Subject: My report on demonstration at UCSF AIDS programs
From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 02:12:50 EDT

August 9, 2000

Dear friends:

Despite a quote in the Bay Area Reporter saying that he would both greet me 
and present me with roses, Jeff Sheehy, the communications director for 
UCSF's AIDS Research Institute failed to do either on Monday, August 7 at 12 
noon.

As promised, I showed up at the 74 New Montgomery Street offices of UCSF's 
assorted AIDS prevention programs to hold a one hour picket and present 
UCSF's AIDS leaders with a bouquet of sunflowers symbolizing the need for 
openness on the part of the researchers. There were over fifteen uniformed SF 
police officers protecting the entrance and a dozen picketers, mainly from 
ACT UP SF. The cops said they were fine about my intentions for an outside 
picket, but I couldn't go in the building. A large warning about no 
trespassing on bright yellow paper was pasted to a side window.

Various reporters, photographers and cameramen from KPFA radio, KGO All Talk 
Radio, KPIX TV News, Bay TV News, the Bay Times, the Associated Press and the 
Advocate were starting to show up. The reporters asked questions about the 
HIV numbers and were up to speed about the ongoing controversy regarding the 
alleged increases. Many of them told me how they can't get call backs from 
the health department and UCSF.

At 12:15 PM a well dressed public relations director for UCSF whispered to 
the reporters that UCSF AIDS officials were ready to answer questions from 
reporters. I noticed the p.r. flack had given reporters a two page handout 
and asked for a copy. He declined to share one with me. Then he whisked the 
assembled media folks up into the building.

After twenty minutes the reporters filtered back out on the street and asked 
me questions.

"They say you received all the data you requested. Why are you still 
demonstrating?"

"It simply is not true that UCSF has released evidence backing up its claims 
of nearly 1,000 new HIV infections in San Francisco. A glance at the UCSF 
CAPS web site is all one needs to see UCSF promises data and roses, but does 
not deliver," I explained as I held up the sunflower bouquet for better 
impact.

"We need Sheehy and UCSF to adhere to AIDS sunshine principles, especially if 
what they allege about HIV surges is true. If HIV is up, then where are the 
public meetings and actions plans to deal with coming doom? Since UCSF 
researchers may fear meeting with the gay community, I suggest they use the 
web to disseminate their evidence and contracts and salaries. UCSF AIDS 
programs have great sites, but they lack the information I think we all need 
readily available," I said.

The reporters posed one or two general questions about my web site 
AIDS-Statistics.com before heading back to their respective offices to file 
stories. I read someone's copy of the UCSF two page response but never got my 
own copy. I found the p.r. flack's unwillingness to give me a copy truly 
indicative of UCSF policies regarding releasing info.

Much to my delight all of the newscasts treated the story seriously and gave 
me quite a leg to stand on, so to speak. The TV coverage included footage of 
ACT UP SF with signs rejecting UCSF claims of HIV surges, shots of me holding 
sunflowers under my chin as I call for release of fiscal and scientific info 
from UCSF, and then shots of multicolored block numbers swirling in the wind, 
inches above the sidewalk. But nothing on TV of UCSF spokespersons. Only one 
media outlet, KPFA radio in Berkeley, included comments from Thomas Coates, 
director of CAPS at UCSF. However, his voice was rather muffled and hard to 
hear with clarity, which may have been due to the audio equipment.

I did not expect any press attention for my sunflower event. C'mon, it is 
almost two months since the Chronicle printed allegations of HIV skyrocketing 
and you have a grassroots activist complaining against the big university. 
Yawn. Who cares, right? To have media outlets on both the mainstream and 
alternative ends of the journalistic spectrum show up and turn my complaint 
into a news story proves this story has legs.

If you live in San Francisco, please come to Tom Ammiano's hearing at City 
Hall at 11:00 am today, August 9, for the finance committee meeting of the 
board of supervisors. Remember that members of the public usually get three 
minutes of public comment time to give their views on matters of importance 
before the committee. And if you can't be there, but you have cable access in 
SF, the meeting will be broadcast live on The City's cable station channel 26.

Show up, or tune in, OK? Thanks.

Michael Petrelis
 <A HREF="http://www.aids-statistics.com/">Welcome to AIDS-STATISTICS</A>
www.AIDS-statistics.com 
2215-R Market Street, #413
San Francisco, CA 94114