#Frisco5 end hunger strike so they can join #Frisco500 in the struggle, call for general strike Monday, rally 8:30 am at City Hall

Frisco-5-supporters-occupy-City-Hall-confront-deputies-050616-by-CBS, #Frisco5 end hunger strike so they can join #Frisco500 in the struggle, call for general strike Monday, rally 8:30 am at City Hall, Local News & Views
Frisco 5 supporters, now dubbed the Frisco 500, fearlessly confronted a small army of deputies as they occupied City Hall for seven hours Friday, May 6, from about 4 to 11 p.m. – Photo: CBS News

May 7, 2016 – Last night we saw the community once again rise up in support of #Frisco5. We began with five, but now we are growing to #Frisco500 and will soon be #Frisco5000. From the more than one thousand marchers on May 3 to the hundreds of community members who echoed the #Frisco5 calls for justice last night at City Hall, a movement has been born.

After nearly two days of being hospitalized on doctors’ orders, the #Frisco5 continue to be monitored closely.

Frisco-5-supporters-occupy-City-Hall-spokesperson-Yayne-Abeba-050616-by-CBS, #Frisco5 end hunger strike so they can join #Frisco500 in the struggle, call for general strike Monday, rally 8:30 am at City Hall, Local News & Views
“We’re letting Mayor Ed Lee know that until he fires Chief Suhr, there’s no business as usual in San Francisco. We’re going to shut it down!” Frisco 5 spokesperson Yayne Abeba told CBS News. “I want the good police officers to know that if they step up, the community has their backs,” she added.

As the health of #Frisco5 grows uncertain, the whole San Francisco community took the step to demand the hunger strikers suspend their hunger strike so the strikers can return to the front lines and help shape this movement and the pursuit of justice for the Black and Brown citizens of San Francisco.

They have decided to listen to the community that they love. Considering the strength of the movement that has been galvanized through the last 17 days of the hunger strike, the community has made their voice heard.

We must still send the #Frisco5 our prayers and positive energy because the re-feeding process after not eating for 17 days is a long one. They will likely be in the hospital for a number of days.

Frisco-5-supporters-occupy-City-Hall-melee-with-deputies-050616-1-by-Shadi-Rahimi, #Frisco5 end hunger strike so they can join #Frisco500 in the struggle, call for general strike Monday, rally 8:30 am at City Hall, Local News & Views
Thirty-three of the May 6 City Hall occupiers were arrested, some brutally, requiring medical attention. – Photo: Shadi Rahimi

The end of the strike is in no way a concession – it’s a victory of monumental proportions. The #Frisco5 have been told in no uncertain terms by the community that they are needed here to help fight a corrupt administration and a racist and violent police department.

They have been asked to help build opportunity for the very community that they were willing to lay down their lives for. They still hold true to their demands.

They ask that the entire Bay Area community join them in a general strike this Monday, May 9, 2016. Leave work, leave school, do not purchase from large chain stores, and join the #Frisco500 in front of City Hall at 8:30 a.m.

Frisco 5 spokesperson Yayne Abeba can be reached at yayne@yayneabeba.com. To learn more and get involved, go to Hunger for Justice SF on Facebook, General Strike on Facebook, @Hungerforjusticesf on Instagram and @hngr4justicesf on Twitter. Hashtags include #Frisco5 and #hungerforjusticesf.

General Strike, San Francisco, Monday, May 9, 2016

We, the people, invite you to join us for an unprecedented historical moment: a general strike of San Francisco this Monday, May 9, 2016. In honor of the Frisco 5 hunger strikers and against SFPD killings of our brothers, we urge you to strike from work and school and to boycott corporate stores and restaurants.

Frisco-5-supporters-occupy-City-Hall-melee-with-deputies-050616-2-by-Shadi-Rahimi, #Frisco5 end hunger strike so they can join #Frisco500 in the struggle, call for general strike Monday, rally 8:30 am at City Hall, Local News & Views
The passion and persistence of the Frisco 500 intensifies daily as the Frisco 5 hunger strike transitions into the occupation of City Hall and, on Monday, a general strike in San Francisco, recalling the legendary general strike of 1934, when the world saw the brutality of the SFPD. Today, San Franciscans demand nothing less than the firing of Chief Suhr, the man responsible for the current SFPD brutality and terror. – Photo: Shadi Rahimi

The time is ripe, and your action is needed now. Because of Mayor Ed Lee’s unwillingness to fire corrupt Police Chief Greg Suhr, the Frisco 5 have all been hospitalized. It is time for all of us to act with honor, courage and sacrifice for those who no longer have a voice, like Alex Nieto, Amilcar Perez Lopez, Mario Woods, Luis Gongora Pat and many more, all unlawfully killed by SFPD.

Instead of going to work or school, join us to peacefully picket in front of San Francisco City Hall starting at 8:30 a.m. Striking for a righteous cause is nothing new. Gandhi led the Swadeshi movement for Indian self-sufficiency. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks helped lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott against segregation. For farmworkers’ rights, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers held strikes against grapes and Safeway stores. Striking is a successful strategy that all of us can contribute to for the sake of justice.

Wear red and black in honor of our fallen brother, Alex Nieto.