WHAT'S NEXT

Help / Feedback • Press Inquiries
Protect Free Speech for Pro-Choice Organization
  1. Signatures
    104 out of 105
    Petitioning
    1. San Francisco Supervisor (+ 13 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • San Francisco Supervisor (John Avalos)
      • San Francisco Supervisor (Christina Olague)
      • California Assemblywoman (Fiona Ma)
      • San Francisco Supervisor (Jane Kim)
      • California Senator (Mark Leno)
      • San Francisco Supervisor (Sean Elsbernd)
      • California Assemblyman (Tom Ammiano)
      • San Francisco Supervisor (Scott Wiener)
      • Interim Director, Department of Public Works (Mohammed Nuru)
      • San Francisco Board of Supervisors President (David Chiu)
      • San Francisco Supervisor (Eric Mar)
      • San Francisco Supervisor (David Campos)
      • San Francisco Supervisor (Mark Farrell)
      • San Francisco Supervisor (Carmen Chu)
  2. Created By
    Somer Loen
    san francisco, CA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

Jan 18, 2012

After 100 people signed the petition within just a few hours, the Department of Public Works quickly came to an agreement to permit the Trust Women walk to take place on Friday, as originally planned. The banners will remain up until Saturday evening, after the pro-choice rally takes place that morning.

Thanks to everybody who took action on this immediately, Somer Loen and the Silver Ribbon Campaign were able to counter the pressure on the city from anti-choice lobbyists before losing their awareness-raising banners.

This marks the second Change.org victory for Somer and the Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights (BACORR). The Saturday rally will be celebrating that prior victory: convincing the SF Board of Supervisors to pass truth-in-advertising legislation against deceptive crisis pregnancy centers.

Why This Is Important

For the first time in history, San Francisco's Market Street is advertising a pro-choice event. Inaugural flags from the Silver Ribbon to Trust Women Campaign, The Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights (BACORR), Trust Black Women, Catholics for Choice, Planned Parenthood and NARAL California are waving on Market Street in conjunction with a Trust Women walk this weekend. The walk commemorates the 39th anniversary of Roe v Wade and the beginning of Trust Women Week - a week of rallies, events and an online national march to urge elected officials to Trust Women with her own reproductive choices.

The Silver Ribbon campaign filed for a permit for Friday, January 20, 2012 to have their Trust Women walk along Market Street. Due to another event scheduled at the same date, time and location, the Silver Ribbon Campaign requested to move the event to Sunday, January 22, 2012. A series of events -  including a rally, flashmob and online march-  are being held this weekend in conjunction with the banners and the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

San Francisco's Department of Public Works has recently denied the request to move the event to Sunday and invalidated the permit for Friday, January 20th, and is ready to prematurely rip down the banners from Market Street.

This decision came only days after the Life Legal Defense Fund - an anti-choice group - filed a complaint with the city, citing bogus violations to the Silver Ribbon Campaign's permit. The Life Legal Defense Fund supports the Walk for Life - an anti-choice march that will be walking past these Market Street Banners on Saturday, January 20, 2012 as they protest a woman's right to reproductive choices.

The Department of Public Works' early removal of the banners and refusal to acknowledge a viable permit violates the free speech of the Silver Ribbon Campaign and coalition members.

We urge the Department of Public Works to approve the Silver Ribbon Campaign's January 22, 2012, permit and keep the banners up until the Sunday event has concluded.

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Protect Free Speech for Pro-Choice Organization

Greetings,

For the first time in history, banners promoting a pro-choice event are flying on Market Street and I am outraged at your attempt to take them down.

Flags from The Silver Ribbon Campaign, Planned Parenthood, BACORR, Trust Black Women, Catholics for Choice and NARAL California are promoting a walk down Market Street to celebrate our reproductive rights, connect with fellow supporters and honor the anniversary of Roe v Wade.

The Silver Ribbon Campaign meets every city requirement to fly these banners. They scheduled an event for Friday, January 20, 2012, securing the necessary permits to ensure their pro-choice walk will be held on Market Street - or the Path of Gold. After facing a scheduling conflict with another event planned for that date, time and location, The Silver Ribbon Campaign attempted to change their permit to Sunday, January 22nd.

You have since rejected Silver Ribbon's Sunday, January 22, 2012 permit request and attempted to invalidate the Friday, January 20, 2012 permit - leading to your decision to prematurely remove the banners from Market Street. The early removal of these banners and refusal to acknowledge a viable permit violates the free speech of the Silver Ribbon Campaign and coalition members.


This decision came only days after the Life Legal Defense Fund - an anti-choice group - filed a complaint with the city, citing bogus violations to the Silver Ribbon Campaign's permit. The Life Legal Defense Fund supports the Walk for Life - an anti-choice march that will be walking past these Market Street Banners on Saturday, January 20, 2012 as they protest a woman's right to reproductive choices.

As the Silver Ribbon Campaign has strictly followed city policy to post these banners, you are clearly caving to demands from a small group offended by the banners.

These flags and your decision to remove them represent the struggle many women are currently facing to protect their reproductive rights. With over 1,100 bills proposed in 2011 to restrict women's healthcare - we are seeing more and more city officials cave to the whims of anti-choice groups.

San Francisco has a long history of resisting injustice and instead celebrates individual freedoms, civil rights and free speech. This past year, San Francisco stood up for women's rights in their passage of the Pregnancy Information Disclosure and Protection Ordinance - an ordinance requiring truth-in-advertising from crisis pregnancy centers.

I urge you to accept Silver Ribbon's permit to hold a Market Street Walk on Sunday, January 22nd and keep every banner up along Market Street until their event concludes.

Sincerely,

[Your name]