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Thousands of people showed up at the Civic Center Plaza Wednesday morning for the inauguration of London Breed as the 45th Mayor of San Francisco. They came to witness the rise of the first African-American woman to run the city.
"The London race means a lot to the black community, we had to be here," said Renita Mason, who arrived hours earlier to sit next to her sister, Paula. "It's like history for us," said Paula.
The day began with the sun passing through a thick layer of clouds, but when the time came to greet the crowd, she came out of the city hall. a bright blue sky accompanied by a thunderous lion dance performed by Yau Kung Moon martial arts studio.
Lt. Gavin Newsom swore Breed in at 11:43 am After reciting the oath of office, she delivered a speech that relied heavily on the social problems afflicting San Francisco and the need for the city to come together to resolve them .
"I am excited by the future by what we are going to accomplish, because today we are committed to roll up our sleeves and work together, "said Breed.
She takes the helm of San Francisco at a crucial moment, when the city is grappling with a protracted crisis of homelessness. narrow streets, a serious housing shortage and an income gap that threatens to cost everyone except the richest.
In response, Breed is committed to placing quality of life issues at the top of its priority list, vowing to address the issue of homelessness Due to mental health issues and addictions, Eliminate tent camps and eliminate red tape that prevents the city from developing housing faster. To this end, it has taken up the ambitious goal of the late Mayor Ed Lee to build at least 5,000 housing units a year.
As she called for the production of new housing, she declared that those who opposed change
"The policy of" no "has plagued our city for too long -" not on my block , not in my garden. "We made mistakes in the past by not moving housing production around the city, and I plan to change the policy from" no "to" yes, "said the new mayor. let's build more housing. "
She also called for a greater police force, but coupled with investments in social programs that reduce crime by improving communities through education and hand development. And turning to the subject of immigration, said: "We do not put children in cages, we put them in the classroom," a line that provoked the most strong applause in the morning.
being the mayor of everyone – citing residents of social housing projects, immigrant families, small business owners and the struggling middle class of the city – and repeating "I'm going to ttrai for you and I will be your mayor too ". who sang along the famous gospel song "Oh Happy Day" that followed the mayor's speech, the moving part of the speech was Breed's call to the unit to attack the problems of the city
. If you do not have the support of everyone around you, it will not happen, "Groomes said. "We have to clean this city and find housing for people, period."
"She is a rainbow mayor, a mayor for everyone," says Seann Jackson. "It reminded me of Martin Luther King Jr. has a dream for San Francisco," said Katie Hamilton. "We, as one, can accomplish a great deal, if we work together.It is a historic day that will be remembered for a long time."
Before swearing in, Reverend Amos C. Brown of the Third Baptist Church, standing arm in arm with Rabbi Beth Singer of the Emanu-El Congregation, uttered a powerful invocation, contrasting race with President Trump – the 45th President of the 45th Mayor of Breed – and saying that Trump would look from the top of NATO, he goes abroad.
"I believe from the bottom of my heart that number 45 will see this ceremony in Brussels, and he "We can see how we should act and love each other and not take our children away from their parents," said Brown, referring to the recent practice of separation immigrant families
"We show and we say we have the right # 45," said Brown, his resonant echo, gritty voice During the six-month campaign to fulfill the mandate of Lee, who died from A heart attack on December 12, Breed brandished its own achievements as a beacon for others – especially young people – to follow. The trajectory of her life, which began in a housing project in the Addition of the West, gave her a unique perspective, she said, on how to raise the most oppressed.
"Together, we can build a San Francisco The girl was able to make her political debut during Mayor Willie Brown's 1999 re-election campaign, which persuaded her to take the position of Executive Director. In 2002, she won the District Five seat on the Board of Supervisors, winning the presidency of the board of directors in 2015.
This will be Breed's second trip to Room 200, the office After Lee's death, Breed – as chairman of the Board of Supervisors – became interim mayor, but his progressive colleagues on the board of supervisors replaced him with Mark Farrell, supervisor of District Two, stating that one person should not hold the dual position of Chairman of the Board and Mayor.
Farrell did not seek to secure the post of mayor the June special election and says that he will not run for a full term in November 2019 and that he will support the reelection of Breed next year.
As for Breed, "I will definitely get re-elected," she said.
Day of inauguration, said the former mayor Art Agnos before the ceremony, "is probably the most fun and honorary day.It is the day you realize that you are the mayor of one of the largest, if not the largest city in the world.You feel humble and grateful for the opportunity to serve. "
Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @dominicfracassa
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