MEET MANUEL NORIS-BARRERA ASSEMBLY 2024
"I BELIEVE THAT A TSUNAMI OF DISASTROUS EVENTS ARE COMING AT US AND WE ARE WASTING TIME DECIDING BETWEEN A BLUE OR RED BIKINI!”
I came to San Francisco more than 30 years ago— a young man full of energy, hopes, and dreams. This was the land of opportunity that everyone talked about—the land of innovations, the land of the free. Anyone who work and try hard enough will achieve the American Dream.
Like many other immigrants, I had no skills, tools, or guidance of where to start my life in America. I also had many jobs from dishwashing, busboy, bartender, to working my way up as restaurant manager. Now I’m an entrepreneur and business owner.
After I came back from some time living in Spain, I have found the city of San Francisco has changed. Despite all the fundings, many social programs did not seem to work. There are more and more people on the street with drugs and mental health problems. On top of crimes and vandalisms, city regulations make it hard for small businesses to survive. More hidden taxes, fees, and cost of living caused an exodus of the middle class. Americans seem to have lost confidence in the “American Dream”. There exists a sentiment of shame and doubt about being an “American.”
I love San Francisco, I love being an American. It breaks my heart to see the next generation having the wrong idea about our country and the wrong path it’s steering into. I want to rebuild our pride of being who we are—the land of the brave and the free thinkers.
"THE ONLY THING NECESSARY FOR THE TRIUMPH OF EVIL IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING"
Edmund Burke.