Demonizing Don Fisher: Who's the real "monster"?

 

H. Brown is a typical San Francisco progressive: he often gets the facts wrong and makes little effort to get them right. Since SF progressives already know what's what and who the Bad Guys are, they don't need to do no stinking research. Warren Hellman used to be the primary Bad Guy in Brown's demonology, but now Don Fisher seems to have that dubious distinction. Brown just knows that Warren Hellman pulled a fast one on SF with that garage under the Concourse in Golden Gate Park. Never mind that he never had any facts to back that notion up. We're talking faith-based politics here. 

Similarly, Brown just knows that The Gap founder Don Fisher is up to some kind of villainy with his offer to give the city his extensive modern art collection and build a museum to house it in the Presidio. Why? Because, as every good progressive knows, Don Fisher and The Gap exploit workers in Third World countries, even, according to Brown, "literally chaining young girls to sewing machines in Asia and working them 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Google Donald Fisher and the Gap and slave labor and read for yourself...He uses slave labor just as the Nazis did."

I Googled those words and came up with different information. According to the Global Exchange website, The Gap and 18 other garment companies came to an agreement in 2002 about their overseas labor on Saipan, after a long struggle waged by organizations like Global Exchange.

Are they living up to that agreement? A Gap report linked by Global Exchange claims that they are, that more than 99% of the factories of their overseas contractors are inspected every year to ensure decent working conditions and labor practices.

What about slave labor and chaining girls to sewing machines? Brown doesn't bother to cite any sources for that charge, because he doesn't need evidence for his faith-based political perspective. Fisher not only supposedly uses Nazi-like labor practices to provide The Gap stores with garments, he's clear-cutting the forests of Mendocino County: "He and his sons are destroying the redwoods. Again, he could care less[sic] because they are making big money. One of his tricks is to log the ancient trees when he knows Forest Service guards are off work. He has clear-cutting rights for over 25% of Mendocino County."

"Forest Service guards"? Hard to tell what Brown has in mind here. Does he really think that California Department of Forestry (CDF) has "guards" in forests all across the state to make sure "ancient trees" aren't cut down? In fact CDF mostly manages state forests and processes Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) submitted by property owners who want to log their property: CDF enforces the laws that regulate logging on privately-owned lands in California. These laws are found in the Forest Practice Act (2.0MB PDF) which was enacted in 1973 to ensure that logging is done in a manner that will preserve and protect our fish, wildlife, forests and streams. And Mendocino Redwood Company (MRC), according to reliable reports, is making a good faith effort to practice sustainable logging on its 235,000 acres on the Northcoast.

Don Fisher has nothing to do with MRC, though the timberland on the Northcoast was bought with Fisher/Gap money. It was one of Fisher's sons who made that deal, not the old man. MRC has nothing at all to do with The Gap, beyond the origins of the money that founded the timber firm. So who is the real "monster" here? Don Fisher or H. Brown, who recklessly throws out charges about Nazis, slave labor and destroying redwood forests?

Donald Fisher is a monster

(http://sfbulldog.com/hBrown/)

H. Brown

Lest anyone forget. After a solid week of front page stories about what a great guy Newsom puppeteer, Donald Fisher is, I thought someone should set the record straight.

Fisher got rich using children as slave labor

He made billions literally chaining young girls to sewing machines in Asia and working them 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Google Donald Fisher and the Gap and slave labor and read for yourself. He paid millions in fines in over a dozen 3rd world countries but it didn’t matter because he made billions and he has no conscience. He uses slave labor just as the Nazis did.

He and his sons are destroying the redwoods

Again, he could care less because they are making big money. One of his tricks is to log the ancient trees when he knows Forest Service guards are off work. He has clear-cutting rights for over 25% of Mendocino County. When he joined the Bohemian Grove, he immediately made plans to log the ‘Grove’ and he’s strong-arming members who object.

He is destroying the air in San Francisco

Parking garages are big money and Fisher and his family can never have enough money. No matter if it costs you and your family their health. When the Mayor and the Board and the Planning Department and Commission approved a Downtown parking plan (C3 legislation) to restrict new garages and the resultant thousands of more cars, Fisher was able to force the Mayor to back down and overrule all of them. He’s doing it again with his ‘Neighborhood Parking’ (mostly more downtown garages) initiative on the November ballot. Just to make certain you realize it’s his idea, the legislation specifically says that any tree that gets in the way of any of his garages can be cut down. Also, bus stops that stand in the way of his profits must be moved. Also, bicycle lanes mean nothing. Newsom has rolled over on every single request from Fisher.

And, he’s busting teachers’ unions

He and Eli Broad and Warren Hellman have joined in a national effort to destroy community controlled schools and run them for profit. Locally, his KIPP schools are imbedded like a cancer in the SFUSD.

His kids got SF soccer fields as a gift

He and the Mayor and Aaron Peskin drove through legislation giving Fisher’s sons control of every public soccer field in San Francisco a few at a time. Presently, they control a half dozen or so of them. Their plan is to charge $150 an hour for the public to use the public’s fields.

Now, he wants the Presidio?

Hey, I’m anything but naïve and I know the butt already controls what happens there through the rubber-stamp honcho, Craig Middleton. But, as the Chronicle has been telling you for a week, Donald wants to build a huge building there full of his shitty art collection and control it through his family even after he’s burning in a richly-deserved Hell.

Why did the Chronicle tell you none of this?

Because Fisher’s Gap and Banana Republic and Old Navy empire spend millions yearly in advertising with the Chronicle. Losing money the way they are, they could hardly refuse.