An open letter to Bay Area venues and businesses (with capacity under 1,000)

I moved to San Francisco 3 years ago looking for a place where I was free to be myself. I was inspired by a region that, in my eyes, challenged the status quo. From Harvey Milk to the Summer of Love to Burning Man to our Bernie Bros (love them or hate them), the Bay Area is a place that encourages radical people to do radical things.

We are the black sheep of the United States.

Why, then, are our hometown venues following the herd by putting profit before people?

By now, we all know that COVID-19 is upon us.

By now, we all know the steps individuals can take to stop the spread. Wash your hands for 20 seconds, cough into your elbow, don’t touch your face, etc.

By now, many of us know that the United States government has failed to protect us. We don’t have access to enough tests, we’re weeks behind where we need to be, and our Commander in Chief is turning this into our very own Chernobyl.

We’re looking at death rates that surpass the flu. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1237027356314869761?s=20

If we don’t act now, hospitals are going to be overwhelmed, and people will die unnecessarily. We need to continue washing our hands and coughing into our elbows, but it might not be enough. We need social distancing.

Via NYTimes. Social distancing is one of our best bets in slowing the spread of COVID-19. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/science/coronavirus-curve-mitigation-infection.html

The government has failed us, so it’s once again up to us, the black sheep, to challenge the status quo by doing the right thing and putting people before profit.

We cannot dance COVID-19 away. We do not have to be complicit in the exponential explosion of COVID-19 cases. We can do better. https://twitter.com/rickshawstopsf/status/1237609524413911042?s=20

Complicit is a word we’ve heard a lot recently. I’m asking San Francisco music and entertainment venues (with a capacity under 1,000) to please not be complicit in the spread of COVID-19.

Do the right thing and cancel all events and gatherings, effective immediately. Act now. Waiting just one more day puts thousands more at risk.

The Independent, Slims, Bottom of the Hill, Halcyon, Audio, DNA Lounge, Rickshaw Stop, Great American Music Hall, The Regency…and many others…you have an extreme responsibility to save lives.

Thank you to Tomas Pueyo for the blunt wakeup call: https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

P.S. The future of work for everyone is uncertain, but I’m more than certain the community will find a way to support your employees during this time.

Cancellations as of Thursday, March 12 (as far as I know…but do your own fact check):

• Slim’s is cancelling or postponing upcoming events!
• Public Works is cancelling or postponing upcoming events!
• The Independent is cancelling or postponing upcoming events!

Other updates as of Thursday, March 12:

• Rickshaw Stop has not responded to any of my messages on Facebook.
• Bottom of the Hill has seen my message and will continue to host and promote events.