Hunter stands in the Tenderloin National Forest.
I’m excited to join the Tenderloin Community Benefit District (TLCBD) as Director of Inviting Space. I’m joining a passionate team that is working to evolve the Tenderloin into a vibrant community for all. The Tenderloin’s public spaces and parks offer a unique opportunity to bring people together to enjoy the neighborhood, connect with neighbors, and celebrate culture. I’m looking forward to working closely with residents and local organizations to create deep investment from those that live here in their public spaces.
I first got to know the Tenderloin when I moved to San Francisco in 2012. In a world and city where disconnection, fear and isolation are on the rise, I discovered a place where people say hello to each other just to say hello. Where kindness and laughter fill the air. Where people support and care for each other. Where others saw only despair and struggle, I saw hope, beauty, and possibility. I saw it in the families walking home together, in the colorful murals on the walls, in the smiles of strangers.
Inspired by these people and stories, I launched the Neighborhood Postcard Project in 2013, in which I collected positive stories of the TL and mailed them on postcards to random people in other SF neighborhoods to promote neighborhood pride and combat negative stereotypes. Over the seven years since then, I’ve been working as a community-based artist, creating projects here in San Francisco and around the country. I’m excited to combine learnings from past work with my love for this neighborhood.
I believe that the Tenderloin’s public spaces offer a unique opportunity to build connection and community, and I look forward to serving this neighborhood and working with residents, organizations, and you, to make the Tenderloin’s public spaces inviting for all to use.
Sincerely,
Hunter Franks
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