8-7-24 STATEMENT ON THE PROPOSED JAPANTOWN MURAL

Since 2022, the SFJACL Board of Directors has been working on a proposal for a

mural reflecting the 115+ year history of San Francisco Japantown. In 2000-2002,

the SFJACL was the beneficiary of major bequests from three long-time members

who dedicated their lives to community- building and education about the

Japanese American experience. The board came up with the idea of a Japantown

History Mural to be painted on a long stretch of blank wall on the north side of

Geary Boulevard between Laguna and Webster, adjacent to the Peace Plaza.

In July 2022, the SFJACL Board entered into a working relationship with Mission

Art 415 proprietor Lisa Brewer. This decision was based on the work Lisa and her

partner Randolph Bowes did to beautify their Mission District neighborhood, their

home since 2000. Deeply concerned about the drug-dealing and other crimes that

had overtaken the alley just outside of their home, Lisa and Randolph decided to

take action. They engaged artists to beautify the alley with their spray paint art,

creating a public gallery called the Lilac Alley Mural Project. The strategy proved

effective in reducing crime and has become a significant tourist destination for art

lovers from around the world. To design the ambitious mural, the board selected

Rigel Juratovac, the pioneering aerosol artist “Crayone,” who was raised by a

single mother living in low-income housing in Japantown.

The SFJACL has been working closely with staff of the Recreation and Parks

Department (RPD) because the wall is City property. The proposal for a Japantown

mural will need to be approved by the Recreation and Parks Commission. In

accordance with guidance from Recreation and Parks Department staff, fundraising efforts were postponed until after approval is secured. The SFJACL has

seeded the project with $100,000 which has been directed to the artists. Mission

Art 415 and Lisa Brewer, in particular, have not been compensated for their

considerable time and efforts.

RPD staff recommended that the SFJACL host a series of community meetings to

discuss the mural. A total of 9 community meetings have been held as follows.

It was brought to the attention of the SFJACL Board that a former member of the

SFJACL Board who resigned due to disagreements with other board members

about the mural was circulating links to articles about Mission Art 415 and Lisa

Brewer, in particular, dating back to 2016, 2018, and one article from 2024. The

SFJACL Board did not receive these articles directly. Instead, they were forwarded

by other community members.

In response to this situation, the SFJACL Board would like to state the following

1. We reject attempts to attack the reputation of Mission Art 415 and Lisa

Brewer.

2. We urge those with issues related to the mural to communicate these

directly to the SFJACL Board at sfjacl@yahoo.com.

In an attempt to address criticisms of the mural, the SFJACL Board convened a

private meeting on July 16, 2024 with those who have expressed their concerns at

the public meetings. The SFJACL Board carefully reviewed these concerns and

agree to the following.

1. We stand by the process for selecting the 9 notables and intend to proceed

with the portraits of, in chronological order, Kyutaro and Yona Abiko,

Archbishop Nitten Nishida, Jimbo Edwards, Clifford Uyeda, Yori Wada,

Janice Mirikitani, Tomoye and Henri Takahashi, Tsuyako “Sox” Kitashima,”

and Jeff Adachi.

2. We accept the recommendation that the portraits be reduced in size.

3. We accept the recommendation that the mural name should be changed

from “Japantown History Mural.” We have decided on “San Francisco

Japantown Journey Mural.”

4. We will work with members of the Committee Against Nihonmachi Eviction

on an improved depiction of the Redevelopment era in Japantown.

For more information about the proposed Japantown History Mural, see

www.sfjacl.org.

August 7, 2024