Jana Katsuyama 勝山ジャナ KTVU

The Lunar New Year begins on Sunday and San Francisco is celebrating the Year of the Rabbit with a new tradition that was started during the pandemic.

In San Francisco, California's Union Square, a painted sculpture in the shape of a rabbit has replaced the painted heart sculpture at the corner of Geary and Powell Street.

It's one of five locations in the city where you might find yourself bumping into a bunny statue, each sponsored by a local company and painted by a local artist.

"The meaning behind the rabbit is peaceful, harmonious, good luck, so we really tried to embody that this year," said Stephanie Mufson, an artist and owner of The Parade Guys. Mufson is helping to coordinate the "Rabbits on Parade" event and the annual Alaska Airlines Chinese New Year Festival & Parade on February 4th.

"We wanted them to be larger than life and something that people can enjoy interacting with, taking pictures with," said Mufson.

Mufson says the idea for painted statues began two years ago when the parade was canceled due to the pandemic.

"Turned out to become this really beautiful way of integrating the art into the community and having a way for artists to have another voice," said Mufson.

Each rabbit was cast in fiberglass from an original rabbit mold at the parade warehouse.

Mufson's rabbit greets riders at the new Chinatown subway station. It's a sky blue color, painted for her sponsor, the Sky River Casino.

"I felt it was a really poetic name," said Mufson, "Also we had quite a bit of rain...and it was actually raining endlessly while I was painting, so I felt I was really channeling the water."

Outside Chase Center, another rabbit waits, ready for the Golden State Warriors' Lunar New Year celebration set for Saturday, January 21.

The bunny named "Bravery" represents speed, strength and good fortune for the team, according to the Chinese artist Yiyang Deng who painted it.

"The clouds have the meaning of happiness," said Deng, "Bamboo grows very fast and is very strong and is very straight. "

Deng says the holiday has deep meaning for him and many others far from home.

"New Year's to me is the family time, the warm feeling," said Deng, who adds that he was glad to share photos of his rabbit sculpture with his family, since he won't be able to return to China this year.

Artist Robin Zhao helped paint the Lucky Supermarket Rabbit that was placed at Lakeshore Plaza and designed by artist Alli Lowe.

Zhao also designed the rabbit sculpture at Union Square.

"I used cherry blossoms also for luck and peace, and some coins because Chinese people love money and who doesn't like wealth for the New Year, right?" said Zhao.

Those wishes and symbols of wealth, good luck, and happiness, are connections to traditions she and many others hold close to the heart.

"Chinese New Year to me is kind of like a welcome back home to where you were born," said Zhao, "It's kind of like a celebration tying me... Chinese-American back into my Chinese culture," said Zhao.

The rabbits will be on display until February 5th, and then they'll be auctioned for charity. Organizers will present the funds to four non-profits in the community, and hope the proceeds will bring prosperity to them throughout the year.

CLICK link for Rabbits on Parade website: https://chineseparade.com/rabbit-on-parade/

CLICK link for Photo Contest: https://chineseparade.com/rabbit-on-parade-photo-contest/
There's a photo contest so if you post photos and add the hashtag or tag you might win a prize.🐰

Veterans share gratitude...spoke with three Tillman Scholars at Stanford Graduate School of Business about why they are grateful for Bay Area native Pat Tillman and the Pat Tillman Foundation (Official). Thank you for sharing your thoughts Faraz, Mike, and Kyle!

Met up with Fredrika Newton today...former Black Panther Party member and widow of the founder Huey Newton. We talked in downtown Oakland about why she feels the new Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation research center is important for City of Oakland - Local Government and she talked about the center's first preview event Saturday (BTW, thank you to her friends who waited while we did the interview!) Thanks to the Oakland Museum of California too.

Here's the story and video link KTVU Fox 2:
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Just around the corner from City Hall, Fredrika Newton wants to show people another side of Oakland's history.

"Many of the neighborhoods don't look like they did during the era of the Black Panther Party," said Newton.

The Black Panther Party's logo is now painted across a building at 1427 Broadway, the home of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation's new Center for Research and Action.

"There are many people that don't even know that the Black Panther Party had roots here in Oakland," said Newton.

Fredrika Newton's roots run deep.

"I joined the party in 1971 and I was 19 years old," said Newton, who married the party's co-founder Huey Newton years later.

Now, more than 50 years after the birth of the party in Oakland back in 1966, there's still controversy over the party's militancy and clashes with law enforcement during a volatile era.

Fredrika Newton says she hopes the new research center will be a place to bring balance to the party's place in history.

"The media only portrayed us the Black Panther Party with images of angry men with guns. "

She says what wasn't shown, were the party's community programs such as the Free Breakfasts for Children, and free health clinics that provided testing for lead poisoning, hypertension and sickle cell anemia.

"We had 65 survival programs...65. The ambulance program in North Carolina was created by women because black people were dying on the streets and no ambulance because no ambulance would come into the black community to pick them up," said Newton.

That history is also being told at the Oakland Museum of California this week, with a book-signing and panel discussion on Friday October 21st at 5p.m. for the new Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party book by former Black Panther Party member Ericka Huggins and photographer Stephen Shames.

"Now people get to see the other side of the Black Panther Party, from the people that were in the party," said Newton, "70% were women."

The Newton research center also is planning to hold its first preview event Saturday with a private gathering for founding members.

"This will be an oral history studio. It will have exhibition space. It will be an interactive museum and think tank," said Xavier Buck , Ph.D., the Executive Director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation and research center.

Buck says it's a chance to reflect on Oakland's past and help shape the future.

"What we are building is monumental. This is not just a storefront. It's the first time the Black Panther Party will be recognized in this kind of way where there's a central location where party members tell the story themselves," said Buck.

"That's the Black Panther Party that I was attracted to and fell in love with," said Newton, "It's so meaningful to me. It means everything to me that the community know."

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a visit to San Francisco Thursday to campaign for Proposition 1, an effort on the November 8th ballot that would amend California's constitution to include an individual's right to have an abortion and choose or refuse contraceptives.

Secretary Clinton arrived at a Planned Parenthood Northern California office in San Francisco around 3 p.m. for a meeting with leaders in the abortion rights movement. Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California President Jodi Hicks, NARAL Pro-Choice California, and NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju, as well as Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis are among the supporters who joined Secretary Clinton in discussing the state's Yes On Prop 1 campaign.

"A lot of younger people might not even know that in a bunch of states as late as the late 1960's, it was illegal to use contraception," said Secretary Clinton, who spoke to a crowd of about 100 people at the gathering in San Francisco.

"This issue of access to abortion and contraception are issues that go right to the heart of privacy and freedom," said Secretary Clinton, "This moment is so important for women's rights, human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy."

"The most important fundamental freedom that women have had in modern history is the ability to choose when, if, and under what circumstances they want to have a baby," said Lt. Governor Kounalakis.

Secretary Clinton said she hopes the Prop 1 constitutional amendment becomes a template for other states to use, as the battle over abortion goes to states following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.

"70% of the people across the country did not want Roe v. Wade to be overturned and yet here we are," said Hicks.

"All eyes on California now so that other states are inspired, to know it's a winning strategy," said Hicks, "We know that when people know that abortion is on the ballot, then they'll come out and vote for it so right now we're just doing an awareness campaign."

Outside a group of three protestors who oppose Prop 1 shouted and chanted.

Opponents include Archdiocese of San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone who posted a video online, urging Californians to vote no.

"Is this what we want for the state of California? To be known as the state of abortion tourism?" said Cordileone.

Catherine Hadro, a No On Prop 1 CA spokeswoman, says a recent rally in Sacramento October 6th shows that opposition is not limited to the Catholic Church.

"Atheist, Muslim, Evangelical, this was a rare time we had Republicans for Choice and Democrats for Life coming together to say this proposition is too extreme," said Hadro, who says there is fear that Prop 1 could open the door for late-term abortions in California.

Organizers with Yes on Prop 1 say they are also seeing people crossing over traditional party lines to support Prop 1.

"It's being driven by young women, young voters, but also, this is really important, independents, and Republicans who are saying enough. Enough with this extremism," said Timmaraju of Naral Pro-Choice America.

A poll conducted in August by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies showed that 71% of voters support Prop 1, including 35% of Republicans.

Proposition 1 needs a simple majority to pass.

UC Berkeley IGS POLL: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3rx1h9cv

CALIFORNIA PROP 1 VOTER GUIDE (OFFICIAL):
https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/1/index.htm

YES ON 1 CAMPAIGN:
https://yeson1ca.com/

NO ON 1 CAMPAIGN:
https://www.noproposition1.com/

- San Francisco celebrated with two events... a prayer service at sunrise on Alcatraz Island and a celebration at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival with the International Indian Treaty Council.
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San Francisco's Yerba Buena Garden was filled with a celebration of indigenous cultures and sound on Monday, as the city marked Indigenous Peoples Day, honoring the native people who inhabited the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus from Spain.

"It's been 530 years of resistance since he touched on these lands here, so we are celebrating resistance. We're honoring our ancestors," said Rochelle Diver, U.N. Coordinator for the International Indian Treaty Council, "The first path I think to honoring indigenous people is acknowledging truth in history."

The International Indian Treaty Council helped organize the celebration and a native prayer ceremony at sunrise Monday on Alcatraz Island.

"It was an absolutely beautiful morning. A little cold, a little chilly, lots of fog, but the spirit and prayers were all there. It was absolutely beautiful," said Diver.

"Each one of us comes from the earth. We all have traditions, we all have dances, we all have stories and that's where the medicine is at," said Lidia Doniz of San Jose, who is with the Teokalli Aztec Dancers.

"It's Teokalli, in Nahuatl language it means 'house of creation' and we're representing the Aztec people," said Alvaro Tellez, of Mexico City who also performs with the Teokalli Aztec Dancers.

"I am a daughter of a sapatec indigenous, Oaxaca man from Mexico and our mother is an Incan native from Ecuador," said Inkza Angeles, whose family runs the businesses Xpresion Cultural that features artisans from Central and South America.

The vendors booths showcased indigenous artwork and culture.

"This is a Guatemalan piece and this is from Mexico. This is a medicine pouch and a hairpiece," said Angeles, "Just like the all the other vendors that were here today, all of these are handmade with lots of love and they have a lot of heritage and history."

"It helps remind us of the people who have stewarded this land from time immemorial. It helps us remember our own history so we can go forward in a better way," said Cristina Ibarra, Strategic Partnerships Director for the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.

The celebration was a way to honor cultures across the globe, as well as the Ohlone people who lived on the land here in the Bay Area.

For many who participated, cultural roots run deep and across a common humanity.

"I'm mixed European and Mexican. And through the Mexican side I'm a descendant of the tribe called the Tarahumara...in Chihuahua state," said Patrick Linehan, a San Francisco resident, "Just the music and dance touch something deep down in your soul. you know. It's powerful."

Sat down with the Chief Guillermo Cespedes of Oakland's Department of Violence Prevention to talk about his vision for how prevention efforts and "violence disrupters" can be a parallel effort with law enforcement to stop the cycle of violence. Tuesday marked Oakland's 101st homicide with the death of Arturo Coronado, an Oakland father.

This was a hard Monday. I was in East Oakland covering the shootings last week. Monday afternoon when I came in to KTVU Fox 2 there was another shooting.

It was Oakland's 100th homicide of the year.

When I arrived I met Kentrell Killens. He is a Direct Service Coordinator for Oakland's Department of Violence Prevention, part of a team that responds to crime scenes to comfort victims' families. He's one of the many quiet heroes in our community who has been out at many shootings.

This call was different.

Killens says when he heard the call come in around 3p.m. Monday about a shooting near the corner of 12th Street and Kirkham Street in West Oakland, he knew it was near a relative's home.

Killens didn't know until he arrived at the scene, that Oakland's 100th homicide victim of 2022 would be his own uncle, Louis Truehill, 60, who lived just one block away.

"I left the meeting to come here and when I get here I could see his bike," said Killens.

On Monday, Killens found himself having to comfort members of his own family.

"I'm trying to muster up the strength to comfort his children who are finding out today that their father has been murdered. So it's very difficult to try and hold it together and yet you're hurting yourself," said Killens.

Oakland Police say Truehill was found with gunshot wounds and paramedics tried to save him, but he died there on the street near his home.

Truehill, was known by neighbors as "Joey."

"I'm just devastated. I can't believe this happened. When I found it was him, I'm like wow," said Tino Lowe of Oakland, whose mother lives in the same apartment complex.

Neighbors say Truehill was always trying to help others.

"He was always a friendly guy. He was always offering his time. If he could help someone he would," said Donald Coleman, a neighbor who said he'd just talked with Truehill a few hours before the shooting.

The violence was personal to Police Chief Leronne Armstrong as well. He says he knows the victim's son Joseph Truehill, a city employee. After arriving at the scene, Chief Armstrong walked over to meet the family and hugged the victim's son and nephew.

Chief Armstrong said it appears this was a case of a disagreement escalating to gun violence. He said there is some evidence, witness testimony and surveillance video footage. He added that community support is critical, however, in order to get tips or leads to find the shooter.

"This idea of no snitching. Not giving information to the police, that allows people to continue with this violence," said Chief Armstrong.
Family members say Truehill had been overcoming his struggles.

"He was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago," said Killens.

Truehill had finally had gotten a home of his own in West Oakland and had just celebrated his 60th birthday in September. Birthday greetings painted on the front door of his apartment were still visible.

"He was proud to be able to finally get off the streets. To get him a place to live. To have a place of his own, where he could have his grandchildren and children over," said Killens.

"People got to realize you see things going on in the movies. You see actors getting killed. They come back star in other pictures. But when you get killed out here, it's forever. You're not coming back. And you're destroying families," said Coleman, Truehill's neighbor.

"We ready for this to stop. And it's not just about my uncle. We ready for this city to wake up and realize that we don't have to solve things with violence. This is not the answer," said Killens, "My prayers are with the city of Oakland. We're suffering with an immense amount of violence. It has to stop. It has to stop."

*****
To help be part of the solution, you can call:

The Oakland Police Department anonymous tip line: 510-238-2373.

Oakland Police Homicide Investigators: (510) 238-3821 or the TIP LINE at (510) 238-7950.

Jana Katsuyama is a reporter for KTVU. Email Jana at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter or Facebook or ktvu.com.

すごい❣️Love this! Sumo and basketball…two of my favorites. When I was working in Japan after college I became a fan of sumo wrestling. It’s a tradition that goes back to Japan’s earliest roots, where a smaller wrestler’s speed can beat a larger wrestler’s size/strength. Thanks Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for this video!⛩🏀

As the world absorbed the shock of Queen Elizabeth II's sudden death, people began bringing bouquets of flowers to the British Consulate in downtown San Francisco.

Staff there and at city hall prepared plans to have condolence books available for the public to sign on Friday. San Francisco Mayor London Breed 倫敦．布里德 and city officials say there will be one placed on the fourth floor of San Francisco City Hall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

For many Brits in the Bay Area, it was a loss felt more deeply, grieving from a continent away.

"I was shedding tears, especially when we first heard about it," said Kathleen Kimura, former President of the British American Business Council Northern California.

Kimura remembers being a child when Queen Elizabeth took the throne.

"Being brought into the school halls and hearing the king is dead. Long live the queen. And now it's the reverse," said Kimura.

Kimura shared a precious memory, being invited to Buckingham Palace and receiving an award when the Queen honored her.

"I took my husband and went to Buckingham Palace, and Prince Charles made the presentations to all of those who had gone to receive their awards," said Kimura.

"I saw her at a private party once," said Christopher Dean, owner of the Crown and Crumpet tearoom in San Francisco. Like many other Brits, Dean says the Queen has been the monarch throughout his lifetime.

"She's been queen for 70 years, which is longer then I've been alive and longer then the vast majority of the people in England," said Dean, "For her to be there, and now she's not, it's strange."

Cutout figures of Queen Elizabeth and signs celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this past summer still decorate the Crown and Crumpet entrance.

"That ability to be so steady and be a rock for the country I think has been amazing," said Dean. He and his wife Amy set up a table in the Queen's memory Thursday, with her photo, the Union flag, and flowers paying tribute to her life and reign.

"She's presided over so many developments from the breakup of the British Empire to the troubles in Northern Ireland, the decolonization of Africa, and much more," said Katharine Olson, Asst. Professor of History at San Jose State University , "She came to be a symbol for not just for British people but people across the world of stability, of duty, of public service,"

Her service until the very end, was evident people said, recalling how the Queen welcomed the new Prime Minister in her last official act, with the grace and duty that brought admiration, love and respect from so many.

"Doing that two days before she passed away. I mean, what an example for doing her duty," said Kimura.

President Biden ordered flags to be lowered to half staff Thursday and said in a statement, “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era.”

San Francisco city officials say they plan have a book at city hall for people to write condolence messages. The book will be available on city hall's fourth floor Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will be sent to the British Consulate afterwards.

Jana Katsuyama is a reporter for KTVU Fox 2. Email Jana at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter or Facebook or ktvu.com.