Toni Mendicino, one of the group's organizers, declines to state how many members exist, but says there are branches in New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and Melbourne, Australia. The members are socialists who go by the teachings of Marx and Trotsky and believe that America's capitalist system should be overturned and control given to the workers. If you thought all the radical thinkers in San Francisco had been banished by high rents and replaced by SUV-driving yuppies, think again. The first manifesto was a humble looking collection of mimeographed sheets stapled together that sold for 25 cents. It's a close-knit group.
Members greet each other with enthusiastic hugs denoting long friendships.
Ages vary widely, with many younger women among the group. After a presentation including Kato's speech, Mendicino thanks the volunteers who put the event together and the number of names seems longer than the actual number of people present. It was the best education I could have gotten. During a discussion with the group, Weever reveals her early socialist leanings. When she was a young girl she would play Monopoly with her grandmother.