Transcripts For SFGTV 20240622

Memorial glorifying u. S. Empyrealism in the philippines . Union square, 100 feet high. 200 thousand filipinos killed by u. S. Empyrealism. Lets build a monulate to all victimoffs war crimes not just by japanese but our own troops and military system. Thank you. Thank you next speaker. Thank you supervisors. I wasnt planning to speak but i just saw this resolution. What in the world in San Franciscoim referring to comfort women. What in the worldi am a [inaudible] this setting up a statue or whatever it happened in some city and that reinforcing something negative not something happened in the past, lets not forget about the history rsh bet think we need to move on. Yes, it happened. San francisco and 8 other cities somewhere in parts of the world, it happened, but kids who have to hear this like myself hear people elder age people experience it, but i would prefer something in the City Council Members speaking something win not hear the memory like the gentlemen said maybe we need other memorial or more memorials for all the human sacrifice and Human Trafficking is totally happening in current stage not like other comfort women things so we need to focus on whati think for the human sake, what is more important than spending land and money to build for the memorial . Thanks so much. Next speaker. Good afternoon supervisors. My name is jen dpr chung. Im a member of San Francisco Bay Area Coalition to commemorate the pacific war. Im here to support the resolution to [inaudible] the comfort women moy mooreial site in San Francisco. I heard stories from 87 year old veetietnamese woman. She told me she saw her neighbors daughters breasts get cut off by japanese soldiers. Unbelievable isnt it, but that is the truth. Not fabicated. We are the young generation and have the right to know the truth of history. We should know at least 200 thousand young women and girls in china, korea and [inaudible] were kid napped and forced to be sex slaves to the japanese army. This young womans painful experience was large scale of human traffics in the world in the last century. They were forced and had no choice. They suffered from tocher, rape and humiliation every day. They cry, they scream, but no one can help them. Some of them die from it. Some of them commit suicide because they couldnt handle it, yut some survived by they have to carry this for the rest of their life. Dobet they dissever respect and sympathy . San francisco is one of the most diverse city and proud to tell people im a san franciscans. This will be nob nub this memorial will serve as a good lessen to future generation tooz learn that we all have equal rights tooz live. No one has the roit to commit atrocity against others and tell the victims community, letsd rr forget and go on. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker. My name is michael wong. Im from veterans repeat San Francisco. Im also a native San Francisco born and raised mpt the comfort woman history is well established by korean, chinese, japanese sources as well as european and filipino and othern. Sources. There is no doubt that over 1 or 200 thousand women were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Military and contractors. Confronting the truth and openly discussing the past is the best way to avoid repeting the past and together building a better fuper for all people. This statue honors the suffering of innocence and is one step towards closure and moving on to better mutual fuch frr all people. One of the reasons that im here is because the japanese Peace Movement raiched out to veterans for peace and asked us to support them in speaking out against the militarization of japan and deninel of wrk w 2 war crime squz the comfort women issue. Polls in japan show the Peace Movement has majority of support even though the right wing in japan has the big money. This isnt about japan bashishing or bashing japanese, this is about working with counter parts in japan working for peace for all. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker. My name is martha hobert and im here because i support the installation of a kachue commemorating these women. This ushue is pushed under the carpet for a long time and need to realize history will repeat itselfinous we Pay Attention to what happened. We havent pass thtd equal right amendment, it is horrible what is happening in terms of women and their lives and the future for young women. I advice you to go along with making this statute come to being and ill be there to help commemorate it. Thank you next speaker. Thank you. My name is [inaudible] and involved in Women International league for freedom [inaudible] like many others im here to support the installation of a memorial for comfort women here in San Francisco. I think the city has a lot to be proud of in terms of the big vision and the way that it is possible to blend international and local issues. This is a very diverse city as pleny people said. The only way we are going to face the past is by the truth and as other speakers said brushing under the rug doesnt serve anyone. I think that open discussion is something however difficult is beholden upon us so that this is not repeated. Recently i was in north and south cureea and so many are concerned about the comfrtd women issue. As others said it goes beyond korea so women from other countries were deployed by the empyreal army of that time. Congratulations to the people who have brought this motion before the board of supervisors and i would like to see it passed. Thank you. Thank you next speaker my name is aidren faung and im a resident and native of San Francisco and know this issue of comfort wemson a controversial issue but [inaudible] from the history books and what San Francisco represents a history of peace is not the solution. I hope the board of supervisors will consider this so we can move on and history dozen repeat itself. Thank you. Thank you next speaker. My name is [inaudible] im also a native san franciscan. Im a supporter of veterans for peace and ask you please establish the statute. San francisco deserves it and so do that. Thank you very much. Next speaker. [inaudible] im here to support the memorial of comfort women. [inaudible] growing up in japan i have seen a number of survivors of the system came out and speak and also i saw that many japanese women including my mother tried to learn from the testimony and supported those women. I would like toemphasize the issue is confronting the past crime is a very important place to create collaborative future and think about where we would like to go from here to build for our future. I also would like to express my concern of the japanese right wing groups. [inaudible] with historian in korea and japan and china and many other parts of asia and u. S. And europe and you have 29 seconds left. [inaudible] by historians without [inaudible] interpretation based on that contextual knowledge. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker. Hi. My name is [inaudible] im 87 years old. I come here for [inaudible] in San Francisco. Im sorry, my poor english. I live in the United States since 1952 and but still my english is very poor, sorry, i try. During world war 2, i was a High School Student and we all hungry and [inaudible] in peoples uniform we are supposed [inaudible] any how, [inaudible] [singing] Korean People [inaudible] Korean People say [inaudible] it is money money. You get the money, you get the food. We have money. We just keep smiling and [inaudible] thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next speaker. My name is [inaudible]. I came to San Francisco 1972 and i became a citizen of the United States. I just wanted to say that i am very against having the statue here in San Francisco and which my create hate issue between korea and japan. This is really political issue that you supervisors need to study history background, where it is coming from and then evaluate it. It is for the future for the kids, for everybody else in the city and think it st. Nothing to do with San Francisco and also between japan and korea issue is separate. Why do we have to bring this issue, this happened a long time ago and think you should really evaluate it well in order to decide and this is what i wanted to say today. Thank you so much. Thank you. Next speaker. Hello, my name is marial wong. I wanted to talk about the issue of comfort women statue. So, i have been hearing a lot of the testimonys and people say we should remember history and make sure to honor those people and to not brush away those historical issues under the rug, but the main concern for me is that there is this report called the, iwg report. It was said earlier by a person and this was a u. S. Government Interagency Group that did research about the comfort women issue. The total research the u. S. Government fbi, cia agents and hisical special ist gave 30 Million Dollars to conduct research on about 8 million pages of material regarding the information gathered regarding japanese war crimes and after analyzing those documents, these are specialized people that are intelligent and educated and they have been doing a lot of research for 7 or8 years regarding this topic, but in the report it specifically states that no large [inaudible] remain classified on the comfort women issue was not there. Im left to think if the u. S. Government wasnt able to find any information about the comfort women issue, then shouldnt we reconsider putting up the statue . There is so Much Research done but thank you very much. Next speaker. Honorable members of the board, meeuf name is phillip choi and live in sun set district. Im here to voice my support for the resolution to build a statue to commemorate the comfort womens issue. I have been a News Reporter in hong kong for many year jz and i see a lot of footage in my library and tv stations of all kinds of atrocity during the Second World War. Discusing this issue isnt about china against korea or china against japan, it is about a human being. Should we respect those women who were forced to be a sex slave in the Second World War . Well, we hear so many arguments today, but i think the fact is very simple and true and that is, a lot of wumen sufferic during the second world wor and now as a local communities we have over 200 organizations petitioning using their own money to build a statue in our own community. It says to provide some justice to this thousands of women being raped and forced as a sex slave and hopefully on the 70 anniversary of the Second World War we can provide the world the truth about the issue even though up to now we havent heard any acknowledgment and about the comfort women from the official japanese channel. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you very much. Next speaker. Sfgtv, please. Madam president and supervisors, my name is [inaudible] executive Vice President for the Global Alliance for preserving the history of world war 2 in asia. Im here today for 2 reasons, one is deliver this letter from congressman [inaudible] to support this resolution. Mr. Honda was a inturn during world war 2 because of hisith nisty and later becomes a leader force advocating the policy and [inaudible] he was fighting for human right throughout his career from supervisor to the assembly men in california and then congressman. So, i want to present it to you and also a copy of this let ter to all of you are in your inbox today. Second rkts, i also want to comment because a number of people recollect the iw gerks, i was the one draft the resolution on behalf of senator dianne finestein. These people speaking of that research should have their facts checked. Those are a bunch of lies. Thank you. Thank you very much, next speaker. [inaudible] im a social worker. This is United States, why bring up the long time history . If you do that you have to make all kinds of [inaudible] of the city of San Francisco. This is u. S. , america and i am a american citizen. 50 years agowe have to hold the hands with the whole nation, russian, american, chinese korea, we should hold hands, not against. You dont need a comfort women statue. Where dont agree we have to hold hands to show the children [inaudible] we as americans. You dont want to build a statue. You dig up all the histories. We are the american, you live in San Francisco. This is not the korea countries. This is issue different. This is a u. S. , we are living america. Dont fight, please. Everyone hold hand. I do not agree for this statue. Thanks. Thank you. Just remind members of the audience if you want to express approval or disapprove you can use silent hands zaz fingers thumbs up or down. Next speaker. [inaudible] i live in Saint Francis square, the long shormans coopand hope you will be leroy caings saturday. Up stairs i have a korean family married to a american gi who is in kaiser now. We wouldnt have kaiser if not for ww 2. There isnt a difference between local or international, this is San Franciscoment people came from all ovthe world. Ww 2 is out of basis peer from Hunters Point to allah meada, concord, [inaudible] you name it. These issues are real, they are historical and i feel the same way. Im a social worker without a portfolio but these things need to be resolved. Japan and germany were late to the game. Germany and europe dement with this historic ish oo uz. The diplomat who chose San Francisco for the unit nation frz the suffering in europe and asia, we had a big shindig in the 60th because [inaudible] funded it. The 70th and scaert general was here, mayor ed lee and [inaudible] officiated as chief of protocol. Charlotte and orange gourg have their names on the carriage way across van ness. We need to do historical reck nl silluation discussion about how to deal with these issues because our children in proschool, k12 and higher ed we have to deal with the issues. The many spent is in San Francisco. You need finance capital to Fund Military aggression instead of diplomacy and education and senior housing. Lets thank you very much, next speaker. [inaudible] i say that in many languages because that is how we say good morning in america to so many people that made this country great. As we look here, justice and pride and love we do [inaudible] i want you to know this lady here , her name is [inaudible] she is a [inaudible] used to live in the city of San Francisco but now miss her. One thing about the lady, we have [inaudible] separate and divide us for [inaudible] [not speaking into the mic]. We are here today to talk about, i look at all the things in america now is about how [inaudible] police killings, people shooting up churchs. We dont know who is in our country but we take advantage of citizens and non citizens. We have housing that want no guns and killings. We know where you are at and it is time in San Francisco to step up and know that everybodys should have a place you can be found and dont let the 5 percent play on people who are coming here to live and people already here living. People should lib in the complaintry like it is supposed to be. We are a [inaudible] all our troubles thank you very much. Next speaker. Tom gillgirty, war of guns [inaudible] bayonets drones. Wars. Human moments of regret, many. Switching time in 1965, 15 years old, romantic adadventurer going to cuba and cutting sugar cane. Brauv bauvo obama. 1965 [inaudible] i finished the race looking at the leaders pass the line. Where may never be a gifted speak squr still will ask for a bonus minute. Say if you come here to this podium 2 times in a row the third time you come you get the third minute and can roll that out as long as you keep coming. Maybe the clerk of the board can set that up. Thinking outside of the box. Before i get going into the housing ill take a moment to go to laguna and marina boulevard. Terrible corner. Bicycle, runners [inaudible] cars, quality of life. I dont think so. It demenshs. Same corner, 28 bus. The past weekend waiting for a half hour bus for the 28 line seeing 5 uber taxis pull up and pull away taking about 15 people away brt 30 people later board the bus. This is the future. You dont have to look too far away to see google driveerless buses and taxies on the streets. We can work this thing together. Again i cant get to housing because i run out of time. Thank you. Thank you very much. Is there any other member of the public who would like Public Comment. Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. Can i make a motion to excuse supervisor breed and christensen . Motion by supervisor farrell and veckd by supervisor mar. Without objection that is