Editor:
Our Instagram Mayor needs to offer a sincere apology to the vigilant citizens protesting his tax giveaway to corporate real estate. In this case, “YIMBY” (read “Big Real Estate shill”) Mahmood, together with Lurie, is sponsoring the BUILD Act, which will substantially cut transfer tax revenues in a time of record deficits, with more on the way. Not a single unit of truly affordable housing will be built as a result. Instead, the proposal may incentivize demolition of existing units, some of them rent controlled units.
Had the press conference not been held behind closed dates, Lurie would have realized that it was a single passerby shouting. There was no “chanting” of “Tax the Jews,” as Lurie falsely and unethically maintains.
Unfortunately, while reporting a blatant lie, the media failed to document the reason for the protest: This is yet another sellout by our Levi Strauss sweatshop-funded mayor to his billionaire class.
Lurie’s father may be a rabbi, but his values do not reflect those of the Ashkenazic American Judaism with which so many of us were raised. A sincere apology is required.
Finally, we don’t need tax cuts. We need more prudent use of taxes collected, including zero tolerance for corruption and misappropriation of resources. We’ve seen this surface time and time again. Yet our mayor has done nothing about this problem which, unlike the transfer tax, is an actual (and quite substantial) impediment to a successful “world class” and “activated” city.
Harry S. Pariser
Categories: letter to the editor
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
Well said, Harry. You tell it like it is.
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What slur does Mayor Lurie need to apologize for? Couldn’t find it in your letter.
Seems like the one/ones who need to apologize are the one/ones chanting “tax the Jews”. It’s on tape, so don’t deny it wasn’t said.
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It is very clear: He does not like DSA because they promote social justice.
He is all about entitlement for his plutocrat class and has been doing a tremendous job of enhancing their wealth and class privilege (right down to destroying the ambience of our streets at night with hideous cybercurrency-funded LED strings).
So he and his team lied about what happened.
There was no “chant.”
Lurie was totally unethical to make up a story he knew to be patently false.
That would be wrong even if some politician who had our interests at heart, if there are any such individuals (not here!), did the same.
This was an attempt to unfairly smear advocates for social justice. The event was about trying to screw city finances to benefit elites. NOT “creating jobs.”
This was clearly one person yelling.
Not a chant.
So why are you pretending otherwise?
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There was a chant. It was recorded. I heard it. Lurie didn’t make up the story.
San Francisco needs to become more business friendly. The DSA has obviously never heard about geese or golden eggs. Who is going to fund all those programs if businesses and the “rich” leave?
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Yes, there was a chant but the chant was “Tax the Rich” not “Tax the Jews.”
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