6/14 Father's Day Action By Day Laborers

For Immediate Release: 6/12/02

On Friday, June 14th, 50 day laborers will leave the streets where they stand waiting for work and carry handwritten Father’s Day cards to Police Captain Gregory Corrales and Mayor William Brown. The workers, who typically earn 7-17 dollars an hour in temporary jobs they find on Cesar Chavez street, have seen their source of income dry up in recent months, ever since the Mission police station made a policy of heavily ticketing workers and employers for minor traffic violations. Workers also report being told to move off of public sidewalks by police despite claims by Captain Corrales that his officers have not been instructed to make workers move along.

“Principally, our children are affected. I have a child in college and another in junior high. They depend on me, and their mother does too. My family is affected because one comes to work with fear, the patrol cars pass 5-6 times every morning, and there is less chance of work” says Daniel Rosas, a worker on Cesar Chavez street.

Despite repeated meetings, marches, speak-outs, and individual talks, the Mission police station continues to ticket workers and potential employers for minor traffic violations and refuses to strategize around alternate methods of ensuring traffic safety. The workers, who have weekly meetings to strategize about their situation, have decided to appeal to the Mission Police station one more time and then to take their demands to the person to whom the police are accountable – Mayor William Brown.

Many neighborhood residents express concern about Captain Corrales’ ticketing policy. “I will not celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday without thinking about the fathers who are far from their children, who are persecuted for trying to get an honest days work. It is imperative that the Mission Police Station identify alternative methods of ensuring traffic safety” says Eric Quesada, neighborhood resident and businessperson.

where and when:
10am, Mission Police Station 11am, Mayor’s Office, San Francisco City Hall
contact before and after the event:
Miguel Carrera – Hogares Sin Barreras – (415) 861-7419 – Spanish/English
Daniel Rosas Romero – day laborer – (415) 252-5375 - Spanish
contact during the event: Elly Kugler – (415) 235-0162 – English