by Kevin Madrigal
I park in the Mission always looking out for “no parking” and “no stopping” signs on my way to work. Today I walk past the Centro Latino de San Francisco and notice one sign, adorned. In bright red letters on a white background it says “No Stopping” and hanging just a couple feet down from its text La Bandera Mexicana El tri color Mexicanos y latinos unidos En la Misión They put up signs that say we can't stop here we're supposed to continue on our way. What happens when entire cities have signs posted subtext reading "You're not welcome here. Keep moving.” We fight with resilience. We make home on the sidewalk. And use "no parking" signs to Hold up flags that welcome our neighbors to say: "We were here before these signs and we will stay until we have replaced them with our own"
