbow Serpent retreat return for another “memorable, soul-stirring journey.” The Rainbow Serpent takes its name from multiple African traditions that have rainbow serpent deities that create the universe, Redd told the B.A.R. He said the serpent represents the “source of creative power.” See page 10 >>
ID E!
05 11 Assemb
ly race hits
Castro
Senior hou
The
sing upd
ate
ARTS
Courtesy Castro Theatre Conservancy
“At the same time, I believe that an open government is an accountable government,” Engardio continued. “I worked as a journalist for many years and I fundamentally believe in transparency. This is an extraordinary case, and I believe it is in the public interest for supervisors to call for the release of the video and evidence.” As the B.A.R. reported last week, Brown – an unhoused, unpaid intern with the Young Women’s Freedom Center – was fatally shot the evening of April 27 as he walked out of the Walgreens at 875 Market Street. District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, a straight ally who is the only Black person on the board, also co-sponsored the resolution. He sent a letter of inquiry to Jenkins’ office asking for the tapes’ release. “I disagree with the district attorney’s opinions and have been informed by our deputy city attorney that my request has no interference with the investigation and it is not at all unethical,” Walton stated ahead of Tuesday’s board meeting. “I also know that videos are released all the time during investigations and in some cases even required. We are asking for transparency around the killing of Banko Brown and release of this video will most certainly help with that transparency.
15
Lena Hal
l
2021 • May 27, No. 673 agazine.com outwordm
Since 1971 www.eba r.com
Chick lA opens -fi n r SF city liea ne
by Matthew
L
Hall: Todrick to Oz in g Returnina County Sonom
REACH CALIFORNIA’S LARGEST LGBTQ AUDIENCE. ns on Expressio tice Social Jus page 2
LA Pride s Announce nts Eve In-Person 4 page
& Pronouns “PRIDE, gress” Pro page 15
page 34
Serving
S. Bajko
the lesbian,
gay, bise xual, tran
Tenan Ellis Actst fight ‘devastati evictions ng’ sgender,
and queer
commun
ities sinc
e 1971
ong revile d by bers, chick LGBTQ community en sandwich memfil-A is purveyor Chicktion mere opening its newest Bay minu city line. Perch tes away from San Area locaCity, the chain ed above Interstate Francisco’s 280 ’s distin ctive red signa in Daly to miss by drivers head ge is hard ternationa l Airport, ed to San Francisco Silicon Valle InMateo coast y, or the San . The Chick doors Nove -fil-A Serramonte Cent mber 18 at er opens its Callan Boul 6 evard outsi Serramonte Center on It is across de of the shop the Macy’s and parking lot from the ping mall. brings the entrance to locations num ber Larry Kues of in ter, left, the company,the Bay Area to 21, Chick-fil-A Mooney, Lynn Niels according all to opens Thur as another East Bay supporter residents at 3661 en, and Paul sday. location also s 19th Stre Susanna Choe 15 protest outside their hom et, talk to e during about their with her husb , the mother of a November pending three child Ellis Act ren of the new and, Philip, is the evictions. local opera Peninsula tor drive outsi location a by John Ferr de of San two-minute Franc statem ann isco. ini ent to the e Pride Bay Area Repo In an emailed Celebrat tflix rter, she invite aul Mooney, building on d With Ne LGBTQ aparta resident of a majo was served November 16 when ritywith he ment 25 See e page build Miss pag “A process an eviction notice. himself ing next ion 12 >> to community Dolores Park, was tenants and server came to the rallying the against a rally to catch serve them plan to evict Bay Area ,” Mooney, his entire Reporter 51, told the the follow anoth for er tenant sic was also serve ing day, saying Queer Mu d at that time. Pride
er TransgendDoubleary Courtesy the The Bay publications Documentader Area and the Wash Reporter, Tagg He page 35
No. 46 • Nov
ember 18-2
4, 2021
CALL 415-829-8937 P
page 26
Vol. 51 •
magazin e, the six LGB ington Blade are new colla TQ publications three of involved borative in a funded by Google.
B.A.R.
“I’ve lost so much sleep ter thinking wher worr ying abou leave. I love e I might go. I don’t t it and this want to Yet Mooney city.” might have to leave if the efforts See page 12 >>
Report fl ags housi Castro, nei n ghboring g issues in commun ities
Rick Gerhar