Two more San Francisco supervisors said on Wednesday that they, too, received threats in the mail referencing an online rant by Garry Tan, the CEO of startup incubator Y Combinator and an opponent of progressive candidates in the city.
Over the weekend, Tan posted that seven supervisors should “die slow.” Five of those seven have now been mailed threats from an unknown sender, referencing Tan’s post.
District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen and District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan said Wednesday evening that they came home to find letters bearing Tan’s face and a threatening message: “Garry Tan is right! I wish a slow and painful death for you and your loved ones.”
Ronen said she had seen the messages sent earlier to her colleagues, but had not realized the messages threatened families as well until she came home to find her own letter.
“I just read it for the first time; I didn’t realize it said ‘For you and your loved ones.’ That’s a whole other ball game,” said Ronen. “Don’t you bring my husband and daughter into this. Back off.”
Late Saturday night, while seemingly intoxicated, Tan said that Supervisors Ronen, Chan, Aaron Peskin, Dean Preston, Myrna Melgar, Shamann Walton and Ahsha Safaí should “die slow motherfuckers.” Tan later apologized, saying he was referencing a Tupac Shakur song, “Hit ‘Em Up,” that famously inflamed a rap rivalry; Shakur was killed three months later.
On Tuesday, Peskin, Preston and Melgar received mailed threats. Ronen and Chan received them Wednesday, and Safaí and Walton said they had not yet received any. Several supervisors have filed police reports against Tan for his original post, which was pictured on the letters, or have pledged to do so.
The San Francisco Police Department said Wednesday that it’s investigating the hateful mailers. The District Attorney’s Office said that if a criminal case were to emerge, it would ask the California Attorney General’s Office to take it up in order to avoid a conflict of interest, as Tan has hosted a fundraiser for District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in his home.
Tan has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to moderate political causes in the city, including attempts to unseat progressive supervisors. He has often railed against them, saying they are “destroying” and “ruining” the city, and calling progressives a “political machine.”
As the CEO of Y Combinator, Tan presides over Silicon Valley’s premier startup incubator, giving him unparalleled access to tech founders and companies potentially worth billions of dollars.
He has sought to push the tech community more heavily into San Francisco politics, and many tech workers see him as a political lodestar. Several in tech said Wednesday that they found his latest outburst distasteful, however, and his tirade sparked a discussion about his ability to lead on Y Combinator’s public message board, Hacker News.
Ronen, for her part, said moderate politicians and affiliated businesses should distance themselves from Tan.
“They should kick him out of their circles,” she said. “This is absolutely unacceptable.”
Chan said she initially thought politicians like her should “just suck it up” when receiving similar threats, but now feels differently, particularly following the attack on Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their home. Paul Pelosi’s assailant, who struck him with a hammer, engaged frequently with right-wing content online.
“The fact is that violent threats often encourage violent behavior,” Chan said. “It’s not okay for someone with hundreds of thousands of followers to threaten people online … It’s just not okay, and I’m pretty tired of being told that people like me need to suck it up.”
Tan could not be reached for comment, and Y Combinator has not responded to requests for comment.
There’s no excuse whatsoever for legitimate threats to anyone’s well-being. Hands down.
That aside, I (as well as many other readers) take issue with Mission Local regularly attempting to smear opposing perspectives and any non-establishment player in local politics as “anti-progressive”. I’m also tired of the “Tech” dogwhistle tactics and scapegoating; constantly portraying an entire industry as an outside agent regardless of the tens of thousands of residents, families, economic contributions, and generations of jobs it’s added to an otherwise tourist-based economy.
San Francisco is not an Emerald City, paved with utopian ideals and led by saintly local leaders. It’s a mess of gatekeeping, extortionary tactics, compromised politicians and egotistical activists.
If anything all of the rapidly emerging oppositional ideals and political perspectives are not a sign that the soul of the city is at risk; it’s a sign that people love this place enough to participate regardless of the BS they have to wade through to make progress of any kind.
They claim they are anti-progressive so they are anti-progressive. And they spend a fortune against progressive candidates. Not to hard to figure out.
A few tech companies are trying to run SF, we will not let them. I am tired of tech companies coming in and ignoring laws (ie UBER etc) and using us a guinea pigs etc. So if the shoe fits as they say…..
This is unacceptable behavior. A threat is just that. Criminal charges should be brought forth and Mr. Tan should be placed on a 5150 for Danger to Others until evaluated by a psychiatrist. He may need mental health treatment or other medical attention before something happens.
If you read this story and do not walk away with the clear understanding that there’s no evidence connecting Tan to these post cards, maybe you could use a 5150 as well.
Tan’s picture is plastered on the front of the envelope, the note quotes his X post verbatim, and it was sent to the supervisors he listed in his message promoting violence and hatred.
But in your mind, there’s no connection.
Please do not normalize or apologize this very toxic, dangerous and deeply disturbing behavior from Garry Tan. Icky that some are saying he was too drunk and should be forgiven for posting on social media. What if you, your partner, your wife or husband, or your children or your elderly parents were targeted by a Garry Tan? What if you received a postcard in your mailbox at your home address? Wouldn’t that frighten, chill or traumatize you? The people creepy Garry Tan is targeting are democratically elected office holders. This is really beyond toxic and unhinged.
If G Tan wants to live the thug life, I’m more than happy to generate some diss comments. And if politicians and their political ops take it too far, then they get some too.
Descriptors you have used here in describing Tan and/or his actions:
-Tanwad
-toxic (4x)
-unhinged (3x)
-ahole
-creepy (2x)
-coward (2x)
-baby
-BEYOND
-despicable
-disturbing (2x)
-dangerous (2x)
-icky
“…an opponent of progressive candidates in the city…”
Right. Because Gary Tan and others are just opposed to “progressive candidates” and it has nothing to do with supervisors’ ability to do their jobs or make any substantive progress.
Amazing that Aaron Peskin couldn’t manage to support a resolution condemning death threats on Sen. Wiener from legit right wing lunatics that necessitated a security detail, but a since-deleted tweet and a couple postcards has been fodder for a half dozen news articles.
Does this not seem like the work of people who hate Tan to you? Because it does to me.
Why would he, or any of his supporters, print these words and mail them?
This is an intelligence test and a lot of San Franciscans are failing.
The people who received these envelopes are using them for their political benefit. Why aren’t more people asking who sent them? Because it clearly was NOT Tan. Why would he do that?
“Five of those seven have now been mailed threats from an unknown sender referencing Tan’s post.” oh joy–Now there’s copy cats threatening people for some sick kind of kick. And if caught going to duck behind “it’s just rap lyrics” rather than what’s called a true threat. Yes– you can all look that last term up……
This piece of tech-trash has gotten me to agree with Hillary Ronan.
Wow, just wow.
So we aren’t allowed to call the police since Walton and Haney invented the Karen law that essentially makes women afraid to call the police. But a bunch of well-protected supervisors can call the police when someone is mean to them. Got it.
Cancel culture and weaponization of fear in full effect.
“I’m attempting to draw a very bright line and say that it is unacceptable and that it is damaging to democracy,” Peskin said. “Him taking the tweet down and apologizing on Twitter doesn’t leave me, or more importantly, San Franciscans with the feeling that this guy has learned something, or that he truly understands the gravity of what he’s done in the moment that we are living in.”
An excellent op-ed by Christopher D. Cook. I’d say Peskin is right that Tan is damaging democracy, but it’s disingenuous to point to the now infamous post as the reason being.
https://sfstandard.com/2024/02/01/san-francisco-tech-tweet-millionaires/