it should be in room a, one of our breakout sessions. take this opportunity to use the west -- the restaurant and find your own way. thank you. -- rest room and find your own way. thank you. >> i tried to think about this room as the dream room, where we dream and bring some of those dreams to life. i feel very blessed that i have been able to spend the last 31 years of my life doing it my way, thinking about things better interesting to me, and then pursuing them. there are a lot of different artists that come here to work, mostly doing aerial work. kindred spirits, so to speak. there is a circus company that i have been fortunate enough to work with the last couple of years. i use elements of dance and choreography and combine that with theater techniques. a lot of the work is content- based, has a strong narrative. the dancers have more of a theatrical feel. i think we are best known for our specific work. in the last 15 years, spending a lot of time focusing on issues that affect us and are related to the african-american experience, here in the united states. i had heard of marcus shelby and had been in join his work but never had the opportunity to meet him. we were brought together by the equal justice society specifically for this project. we were charged with beginning work. marquez and i spent a lot of time addressing our own position on the death penalty, our experiences with people who had been incarcerated, family members, friends of friends. pulling our information. beyond that, we did our own research. to create a picture that resonated with humanity. it is the shape of a house. in this context, it is also small and acts like a cell. i thought that was an interesting play on how these people make these adjustments, half to create home. what is home for these people? the home is their cell. people talk a lot about noise -- very noisy in prisons. that is interesting to me. looking at the communication level, the rise of frustration of being caged, wondering, where does redemption fit into the equation here? [singing] i think both of us really believe the death penalty is wrong, and is flawed for many reasons. the list is as long as my arm -- about several others. we feel this is important for both of us, personally, to participate in the debate of this issue in a way that we can help people frame it for a conversation. >> i love teaching. it is such an exhilarating experience when people began to feel their own creativity. >> this really is a place where all people can come and take a class and fill part of the community. this is very enriching as an artist. a lot of folks take these classes and take their digital imagery and turn it into negatives. >> there are not many black and white darkrooms available anymore. that is a really big draw. >> this is a signature piece. this is the bill largest darkroom in the u.s.. >> there are a lot of people that want to get into that dark room. >> i think it is the heart of this place. you feel it when you come in. >> the people who just started taking pictures, so this is really an intersection for many generations of photographers and this is a great place to learn because if you need people from different areas and also everyone who works here is working in photography. >> we get to build the community here. this is different. first of all, this is a great location. it is in a less-populated area. >> of lot of people come here just so that they can participate in this program. it is a great opportunity for people who have a little bit of photographic experience. the people have a lot, they can really come together and share a love and a passion. >> we offer everything from traditional black and white darkrooms to learning how to process your first roll of film. we offer classes and workshops in digital camera, digital printing. we offer classes basically in the shooting, ton the town at night, treasure island. there is a way for the programs exploring everyone who would like to spend the day on this program. >> hello, my name is jennifer. >> my name is simone. we are going on a field trip to take pictures up the hill. >> c'mon, c'mon, c'mon. >> actually, i have been here a lot. i have never looked closely enough to see everything. now, i get to take pictures. >> we want to try to get them to be more creative with it. we let them to be free with them but at the same time, we give them a little bit of direction. >> you can focus in here. >> that was cool. >> if you see that? >> behind the city, behind the houses, behind those hills. the see any more hills? >> these kids are wonderful. they get to explore, they get to see different things. >> we let them explore a little bit. they get their best. if their parents ever ask, we can learn -- they can say that they learned about the depth of field or the rule of thirds or that the shadows can give a good contrast. some of the things they come up with are fantastic. that is what we're trying to encourage. these kids can bring up the creativity and also the love for photography. >> a lot of people come into my classes and they don't feel like they really are creative and through the process of working and showing them and giving them some tips and ideas. >> this is kind of the best kept secret. you should come on and take a class. we have orientations on most saturdays. this is a really wonderful location and is the real jewel to the community. >> ready to develop your photography skills? the harvey milk photo center focuses on adult classes. and saturday workshops expose youth and adults to photography classes. >> i am the director of community affairs. it is a great pleasure to introduce mr. john martin. >> thank you all for being here. [applause] thank you for being here for the opening of the marine response emergency facility. i want to begin by introducing several dignitaries. the first is commission vice president mike hardeman. thank you. and commissioner steve nakaja. and i want to introduce our police department deputy chief at the airport, the guy in charge. david chen is here. from the adjacent coast guard facility, the commander. and we have staff members from our congressional delegation. we have staff members from senator feinstein's office, nancy pelosi's office, and others. thank you for joining us today. [applause] throughout our history, safety and security has always been our priority. safety and security of our passengers, and safety of our employees. we are building on that commitment by commissioning what is the first fire rescue boat house facility on the west coast of the united states. more simply -- [airplane noise] we are at an airport. this is the first marine emergency response facility on the west coast. more simply, we can call it the first fireboat house at an airport. it is a core value for the airport team that we have worked together to provide an exceptional airport, that we are innovating, and that we work in partnership. this is a partnership between the fire department and the airport. great project work by airport staff and the division of design and construction, who designed this building. the engineering staff support to the work. the architectural team and the design and construction staff -- i would like to recognize all the staff involved in the successful project. [applause] completed on budget, and one month ahead of schedule. we have an outstanding fire department staff at the airport. i believe we have one of the most recognized fire department staffs of any major airport in the u.s. the airport is committed to making sure staff has the latest and greatest technology and equipment to support their operation. the team is led by deputy chief mike morris, assisted by ed dale. we thank them for their great work. [applause] it is my great pleasure to introduce major -- mayor ed lee to say a few words. >> thank you. i know that word leaked out i will be on an america's cup catamaran next week. i am sure this facility was identified as the very first fear reducer for me to be on the water. let me express my pleasure to be here with director john martin and his wonderful staff, with his airport commissioners that are here today, along with the chief and the chaplain, also here to give blessing to this wonderful facility. the chief, of course, is working closely with us. they have both upped their willingness and collaboration to work together on this very important facility. this facility is something i point to as the new merf -- the marine emergency response facility. the airport can provide an extra level of safety for not only passengers, but for anybody that is in the bay near the airport. this facility, and equipment introduced today, will reduce the response time from what today is averaging around 25 minutes to get rescue equipment out into the boehner by --- bay nearby to something under five minutes. that is lifesaving. this is representative of every time i have come out to the airport. whether it is a new international terminal that, under the leadership of john martin, was done, the new terminal two, the new traffic control towers about to be constructed, to a facility that is an extremely important collaboration, not only with the fire department, but also in strong collaboration with our cost card. this is essential -- with our coast guard. this is essential. this is why we have the infrastructure commitment that i have been talking about ever since i started working for the city. i have had the pleasure of working with john. his expertise and his team out here, retired as well as current, have made a strong commitment to make sure we have the modern facilities to take care of us. guess what? on the eve of america's cup, there is renewed use of our waterways for recreation, but also increase ferry services going on because of all the alternative traffic use we have to have. it is part of our airport operation, because our airport is on the water. we are having a record number of airplanes landing. we must modernize our facilities for the future use. that is why i love the airport. it is always looking out for the next generation effort, making sure the infrastructure can respond to that. i also enjoy the fact that it is working with our fire department to really house the equipment we have to use. whether it is the mou spoke -- moose boat -- i love that name, because it was a nickname for me. from that to the ski jets, asking whether there is room in the back for my golf clubs -- i need a faster way to get to monterey bay. all kidding aside, we have another facility that demonstrates our investment in infrastructure. it is on time. in fact, it is ahead of time and well within budget. the source of the money comes from the airlines, who are committed to making sure the have an operation that is always safe, always ready, with anything that could happen. of course, we have father green to make sure things do not happen. but it is a collaboration of people that are experts in emergency response. i want to say again we are ready for anything that occurs. but today, it is about thinking the designers that worked for the city, the airport staff, dpw, and the consultants, who have designed something that looks simple, but houses all of the things we need to do, to manage an incident that we hope never happens. but we will train and be ready. we are going to communicate, collaborate, and practice on the water, around the airport, and with the staff. when we do, we will be that much more ready for any incident that could unfortunately happen. i want to thank everybody who has been involved. certainly, it demonstrates the airport commission, the fire commission -- their commitment in laying out the future. obviously, the leadership, with their duties and forward- thinking views on what it takes to make sure this will happen for generations. it is a new facility that is very unique to the west coast. you will not have seen this until today. any facility along the west coast will take care of this problem. it will assure all of our federal and regional partners that we can take care of our bay, and take care of anything that will happen. i enjoy this on so many fronts, to see how our city is comparing for emergencies. that is what city should do. that is what airport should do. that is what fire departments should do as well. it is not just responding to an emergency. it is anticipating and preparing for the future. kudos to everybody on the family theme. i look forward to seeing this practice have been on a frequent basis, as we get ready for anything that could happen. thank you for your leadership. >> i am most grateful to the fire chief for her partnership with the airport. we have an outstanding fire rescue operation here. it is now my great pleasure to recognize and introduce her. [applause] >> thank you. good morning. thanks for being here. after our remarks, we would love for you to look around this beautiful facility. john martin is truly a partner. he acknowledged his priority regarding excellent equipment, training, and infrastructure. but he sort of downplayed that. he has been, like our mayor, a huge champion of public safety. it is an honor to stand with both of you today, evidenced by this facility, which will add to an already top of the line fire department facility at the airport. what you see here will enhance our ability to respond to water- related emergencies that much quicker. it is cutting edge, just like everything provided by the airport. the san francisco fire department operates three stations here. we are solely responsible for emergency incidents in and around the airport. many of the members of the san francisco fire department assigned to the airport are here today. i thank you for your dedication and professionalism. there are a lot of people think. we are very proud to be standing here today and cutting the ribbon. it will be a facility that we will use often. hopefully primarily for training, but we will be ready and anticipate any water-related emergencies. this will assist us in getting to the scene, assisting our partners in the coast guard more readily. i would also like to acknowledge it architects, engineers, and builders of this fund facility. we have a five member commission. all of them have supported our efforts not only in the city, but at the international airport. thank you for being here. also, with our partners in the police department. thank you so much. we worked as a team here at the airport, with all of the members of the airport. team worked in the arena of public safety is essential. it is no different down here. we appreciate the partnership and the cooperation and support we get from the international airport. this is a huge illustration of that support. we enjoy a wonderful equipment, state of the art equipment for the airport, and i cannot thank you enough for that. i believe we will be giving tours. we will answer plenty of questions about the moose boat. it is about a 20 minute response to this area from the point. now we will have it with other marine equipment and vessels, and we will be able to get to where we need to much sooner. i saw mayor lee looking very closely at those jet skis. we call them personal watercraft. we will make sure we get a life vest on you. john martin is an expert swimmer. in case of emergency, we can send john in. thank you very much. we appreciate you coming out. we will be prepared for any emergency, and it is an honor to serve. among to acknowledge my team. i am here with my deputy chief of operations, and deputy chief mike morris, who oversees the airport division. he is capably assisted by our fire department chaplain, who i believe is going to bless this facility and start us off on the right foot. thank you, and have a good afternoon. >> it is my pleasure to introduce the fire department chaplain, john green. [applause] >> the real reason i was invited to date is because we are going to have a second collection to help pay for this facility. [laughter] it is a great honor to be here. this is a long-time dream that has finally been realized for the san francisco fire department here at the airport. we are grateful to all who dreamed the dream and who worked so hard to bring it about, and all who planned to build this facility. it is traditional, especially in the maritime tradition, to dedicate or to launch a new facility. we just thank god for the gift of all the men and women who serve at the airport and are in public safety. we thank them for the many ways they have put their own lives on the line for the safety of others. we ask god to bless this building, which is the realization of a dream. to bless those who operate all of the watercraft stationed here. we ask you to give us all, and especially our country, the gift of peace. amen. thank you. [laughter] [applause] >> again, thank you all for being here. thank you all for making this project a reality, and your continuing commitment to making this unexceptional airport. we will all be available for questions. stick around for the tour. >> lockdown here and take a look at the ski jets. >> sure.