Articles Posted by Kat Anderson

Kat Anderson is a graduate of Hastings College of the Law and Stanford University. She has made San Francisco her home since 1988.

  • SFSU Students Protest Fee Increases, Commence OccupySFSU Encampment

    SFSU Students Protest Fee Increases,
    Commence OccupySFSU Encampment

    The OccupySFSU students proclaimed solidarity with Occupy movements everywhere. In turn, several OccupySF activists participated in the students’ demonstration and helped set up the encampment at Malcolm X Plaza, which started its first night after the rally and march. Among the speakers was Sean Semans, who has been an OccupySF resident for weeks. He carries an 18-unit course load at SFSU. He explained that he cannot afford to miss any more school especially given the high cost of his education, so he is helping to set up the encampment at SFSU and will participate in the OccupySFSU General Assembly. Semans warned students there is a hidden cost associated with the fee increases: increases to the interest rate on unsubsidized student loans.

  • Tenderloin Tessie Holiday Dinners Needs Our Help

    This amazing act of charity started with one person 37 years ago. Perry Spink was a bartender and drag queen performer in the Tenderloin. In 1974, someone gave Perry a bunch of turkeys and he decided to share them with his neediest neighbors. He donned his “Tessie” costume and played hostess along with several of his not-so-sober bar buddies and made Thanksgiving memorable for many down-and-out elderly in the Tenderloin. Tessie also started giving gift bags along with the meals, a tradition that lives on today. These bags contain donated items such as toiletries, socks, gloves and an assortment of non-perishable food.

  • OccupySF Offered Alternative Location and What’s Up With OccupyOakland?

    OccupySF Offered Alternative Location
    and What’s Up With OccupyOakland?

    As we were leaving, we spotted some commotion around a sidewalk tree on the edge of the Plaza. We encountered “Robin,” a young man in his 20s, who is currently dwelling in a three-level tree platform which has been labeled “Ohlone Land.” Robin shouted down to us that “we are not coming down until Jean Quan agrees to let people camp at the Plaza again.” He explained that the platforms were built by Running Wolf and Black Foot, who wanted to have a presence in the Occupy Movement on behalf of Indigenous Peoples and their rights; to make a point that the City Hall complex is on stolen lands. Robin also pointed out that eco-justice issues need to have a more prominent place in the Occupy Movement.

  • OccupySF Prepares for Police Raid on Federal Reserve Encampment

    OccupySF Prepares for Police Raid
    on Federal Reserve Encampment

    When I first arrived, a pow-wow of participants were engaged in introductions of the many organizations that were represented (Labor Council, ILWU, UHW, Coalition on Homelessness, etc). Individuals were invited to identify as newly visiting or having been with OccupySF for a while. The congenial crowd then did a run-through of linking arms and creating a human chain in anticipation of protecting the tents in front of the Federal Reserve.

  • Women and Girls, Take Back Your Power: A Call to Action by United Way and MissRepresentation.org

    Women and Girls, Take Back Your Power: A Call to Action by United Way and MissRepresentation.org

    To illustrate, pretend your girlfriend stars in a well-reviewed movie as a superhero. You are proud of her for landing this role and playing the part of a strong woman leader. Then, you read a review about the movie where the critic salaciously refers to your girlfriend as a “fighting fuck toy,” after describing certain of her body parts in glowing detail. Or, pretend your mother has run for office and become Senator. After she’s served for a while, you begin to notice that most news outlets report that Mrs. Anderson (not Senator) “complained,” while her male counterparts merely “stated” their opposition. You will recall that during their campaigns, Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin were often painted as “bitch” or “ditz,” and there was much discussion about their wardrobes.

  • Moderate Mom Gets in the Thick of Occupation SF

    Moderate Mom Gets in the Thick of Occupation SF

    There were thousands of us! Of course, the mainstream media did not report our numbers. The Sunday Chron buried the story on A11, putting a short local insert into a routine wire service roundup, and did not even attempt to estimate the crowd size. My estimate: at least 10,000 people marching, and it snowballed as we moved past Union Square and up Powell, through the cable car turnaround and back up Market toward the Civic Center.