Connect with us

Featured

49ers Stadium Construction Excludes Black Contractors, Say Protesters

Published

on

An hour before the San Francisco 49ers were set to take the field against the Green Bay Packers in the opening home game of the 49ers NFL 2013 season at Candlestick Park, over 150 Black contractors held a protest against he 49ers’ hiring practices for the building of the new Levi’s football stadium in Santa Clara, which is set to open next year.

< p>With signs stating “Shame on Levis,” and “Black Players Yes, Black Contractors No,” a consortium of groups called “United For Justice” marched from Executive Park Street to the front entrance of Candlestick. The contractors, representing firms from San Francisco to San Jose, held a rally at Gilman Park, directly across the street from Candlestick, to raise awareness of how the new 49er stadium is being built.

“We want the public to be aware of the facts that Black and other minority contractors have received approximately 1.6 percent of the contract dollars for the new stadium,” said Everett Glen, of the National Sports Authority, a non-profit that seeks to help level the playing field in sports through advocacy, education and entrepreneurial development.

“That’s not right and things need to change,” he said. “They couldn’t find Black contractors to help build a stadium, in which over 50 percent of the team playing in that stadium will be Black,” said Fred Jordan, head of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce.

Of the $1.5 billion spent on the new 49er stadium, Black contractors received only $25 million. Among those supporting the protest were Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of Third Baptist Church and head of the San Francisco NAACP; members of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce; and the Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce.

The lead developers for the 49ers stadium are New York based Turner Construction and Milpitas-based Devcon Construction. Glen said that besides the lack of Black contractors working on the billion-dollar project, the entire process regarding the awarding of the contract was not ethical.

“They did not have an open bid on this project, and they are using some tax payer money to build the 49ers Stadium in Santa Clara,” continued Glen. “Even if they aren’t using any public money, they are using our kids, Black players to play. They are driving the revenue.”

Clifton Burch, head of Empire Engineering and Construction Inc., a San Francisco-based construction company, called the bidding process by Turner Construction, a “backdoor move.”

“The 49ers and Turner Construction did not have an open public bid,” said Burch. “It was a negotiated contract. There were no subcontracting or local hiring goals. By the time we found out about what happened, the stadium was halfway built.”

As a result of Proposition 209, the anti-Affirmative Action law passed by California voters in 1996, most public contracts have to be “color-blind” and not use race when it comes to awarding contracts. But contractors can use small business or local hiring laws to hire subcontracting companies, which Burch says needs to be used by the 49ers and their stadium developers.

“They need to give us a piece of the work,” added Burch.

“Set local hiring goals and reach them.” Added Glen, “It is the right thing to do. The New York Giants/Jets MET Life stadium in New Jersey had close to 25 percent minority contracting and participation, and that was a privately funded stadium. It’s all about fairness.”

In the next few years, several stadium projects are slated to take place in California, including a proposed Sacramento Kings stadium in downtown Sacramento, a new Warriors Arena in San Francisco and a possible A’s Stadium in either Oakland or San Jose.

“We are watching the process to see how the money is going to be spent,” said Glen. “We are going see how the process plays its self out.”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

#NNPA BlackPress

let it be known news updated

Published

on


Continue Reading

#NNPA BlackPress

Headlines & Hot Topics w/J.Anthony Brown

Headlines & Hot Topics w/J. Anthony Brown. Stacy Brown is on hiatus today. Join the conversation with Niele and J. Anthony.

Published

on


Headlines & Hot Topics w/J. Anthony Brown. Stacy Brown is on hiatus today. Join the conversation with Niele and J. Anthony.

Continue Reading

#NNPA BlackPress

Sit In

Cory Booker and Hakeem Jeffries sit in on Capitol steps over GOP budget plan. Hot Topics and Headlines 🎙️ New to streaming …

Published

on


Cory Booker and Hakeem Jeffries sit in on Capitol steps over GOP budget plan. Hot Topics and Headlines 🎙 New to streaming …

Continue Reading

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the Oakland Post

* indicates required

CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE OAKLAND POST

ADVERTISEMENT

WORK FROM HOME

Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540

Facebook

Trending

Copyright ©2021 Post News Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.