Thousands came to the Mission last night for the annual Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead celebrations, a traditional Meso-American holiday in which the living honor the deceased.
Families and friends started to gather at 4 p.m. at Garfield Park to build, display or view the altars of loved ones who are no longer around. The young and the restless arrived later for face painting and a parade through the Mission.
The annual procession began at 22nd and Bryant at 7 p.m. and wound its way up 24th, across the Mission, and then down Mission Street. By the time the parade reached Mission Street around 8:30 p.m., many of those participating had clustered in small groups and were openly celebrating with alcohol and dancing in the streets. Afterwards, many returned to Garfield Park where multiple street parties broke out.
There were sparse chants of “Our Mission, No Eviction” and “Sí se puede,” the two phrases most common with protestors in the Mission, but unlike last year, this year’s Day of the Dead was not an occasion for anti-gentrification protests. The majority of those who attended were clearly there to party and have a good time in what was an inclusive event.
Day of the Dead came after a week in which the Giants won the World Series and Halloween fell on a Friday night. In case you these other events tired you out so much that you couldn’t make it to dance in the streets last night, enjoy a tour of the scene with your morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea.
I am disappointed the video does not depict the beautiful altars and people gathered at Garfield Park, the center of this event. To El PirruRis: I do not engage in the back and forth commentary that occurs on this website. Without expressing whether I agree with your point or not, I have to say well said.
You and your 400 “friends” need to get a life. Seriously.
Pues por eso mismo, Mister SFrentier. It is because of people like yourself that are not used to the idea of feeling a bit of empathy for the others like the community that you now call “yours”. For that reason the neighborhood is dead now, because the folks that are now here, are folks like yourself, people that think that others “need to get a life”, for speaking about the needs of our community for speaking about how much injustice exists in a place where the colors, music, richness and cultura is what got you to love the mission in the first place, yet you can give a flying taco de tripas y buche if it all falls apart, and it takes a different turn as it has been. What about lending a helping hand sennor? What about truly feeling for the displaced families in the neighborhood you call your own. What about the struggles they a facing now that they have to move across the bridge, the new life they have to begin, and carry on just so they can make your taquitos and burritos carnal, or better yet care for your Bradley and Sidney and teach them our native tongue because that is your desire. Just keep in mind, the families that have been displaced were already struggling as it is, “getting a life” is not as black and white as you make it. And I understand that we need to move on but just have some empathy, for once because our voice is still valid and we do have a valid point and do not disrespect our people just because you think you can. Where is your humanity? Where do you get off thinking that it is all about “getting a life”?
I would really love to see you lost and helpless in a place where your kind are marginalized, and displaced, and disrespected by a pompous character, with no idea on how to feel for human kind and their struggles, yet all they an say is, “get a life”…este wey.
This is terrible reporting. I was part of the anti-eviction, anti-gentrification protest that DID take place as part of the Day of the Dead festivities. There were about 400 of us, including a protester on stilts, approximately a dozen drummers, a live band on a flatbed truck and speeches by community activists. We started at the Brava theater, marched up 24th to Mission St., down Mission to 23rd, down 23rd to Bryant and back to the Brava theater. People were carrying signs that said “Our Mission, No Eviction”, “Yes on G” and “No Monster in the Mission” referring to the 10 stories of luxury housing that developers are seeking to put at 16th and Mission. At multiple points, a speaker spoke to crowds of people lined up to see the Day of the Dead Parade. The speaker told them “this is not a parade, this a *procession* for a dying San Francisco.” He encouraged “techies” and “people who are new to the neighborhood” to join the community by volunteering with community organizations, donating money and standing with long-time residents against evictions. Another teenage speaker compared the neighborhood’s gentrification with Columbus’s invasion of native land and expressed disgust that tech workers are treating the neighborhood as their playground.
Reporting this shoddy makes me long for the days of robust reporting by traditional media. It takes real effort to miss a march of 400 protesters with a live band. Especially given that the march was well publicized on social media leading up to the event.
It’s a spiritual event and not the right setting to advance a political agenda.
The Mission, as longtime residents know it, is dying — so its exactly appropriate.
Also helping friends and family stay in their homes is no political agenda – more like survival.
Thank you for posting this lovely video. That is my band, Brass Band Mission playing the music. I would like to say it is an honor for us to play in the Dia De Los Muertos procession. This even truly personifies the rich character of the Mission, from which the band gets it’s name. We are fully aware of the current situation in the Mission an approach our involvement in the procession with as much sensitivity as possible. Most of the band lives in or has lived in the Mission. Some of us are White, some are Black and some are Latin and one is also Native American.
Our involvement is centered around the awareness that Dia De Los Muertos is a hybrid of an Aztec holiday combined with the Catholic holiday All Saints day. Being a Catholic city, All Saints Day is also celebrated in New Orleans. Additionally, there is the tradition of the jazz funeral; accompanying those passed to the other world with music. We are not trying to bring Mardi Gras to the event at all.
For these reasons we feel our involvement in the procession is appropriate. We are trying to add to the richness of this event as best we can, and have done so for 3 years now. We create art, dress in costume and play music for the enrichment of the event.
Glad it was more traditional this year and not hijacked by anti-development protestors.
Only hijacked by the people who think its a party……
There was a very painful new anti tech theme in that the killer of 14 year old Rashawn Williams let the world know of his plans on facebook and Instagram and no one did anything …
Last night was wonderful. Positive, impassioned, upbeat and reverent.
Not a very good picture of the event. There were about 400 in the procession that had anti-eviction signs and No-Monstor in the Mission signs (The proposed 10 story luxury tower on 16th). The procession was divided into 3 large groups. Not many had painted faces in order to reflect on what the tradition really is. Not a parade, not a circus, not a Mexican Holloween, not burning man, or mardi gras. A flat bed truck carried a local band that stopped on and off along the procession with speakers to talk about the need for affordable housing and issues of gentrification. The parents of Alex Neito who was gunned down by police officers in Bernal Heights were among the speakers. It was not all party. The number of people along 24th was much lighter then last year.
The purpose of Day of the Dead is not “Mexican Halloween or Burning Man” as you said, but also definitely not about Anti-Eviction Protests.
Don’t disrespect the day and then call out others for doing so. It’s extremely hypocritical.
No its not, but I’m glad the message of what it is and isn’t is being talked about and I think they made their point.
This is about the death of the Mission – hence appropriate and respectful.
Also correcting or adding information to a report is not disrespectful. Unless you hate facts. And people that oppose your view.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare Latinos using their day to protest against their struggles and white appropriation. “Mexican Halloween” is disrespectful. Tying in issues that are affecting our community is not.
It’s very common for Dia de los Muertos, whether in the US or Mexico, to be used by the marginalized to speak out and protest. From the political cartoons of Jose Guadalupe Posada, to sex workers speaking out against femicide on the borders, to displaced communities of color in the Mission.
Go do some research.