2011 Save Bay to Breakers Protest Letters

Many of you have taken the time to write AEG and local officials to voice your discontent with AEG’s efforts to ruin Bay to Breakers. We have uploaded some of your letters to our site for everyone to read. Keep applying pressure folks.

Here’s a good one:

I live in the Lower Haight and am buying property in NOPA - I love my neighborhood and I love Bay to Breakers.  It is an amazing tribute to San Francisco and all the good it stands for in the world.   

The race organizers have cynically sought to destroy that spirit, rather than work with the citizens to make it an even better event.  Many people would be willing to contribute money to fund port-a-potties and clean up, for example.  Why hasn’t that negotiation happened?  Because the organizers have a political and religious agenda bent on squashing San Francisco’s tolerance and openness.  Don’t be complicit in that agenda.

Sincerely,

Engaged Haight resident

Read many more 2011 Bay to Breakers protest letters here.

How to Hide Booze at 2011 Bay to Breakers (Article)

Since “discretion” isn’t a four letter word, we feel it’s appropriate to provide a link to this brilliant article on booze discretion for the centennial Bay to Breakers. Read (or wear) at your own risk… We particularly liked the wine “rack”.

Article: How To Hide Booze at Bay to Breakers

According to AOL, the Wine Rack is already a Breast Seller

The Fight to Save Bay to Breakers. Again.

This is getting old. I mean, how many times do we have to stand up and fight these guys? Third time’s a charm?

Maybe. 

Here’s the state of things for the 2011 (Centennial) Bay to Breakers:  Booze is banned. Floats are banned. Registration is limited.

Thank you AEG and Philip Anschutz for continuing your relentless campaign to destroy one of the last great San Francisco traditions. 

Yeah, yeah, I know. You’ve heard it before. All this talk of bans. Then you get down there with your wheeled objects and six packs and have a better time than last year. But “before”, meaning in 2009 and 2010, CPBB fought vehemently to preserve your right to have fun and we won. And where did it get us? 

The old saying, “What’s the definition of insanity?”, seems to come to mind here. 

Something needs to change, guys, seriously. That something is AEG.

Quick history: AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) bought the SF Examiner in 2006 and with it came Bay to Breakers. Before that, Bay to Breakers was run by a bunch of non-profits, including SF Examiner’s charity division (read: the event wasn’t about making money). After AEG took over, a few things happened:

1. Prices for registration went up. Way up.
2. Registrations went down. Way down. (from 110,000 to 30,000)
3. Resources like port-a-potties, police and trash receptacles were reduced to cut costs.
4. AEG’s anti-San Francisco culture campaign began.

But what AEG has done more than anything else is failed miserably at properly managing this event. This is not some ordinary 12K road race, by any stretch of the imagination. This is Bay to Breakers. And B2B is known all over the world as one of the most eclectic expressions of color, culture and community on the planet. And when AEG “bought” the race in 2006, it should have understood this…and supported it. 

TAKE ACTION NOW

Like this. Tweet this. Spread the word.

We think AEG should go, but for now we need to let them, neighborhood associations and city officials know that what AEG is doing to ruin Bay to Breakers is unacceptable.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Email the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors
2. Email the Race Organizer AEG
3. Email the Neighborhood Associations who Supported AEG’s bans
4. Email the Sponsors

• AEG Corporate Headquarters, Los Angeles, (213) 763-7700
• Angela Fang, Director of AEG Bay to Breakers, (415) 934-0991
• Mike Farrah, Director of Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, (415) 554-5944
• David Miree, Deputy Director of Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, (415) 554-6537
• Edwin M. Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, (415) 554-6141

And tell them you don’t support AEG’s relentless efforts to sanitize San Francisco fun and culture from this city’s signature annual event, Bay to Breakers.

A million people showed up for the SF Giants World Series parade, an event organized in a few weeks and 10 times the size of B2B. The reason this event was so successful was proper planning and proper resources. Why can’t the same thing happen at B2B?

FUTURE ACTION & PROTESTS

Many groups have informed us they plan to stage protests, walk a shadow route, walk the course backward and conglomerate in certain parts of town to protest AEG’s ban on floats, booze and participation. We will tell you more as we know it. What we do know is that this is our city, our race, our celebration of the spirit of San Francisco, and we deserve to celebrate 100 years of tradition without some L.A. corporation telling us what to do. AEG is willing to sacrifice the entire essence of Bay to Breakers to make a buck. They have been nothing but secretive about the finances of this event since they took over.

WAKE UP San Francisco. Your precious Bay to Breakers is being taken from you. Do what you do in this great city. Do something about it.