Here is a copy of a letter supporting San Francisco's messengers and 10-9 Day in S.F. And below it is the response from the Mayor's Office.

From Mercury Rising

October 11,1991

Mayor Art Agnos

City Hall Room 200

San Francisco, CA 94102

Dear Mayor Agnos

There exists within the City a unique group of individuals whose only function is to keep the wheels of commerce moving smoothly and efficiently. I'm referring to the bike messengers of San Francisco.

Day in and day out, our bike messengers speed information across the City, up it's hills and down its alleys, carrying the City's business on flashing wheels. Bike messengers are an integral part of the City's business machinery. Whether it's delivering vital documents or picking up the last available pair of tickets for a 49'ers game, bike messengers do it best with a daring bravado worthy of Robin Hood. They are true urban heroes, fiercely independent, always on the fringes of respectability, but scrupulously honest in the handling of their deliveries. These men and women put their lives on the line every day so that the business of the City can proceed uninterrupted.

As one of the few U.S. cities fortunate enough to have bike messengers, it is well past the time for San Francisco to honor them with their own special day. Let's devote one day to show the messengers - our colleagues - that their efforts are appreciated by those of us conducting business in San Francisco. Therefore, I urge you to create a Bike Messenger Appreciation Day to honor the hard work, dedication, and sheer style these people contribute to the City of San Francisco.

Sincerely,

Marilee Montgomery

Administrative Assistant

Ms. Marley Montgomery

Robert Mendelson & Associates, Inc.

2001 Union Street, Suite 630

San Francisco, California, 91123

Dear Ms. Montgomery

Thank you for letting me know about you support for San Francisco designating a special "Day" for saluting its colorful bicycle messengers. I agree that our bicycle messengers play a very special and important role in maintaining the flow of goods and information in our very busy city.

I certainly would consider issuing a city and county proclamation designating such a "Day" in their honor. In order for such a proclamation to be meaningful and gain citywide attention it would be helpful for bicycle messenger businesses, businesses they serve, or a group representing bike messengers to make an effort to identify an appropriate date. Then they could sponsor an event or series of events that could each year mark in a special way the celebration honoring the role of our bike messengers.

I look forward to hearing more about your proposal.

Sincerely

Art Agnos

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com