As soon as it became clear on election night that Prop. L had passed, I wondered if opponents would organize some sort of mass sit-down or sleep-in as a response. Today, it appears that some San Franciscans are orchestrating just that. I’ve been alerted via Facebook to two different sidewalk sits in response to the passage of Prop. L.
Sidewalk sitters plan to stage the first one outside the Westfield Shopping Center on Sunday, Nov. 7. Here’s an excerpt from the event description, written in such colorful language that it almost comes off as a parody: “We are going assert our right (and the right of the homeless and homeless veterans) to sit anywhere we damn well fucking please by having lunch on the aforementioned fucking sidewalk in front of Westfield shopping center… this Sunday @ 1:00. The purpose is to hang out, have lunch, be visible, embody TRUE San Francisco values, network with folks about the next steps in the anti-prop L fight and to have fun. Of course getting cited for sitting on the sidewalk is a totally glamorous possibility that we will opportunistically use to the most dramatic effect possible. This is lunch, but it’s also a protest.” It urges participants to bring food to share. The post also encourages people to bring their kids along.
The second event is planned for Monday, Nov. 8, outside San Francicsco City Hall, and its organizers are more succint:
“calling all san franciscans and all humanity to a solidarity sit-in against the passage of proposition L–the so-called Sit/Lie law. bring your ASSets to city hall on monday, nov. 8 at 12 noon. if you can’t make it to city hall, sit on the closest sidewalk.”
Not sure if “all humanity” will mobilize for the cause, but it should be interesting.
Meanwhile, the drivers behind the official No on L campaign seem to be focusing their efforts on a more, um, lawful plan of attack. “We’re taking L to court,” declares a message posted today on the No on L campaign page on Facebook. “But we’re still ironing out the fundamentals of strategy. Keep an eye out for an announcement in the coming week.”
San Francisco voters approved Prop. L, the ordinance that bans sitting and lying down on city sidewalks, with 53 percent of the vote.