OPINION

Sometimes winning is not all it's cracked up to be. Such is the case with the recent settlement in the almost two-year battle against alleged racial discrimination at the popular Castro nightspot Badlands.

For those who came in late: A year and a half ago, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission concluded that the bar discriminated against African Americans and others in carding policies and hiring practices. Pickets became regular occurrences outside the establishment last summer, as the queer antiracist group And Castro 4 All (AC4A), which I was part of, called for a boycott. Mayor Gavin Newsom eventually jumped into the fray, urging both sides to come to the table. He asked former mayor Willie Brown to act as mediator. That mediation eventually produced a settlement, the terms of which are confidential. AC4A attorney Julius Turman told the San Francisco Chronicle the agreement will produce "a campaign that expresses openness and awareness about different folks who live in and frequent the Castro."

As vocalist Peggy Lee used to sing, "Is that all there is?" Five months of weekly Saturday night picketing and all we got is a lousy PR campaign. Of course, we achieved much more. The organizing that happened after complainants came forward drew worldwide attention to a problem that has existed in the queer community since long before I came out.

The Badlands protests drew 75 to 100 demonstrators week after week. Those folks included civil rights leaders, local politicians, union members, tenants' rights advocates, and others. Nearly 30 of us testified before the Entertainment Commission in favor of a suspension of Les Natali's entertainment license. The commission ultimately took no action. It didn't matter. Nothing deterred our incredible energy and movement until Natali agreed to mediate and a decision was made to end the pickets. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

It was the same mistake queer-youth shelter advocates made a few years ago. In the dot-com boom of the late '90s, more and more queer youth were ending up on the streets because of soaring rents. A group of activists, myself included, fought for a homeless youth shelter in the Castro. A site was eventually secured. We knew it was merely a Band-Aid on the real problem, which was the lack of affordable housing, but we rejoiced at the fact that we had built a safety net for those among us who most desperately need it. When the shelter doors opened, all of us packed up and went away. The problem of homelessness and lack of affordable housing didn't.

Similarly, racism will not go away because Natali and complainants have signed a settlement. The fight must go on. But how? It seems to be a perennial problem with the left: We mobilize, score a victory of some sort, then go home, only to reinvent the wheel the next time around. Racism is too important an issue to drop the ball until the next Badlands. We need to reignite the struggle. The big question is, how do we do that now? The tone of the media coverage of the settlement is that everything is hunky-dory; the problem has been solved.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Tommi Avicolli Mecca