In-person Public Comment: Liberate Compton's Cafeteria!
Action
Please attend the upcoming hearing of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee at City Hall to assist Compton’s Coalition and back up Supervisor Jackie Fielder in probing into GEO Group’s mistreatment of people held at 111 Taylor.
Date: Thursday, November 6th at 10 AM
Location: City Hall room 272
Topic: Inhumane conditions and the need for oversight at 111 Taylor Street
Purpose: Show up, hear GEO Group get grilled, and give 2 min public comment to liberate Compton’s and seek justice for Melvin Bulauan
Public comment is most effective when you use your own words. Don’t just repeat what others are saying—speak to why this matters to you. And it’s a good idea to write yourself a script beforehand (or during the hearing if that’s when inspiration strikes) to help yourself keep to time.
Background
111 Taylor is the former location of Gene Compton’s Cafeteria, a dining establishment that in the 1960s was frequented by transgender San Franciscans, frequently raided by cops, and in August 1966 was the site of the Compton’s Cafeteria riot.
Since then, it’s been acquired by private-prison operator GEO Group and turned into a halfway house. GEO Group is notorious for their apathetic to abusive mismanagement of their facilities, as exemplified by the recent death of Martin Balauan after being held in GEO Group’s custody.
A group called Compton’s Coalition is seeking to challenge GEO Group’s operation of the facility and have the location—now at the heart of the Transgender Cultural District—made into a historic landmark.
Bonus action
If you can post fliers in your neighborhood for the hearing, print and post this flyer.
Resources
As family mourns father’s death, SF supe calls for hearing on reentry site, Bay Area Reporter, July 23, 2025