By Richard Ivanhoe, HANC President
On February 23, the Phoenix Project celebrated its one year anniversary. The Phoenix Project's mission is “to illuminate the shadowy paths of dark money in San Francisco. “ So far, the project has issued three reports: Volume I of The Phoenix Papers described “how the city’s wealthiest are using loopholes in tax and campaign finance law to hide millions of dollars in campaign contributions.” Volume II “exposed the biggest donors behind this conservative movement as well as their pet interests.” Volume III explored “the impact the ‘Astroturf Network’ — a group that includes GrowSF, TogetherSF and Neighbors for a Better San Francisco — has had on local politics, how it operates, and its plans for the immediate future.” All three reports can be downloaded for free at https://www.phoenixprojectnow.com/thephoenixpapers. The Phoenix Project also has a blog (https://www.phoenixprojectnow.com/phoenix-review) that has printed stories with titles such as “San Francisco’s Right-Wing Tech Bros Go National,” “Mayor Daniel Lurie and the Astroturf Network,” and “The San Francisco Chronicle and the Astroturf Network.”
On March 26, KQED reported on billionaires who poured millions of dollars into San Francisco elections, and who are also working with Donald Trump and / or have donated millions of dollars to his campaign. The article points out that San Francisco’s Democratic Central Committee was divided about condemning tech leaders who engaged in this practice. You can read the article at https://www.kqed.org/news/12032892/billionaire-influence-deepens-divisions-among-san-francisco-democrats.
On March 19, “City of Sensitive Frauds,” a film about Bay Area gentrification and displacement, directed by Abraham Woodliff and Mario Riveira, premiered in front of a sold out audience in Chinatown’s Great Star Theater. Here’s a brief description from 48 Hills:
Unlike other approaches though, The City of Sensitive Frauds tells the story of gentrification from the perspective of those being pushed out, not those moving in.
Riveira starts in earnest with a voiceover explanation of San Francisco’s “original sin” as it’s described in the film, the so-called redevelopment of historic Harlem of the West, the Fillmore District in the 1960s. Then the pair moves quickly into interviews with local activists and agitators like Gunnagoesglobal and Dogtowndro for an authentic look at the effects of gentrification on the city’s Black and Brown neighborhoods like the Fillmore and the Mission.
Gunnagoesglobal attacks gentrification as “psychological warfare” designed to “whiteout blackness” and when the camera pans around the historically Black Fillmore District it’s clear he’s right. Dogtowndro discusses how gentrification increases the violence directed towards Black and Brown original residents, recalling the horrific case of Alex Nieto to demonstrate his point.
The full article is available at https://48hills.org/2025/03/crowd-packs-theater-new-doc-gentrification-city-sensitive-frauds/. The Chronicle also reported on the premiere: https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/sensitive-frauds-great-star-sf-20232765.php. The viewing was followed with a panel discussion with the directors, former Supervisor Dean Preston, rapper Gunna Goes Global, DoggTown Dro, Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco organizing and policy director Sarah “Fred” Sherburn-Zimmer, and Tenant rights organizer Shanti Singh. A short trailer for the film can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71eCUCI9CpM. Further showings have not yet been announced.