The city is pushing to temporarily lease a Fillmore community center to a local organization previously connected to former Dream Keeper head Sheryl Davis, who is currently facing felony charges, and residents say they’ve had little input in the process.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is set to vote on a proposal that would transfer programming at the Fillmore District's historic Ella Hill Hutch Community Center to the local nonprofit, Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, for the next 13 months, as the Chronicle reports. As SFist previously reported, Ella Hill Hutch has been facing possible closure following the dissolution of its former operator, Collective Impact, which was also tied to the Dream Keeper scandal.

The deal, backed by Mayor Daniel Lurie, Supervisors Bilal Mahmood and Myrna Melgar, and several city agencies, would lease the Fillmore community center's facilities to Booker T for $1 while the city pays the nonprofit to run summer programming for neighborhood children.

“The services provided at Ella Hill Hutch are critical to Fillmore families and children,” said Kate Poltrack, a spokesperson for Lurie. “Through this agreement with Booker T Washington, the city and community partners are working together to ensure there’s no gap in services this summer and our kids are safe as they continue to access critical programming.”

Booker T executive director Shakirah Simley is reportedly closely connected with former Human Rights Commission director and Dream Keeper leader Sheryl Davis, who, along with Collective Impact director James Spingola, was charged in March in connection with the scandal, as SFist reported in March.

Prosecutors allege Davis steered public money through nonprofits she controlled or heavily influenced, including Collective Impact, while using tactics like splitting invoices to avoid oversight. A city audit last year identified roughly $4.6 million in questionable spending tied to Davis and the organizations connected to her.

Davis has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges, including misappropriation of public funds and perjury. Spingola has not yet entered a plea.

Per the Chronicle, Simley previously worked under Davis at the Human Rights Commission before leaving to lead Booker T. Prosecutors also identified Booker T as one of the organizations Davis allegedly exercised influence over, though they stopped short of accusing the nonprofit itself of wrongdoing.

According to SF Bay View, many Fillmore residents say they’ve been shut out of the decision-making process and oppose turning the center over to another organization connected to the same network of people tied to Dream Keeper.

Residents say they repeatedly asked city officials to involve the community in decisions about the future of Ella Hill Hutch but felt ignored as the lease agreement moved forward. They also raised concerns about a lack of community oversight under the proposed arrangement. At a recent meeting, Simley reportedly said Booker T would make decisions about the direction of the center internally, without expanding its board or creating additional community input structures, per SF Bay View.

Some parents reportedly described the transition process as feeling like a “hostile takeover,” while others said they felt pressured to accept the proposal out of fear the center could lose summer programming and youth services altogether.

The Reverend Doctor Amos C. Brown, pastor emeritus of Third Baptist Church, also criticized Simley’s connection to the neighborhood, saying she has not built meaningful relationships within the Fillmore community.

“She aspires to this position in the community, but she is not connected with it,” said Brown. “She has not communicated with people nor demonstrated a sense of the history of this community or any knowledge of the collective values that truly make for strong minority communities.”

Meanwhile, some residents have instead voiced support for Youth 1st founder Renard Monroe, who they say has spent months attending neighborhood meetings and meeting directly with families about the future of the center. Monroe, who has been operating Youth 1st for over 25 years, said decisions about Ella Hill Hutch should come through the community.

“Ella Hill Hutch is a community space that needs to be held in community,” Monroe said. “That means having a genuine community process to determine its direction.”

City officials and supporters of the lease have argued the timeline is urgent, warning delays could jeopardize summer jobs for local teens, free childcare for families, and violence prevention programming ahead of the summer months.

Previously: Ella Hill Hutch Community Center Facing Closure, as City Cuts Off Funding After Nonprofit Spending Scandal

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