Etherley, Derrald: District Elections

Abstract

Derrald Etherley: Before then once we started getting involved in Hunter’s Point and Fillmore and Potrero Hill and seeing that other folks were taking to leadership too and not letting it all come from City Hall, we started all working together as one coalition meaning that an elected official ran, he had to run citywide. By that person running citywide if he comes to Hunter’s Point and coming for one of our clubs – at that time we had some democratic clubs and a couple of house clubs – and then [they’d] go to the Mission, we would all pack up and go to the Mission too. Or if he go to Chinatown or if he go to Japantown or any other community, we would all be there too. That brought us all together as one, and then we learned that all of our concerns and all of our issues, the other surrounding communities had the same concerns. They wanted jobs, they wanted healthcare, they wanted better schools, they wanted safety was very important. All these things we worked together as one team. Not only as one team, but we developed lifetime relationships too. I mean lifetime relationships like me and you still sittin’ here. What changed was the first district elections. Even though I was [for it] the elections divided us. It separated us because people were doing things in their direct community. We weren’t traveling to other communities anymore. We were even in Pacific Heights, Nob Hill, Marina, Presidio Terrace. We were everywhere. No matter if you was rich, poor, whatever. We were everywhere at that time. District elections come about people went into their own little own district and stayed there, and worked the politics from that district. What did that lead up to? That led up to the death of who? Our wonderful mayor, George Moscone.

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Type

Interview

Date Original

2011-05-04

Relation

The Moscone oral history interviews are part of the George Moscone Collection, MSS 328.

Contributing Institution

Holt-Atherton Special Collections and Archives, University of the Pacific Library

Rights Information

To view additional information on copyright and related rights of this item, such as to purchase copies of images and/or obtain permission to publish them, click here to view the Holt-Atherton Special Collections policies.

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