Post-election 'Wall of Empathy' gets permanent home

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - The post-it protest in San Francisco will be getting a permanent home at the Jewish Community Center.

The JCC will be the recipient of more than 1,000 hand-written messages, reacting to the election of Donald Trump, and his divisive campaign rhetoric.

"At 7 a.m., there were five post-its and three of them were ours, and people were like, what are they doing?", organizer Tamilla Mirzoyeva told KTVU, "and now there are hundreds, and if you read them, they are beautiful, so heartwarming." 

Mirzoyeva and two friends launched the effort outside three BART stations during Monday morning's commute, providing pens and colorful post-its to stick on what they dubbed "Walls of Empathy."

By evening, the locations were plastered with colorful squares, and sentiments expresing anger, compassion, and determination.

At 24th Street and Mission, 15-year-old Jennifer Lopez stopped to write "all lives matter" on post-it.

"One person wrote every single one of these, and there's more than 100," Lopez marveled, "maybe some of my neighbors, or school-mates."   

Jennifer hasn't walked-out of school in protest, as some of her classmates did.

The walls are a form of protest too, not loud or large-scale, but intimate and contemplative.

"There was one I really liked, it said I hate you, but I love you, " organizer Melissa Goldman told KTVU. "We're seeing people showing love and empathy and care, and these are the people who normally walk right past on the subway."

Some feelings can't fit on a post-it. People are also leaving longer writings, poems, and art.

"Love wins in the end, not hate," read one man aloud.

It was his message, after a childhood that he says left him scarred from racism. 

"I've never cried over politicians, and I've cried twice, uncontrollably," said Chris Wang, "but we need to come together and unify. Not divide. Divide and conquer doesn't win in the end." 

Organizers note just taking pen to paper isn't enough by itself.

They hope this effort encourages connection, conversation, and civic involvement to defend the vulnerable. Putting deeds to words.

"For the first time in my life this past week, I had to block trolls on my Facebook," organizer Muriel MacDonald told KTVU.

Compared to social media, she says the low-tech paper and pen messages have been more healing than harsh. 

"We haven't had to take any posts down here, because people are kind in person. When you look someone in the eye, it's really hard to say hateful things."

Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what someone else is experiencing.

Some visitors to the displays stand and read, others take pictures, and many seem uplifted.

"Never give up, no pain, no gain. Bamba, my name," smiled a man who posted those words.

Organizers had planned to take the walls down Monday night, but the response has been so positive, they're going to leave them up through Tuesday, before turning the post-its over to the JCC.

The locations are Montgomery Street Station, 16th Street and Mission, and 24th Street and Mission.

Inspiration came from a New York artist who has been organizing "Therapy Walls" in the subways there for several months, allowing New Yorkers to vent.