Today in Labor History July 5, 1934: Two strikers were shot and killed and more than 100 were injured by San Francisco police in what came to be known as "Bloody Thursday," leading to one of the last General Strikes in U.S. history. The West Coast maritime strike lasted 84 days and spread from San Pedro, in Los Angeles Country up to Puget Sound, in Washington. One of the strike leaders in San Francisco was Harry Bridges, a former member of the IWW who had immigrated from Australia. Teamsters supported the strike by refusing to handle “hot” cargo that had been unloaded by scabs. 7-9 workers, in total, were killed during these strikes (in San Pedro, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco); over 1000 were injured; and over 500 were arrested. In San Francisco, the National Guard, along with vigilantes, patrolled the streets with armored vehicles with machine guns mounted on them. I used to have a neighbor who was a lifelong member of the typographical union. A really big guy named Herb, who told me that his most vivid memory of the strike was that the streets had become white from all the milk being dumped by dairy delivery drivers, in solidarity with the striking maritime workers. The ILWU Mural General Strike Sculpture/Mural was created in 1984-86 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1934 SF General Strike. The artists were Miranda Bergman, Tina Dresher, Nicole Emanuel, Lari Kilolani, James Morgan, Ray Patlán, Eduardo Pineda, James Prigoff, O'Brien Thiele, Horace Washington. The artwork now stands at the corner of Mission and Steuart Streets, in the old Rincon Hill neighborhood, the epicenter of the 1934 San Francisco Waterfront Strike and Bloody Thursday. This photo of the artwork was taken by James Prigoff, and can be found in the Found SF project:

Artist! Mike Mosher - FoundSF

I’ve included a close-up of the artwork in its current home, at Mission and Steuart Streets, along with a commemorative plaque (both photos by me). The plaque reads: “In memory of Howard Sperry and Nick Bordoise, who gave their lives on Bloody Thursday, July 5, 1934, so that all working people might enjoy a greater measure of dignity and security. Sperry and Bordoise were fatally shot by San Francisco police at the intersection of Mission and Steuart Streets, when longshoremen and seamen attempted to stop maritime employers from breaking their joint strike. Community outrage at these killings sparked a General Strike by all San Francisco unions. The maritime strike continued through the middle of the summer, concluding with a union victory which brought decent conditions to the shipping industry and set the stage for the rebirth of a strong and democratic labor movement on the west cost. An Injury to One is an Injury to all.” #workingclass #LaborHistory #sanfrancisco #GeneralStrike #BloodyThursday #IWW #longshoremen #ilwu #police #PoliceBrutality #HarryBridges #maritime #nationalguard #Teamsters #solidarity #mural

1997 Mural of the 1934 SF General Strike, by Chuck Sperry, inside the Redstone Building, at 2926-48 16th St, in San Francisco’s Mission District. The mural depicts workers talking and reading, with a zoomed-in bubble showing the two longshoremen (Nick Bordoise and Howard Sperry) killed in the strike, lying on the pavement in a pool of blood. The Redstone Building is also known as the Labor Temple. It has been home to numerous lefty activist organizations, including an IWW office and the now defunct pirate radio station, Radio X. The building was a center of San Francisco labor organizing for decades. In 1916, there were 54 different labor organizations based there. #workingclass #LaborHistory #SanFrancisco #LaborTemple #redstonebuilding #ilwu #GeneralStrike #IWW #pirateradio

San Francisco says it is following the state guidelines for speeding ticket fees. So what, it still looks bunk, considering those cameras are disproportionately in low-income communities. And so what if a person on Public Assistance only has to pay $10 for driving 11 mph above the speed limit, or $20 for going 16 mph over the speed limit, compared with the $50-$100 the rest of us have to pay. If they're on Public Assistance, they probably don't have an extra $10-20 to give the city. But it's worse than that. A person could rack up several camera-enforced tickets without even knowing it, since it takes a while for the city to send those notices out. And then what? Bench warrants for unpaid tickets that have racked up? Suspended licenses? Debtors prisons for speeding tickets? And what happens to their insurance rates? Too many moving violations and they could get dropped entirely. But that doesn't improve public safety if they continue to drive anyway because they still have to get their kids to a school that they've been assigned that happens to be on the other side of town and then still have to get to a low wage job across the bay.

SF Speed Camera Locations: Where They Are They?

A comprehensive guide to San Francisco, California speed camera locations, their operational status, and the fines associated with violations.

#workingclass #traffic #pedestriansafety #insurance #sanfrancisco #taxes #ClassWar

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that Gaza has the largest number of child amputees in modern history.

UN: Gaza has largest number of child amputees in modern history – Middle East Monitor

UN: Gaza has largest number of child amputees in modern history – Middle East Monitor

#freepalestine #gaza #genocide #children #civilians #idf

San Francisco, like so much of the country, is having budget troubles. And, like much of the country, is considering 1 solution only: Slashing social programs and making the poor and working-class pay for programs that primarily benefit the wealthy, like the police. Unlike Mamdani, in New York City, neither the pro-business mayor, Lurie, nor the more progressive Board of Supervisors, are talking about taxing the rich. But.... If San Francisco taxed its 5,000 wealthiest residents at just the level that would reflect what their savings through the Trump cuts, the city could cover its entire deficit with no cuts at all. In other words, these rich assholes would lose nothing, not a penny, from their income.

48 hills

The supes will at last have a serious discussion about income inequality and taxing the rich - 48 hills

Chen measure would ask the state Legislature to allow a local income and wealth tax on the richest San Franciscans

#classwar #taxtherich #tax #sanfrancisco #trump #bigbeautifulbill #poverty #mamdani

So many people wringing their hands over the big awful bill. "Why, oh why, would every Republican vote for it? Can't they see that 60% of the U.S. population hates it? That even their own constituents hate it?" It's really quite simple and the answer boils down to fear. What do they fear more: (A) The wrath of Trump and getting primaried by him? Or, (B) losing in the mid-terms to a Democrat because their constituents are so outraged at them. One might presume these two options amount to the same result. But not necessarily. The Republicans clearly have far more fear of Trump and getting primaried and here is why: (1) Trump is ruthless and consistent in his ruthlessness. And he has already successfully primaried many Republicans. Chances are good they'd lose if they pissed him off. (2) The Democrats are feckless and have consistently demonstrated disdain for their own constituents' fears and desires. Consider how many Dem members of Congress have pilloried Mamdani, a member of their own party, for promoting taxes on the rich and support services for the masses. Indeed, they have criticized him far more than they've criticized Trump, himself, or any of his fascist policies. Look how many Dems have supported the unprovoked bombing of Iran. The Genocide in Gaza. Blamed activists, rather than ICE and the police, for the violence in Los Angeles. This has given the Republicans hope that they can survive a general election against a Democrat, in spite of their support for this monstrosity of a bill, that voters will be so disgusted by their options in the midterms, by both parties, that they'll stay home again, or vote 3rd party, like so many did in the 2024 presidential election. #classwar #fascism #trump #MAGA #bigbeautifulbill #democrats #republicans #immigration #ice #gestapo #genocide #gaza #Iran

Today in Labor History July 2, 1951: Transgender revolutionary activist Sylvia Rivera was born. Ran away from home at age 11 to avoid abuse and did sex work to survive. As she got older, she became active in the antiwar movement and black liberation struggle, and then with the Gay Liberation Front. Together, with her friend Marsha P Johnson, and others, she co-founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries in 1970. This radical group helped raise funds to rent an apartment to house and support homeless queer youth. Much of that funding came from their sex work. She was very critical of the mainstream, middle-class, cis leadership of the gay rights movement, particularly when the 1986 Gay Rights Bill was passed without mentioning trans people. At the Christopher Street Liberation Day Rally in New York City, in 1973, Rivera jumped onstage during feminist Jean O'Leary's speech, which disparaged drag queens, and shouted: "Y'all Better Quiet Down! You go to bars because of what drag queens did for you, and these bitches tell us to quit being ourselves!" Today she is known as one of the leaders who made sure there was a T in LGBTQ. #workingclass #LaborHistory #sylviarivera #transgender #lgbtq #revolutionary #stonewall #pride #transphobia #sexwork #gayliberationfront

Today in Labor History July 2, 1929: Augusto Sandino left for México to seek aid for his Nicaraguan rebels, fighting the U.S. occupation of his country. The rebellion lasted from 1927-1933. In 1934, he was assassinated by General Anastasio Somoza, who seized power in a 1936 coup d’etat, and who, along with his sons, ran the country as dictators until the Sandinista Revolution of 1979 ended their reign of terror. While in México, during early 1920s, Sandino participated in strikes led by the IWW. Inspired by the Wobblies, he returned to foment revolution in Nicaragua, adopting the IWW's black and red syndicalist colors in their Revolutionary Flag. #workingclass #LaborHistory #sandino #Sandinista #Revolution #rebellion #occupation #imperialism #IWW #Nicaragua #mexico #dictator #anarchism

Today in Labor History July 1, 1944: Willem Arondeus, a gay, Dutch, anti-Nazi resistance fighter was executed by the occupation forces, along with eleven others, for bombing the Amsterdam public records office in order to prevent Nazis from identifying Dutch Jews and others wanted by the Gestapo. His final words were: "Tell people that homosexuals are not cowards." #workingclass #LaborHistory #nazis #fascism #antifa #antifascism #willemarondeus #lgbtq #gestapo #antisemitism #holocaust #resistance #homophobia