Help rebuild Liberation Center after major fire!

Help rebuild the Liberation Center after a devastating two-alarm fire!

Dear Friends, Comrades, and Supporters of the Mission Liberation Center,

An early morning fire on Thursday, Sept. 14 caused massive damage to our offices & Liberation Center on Mission Street in San Francisco. It appears that the fire started in the lot next to our building, turned into a two-alarm blaze, and took 70+ firefighters more than three hours to extinguish it. Thanks to their skill and courageous action our building was not completely destroyed. But it will take at least several months to restore it to use. We are awaiting an investigation and assessment of what if any of the contents – our several-thousand-book library, a very large collection of historical materials, computers, and other office equipment, etc.– is salvageable (see photos below for a sense of the damage).

This disaster occurred just as we were in the midst of reconstructing and refurbishing the building, painting the main meeting room, installing a new ramp, doors, and entryway for disabled persons, as well as redoing the storefront windows and the marquee.

Multiple organizations are now using our office for activities and we were in the process of formally launching the Mission Liberation Center. Such centers are now operating in cities across the country. That will of course have to be put on hold.

The loss of the use of our building for an extended period of time creates a serious problem for carrying out our work, but we have no intention of being sidelined. From opposing the blockade of Cuba and providing critically needed humanitarian aid, to support for the many labor struggles taking place coast-to-coast, to resisting the U.S. war drive against Russia and China, to fighting toxic racism in the Bayview, and much more, we will continue our work on vital international, national, and local issues.

We are asking everyone who values our work to express your solidarity at this time of greatest need. While many of the costs of repair will be covered by insurance, not everything will. We need your help to repair the Liberation Center as soon as possible.

Please spread the word and help us re-open & rebuild as quickly as possible!

In struggle,

Mission Liberation Center