San Francisco’s Board of Appeals has granted LGBTQ advocates the right to challenge the continued operation of a for-profit reentry facility run by private prison giant GEO Group at 111 Taylor Street—the site of the historic 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot.
According to SFGate, the current use for 111 Taylor Street, the site of the historic 1966 Compton's Cafeteria Riot, as a halfway house has drawn fierce criticism from a group of local activists called Compton’s x Coalition who argue it desecrates the site’s legacy. The site is currently owned by GEO Group, which also operates ICE detention centers nationwide, including the facility where Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on Friday. GEO Group has faced civil rights complaints over its Taylor Street facility, including during the COVID-19 lockdown when the center was accused of overcrowding and unsafe conditions.
A zoning determination issued in January classified the site as “group housing,” shielding GEO’s operations from further scrutiny. Architect and organizer Chandra Laborde missed the window to appeal but successfully convinced the Board that the city’s opaque and inadequate notification process had effectively shut the public out. Commissioners unanimously ruled to allow her a late appeal, calling the situation “extraordinary.”
Public commenters testified about the facility’s inadequacies and the distress caused by having incarcerated family members there. “My father was incarcerated in 111 Taylor in 2024,” said Cherry Javier, a local city worker. “I can personally attest to this not being a group home.”
If local advocates' appeal is successful, it could compel GEO to undergo a public permitting process involving hearings, community input, and the possibility of permit denial, potentially setting a precedent for greater community oversight of carceral facilities. Advocates hope this opens a path for community-led efforts to reclaim and repurpose the building as a space honoring queer resistance.
“This is just the beginning,” said activist Ezra Reaves at a celebratory press conference after the vote. “We’re going to continue to fight for the preservation of this legacy.”
Related: Compton's Cafeteria Site Receives Two Official Historic Landmark Designations
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