As you know, the Coltrane Church was honored by that designation that you have bestowed on us. We feel that due to our history and interconnectedness with the community, we are in a very advantageous position to make this nomination.

We are aware that this designation has in the main been designated to institutions and physical structures, so let me say from the outset that Mr. Deni Leonard is an institution in San Francisco, and is the physical manifestation of an intangible cultural heritage.

Mr. Deni Leonard is an Elder in the Native American community; his contributions to the Native American community and the community are unmatched. He is a humble man who has been tireless in his pursuit of justice and fairness for his people. His list of accomplishments is long.

I am asking about this now as Mr. Deni Leonard is at great risk of displacement, and such a designation must come with force and power to assist in freezing the status quo so that Mr. Leonard can stay in his residence of over 14 years.

We at the SJCC ask, what is the heart, soul and spirit of San Francisco? Is it a bridge, is it painted ladies, an embarcadero, a bay, a sports team?

Is it Matthew ‘Peanut’ Johnson, Mario Woods, or Mary Ellen Pleasant?

Is it a location where one of the nuclear bombs dropped on the Japanese was assembled?

Is it a legacy of toxic and radioactive poisonous soil, water, and air created by the U.S. Navy at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard that, despite a public referendum, two civil grand juries, hearings before the SF Board of Supervisors, and countless protests, still hasn’t been cleaned up?

Is it the past or is it the present and the future? I state unequivocally that Deni Leonard represents the best of San Francisco.

Deni Leonard embodies Native American customs and practices, beliefs, values, folklore and tradition; he is an intangible cultural heritage.

At each of the SF Board of Supervisors land acknowledgments are read that state in part “that we occupy the unceded Ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula” it is a great disrespect to all Native Americans and to all San Franciscans to summarily evict Deni Leonard from his dwelling where he lived with his sister for 14 years. While “land acknowledgments” state “As uninvited guests, we affirm their sovereign rights as First Peoples and wish to pay our respects to the Ancestors, Elders and Relatives of the Ramaytush Community,” it is not respectful to evict an actual Elder in our midst.

This august body can preserve the foremost cultural legacy by protecting and preserving Elder Deni Leonard, a Native American leader, a community leader who has fought against injustices so that everyone can live in decency and dignity.

The Native American population is the legacy of San Francisco. I ask you to accept the nomination of Deni Leonard and grant the status of cultural legacy and do everything in your power to ensure that he stays in his modest dwelling and stop the imminent threat of displacement so he can continue to make his outstanding contributions that benefit all of us.

Thank you for your consideration and swift action.

A Love Supreme, 

Archbishop King