Though in the SF Bay Area, we’ve seen a litany of small to large scale unrests awaken in the light of the brutal police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others. These protests have sprung other conversations about race, sexual identity, childcare, healthcare—the list goes on.
And much like the Bay Area does, there are few who lead the charge. Our Class Of 2020 honors and highlights examples who began to further change—whether it’s through their work, day-to-day, or digitally.
Every week (specifically Monday and Friday), we will be highlighting two of our seven Class Of 2020 and inducting them into our master guide of locals who trail blaze in the Bay Area.
But Juanillo found himself in a situation where a Karen has decided to confront him about his chalk declaration on his home. The incident was recorded and posted to Twitter where the clip took off like wildfire. Finding out who the Karen was (along with her husband), getting them both removed from their respective jobs, and had now made Juanillo’s name associated to that moment in time. Juanillo, however, is beyond a small incident—he has hopes, dreams, aspirations, a loving partner, fur babes, and business he cares deeply about.
Juanillo finds himself now at the intersection of finally moving past the unfortunate viral moment and getting back into his day-to-day as a passionate dog walker and sitter business. A business that has truly become an interweaved part of his community and himself.
We spoke to Juanillo for our Class Of 2020 about his passions for the little guy (whether person or dog), what his future plans are, and what he wants to say that the other media outlets did not report on.
To begin the interview, we want to mention that our entire team nominated you as a part of our Class Of 2020! Tell us a bit about you that otherwise we wouldn’t know. How long have you been in San Francisco, etc.
I’m a son of San Francisco, Originally born in Manila, PI in 1970. Immigrated to NYC when I was 2 years old. My Mother and Father settled in Astoria, New York. It was a predominantly black neighborhood in the 1970’s. Richard Nixon’s racist policies and the effects of being an oppressed community showed. It would have been impossible to immerse a first generation immigrant family into that pool of racism and expect them to emerge unscathed. I might be a first generation American, but I am no stranger to growing up in a racially divided America.
You’re quite well known from the recent press surrounding your Twitter encounter—though it was a few months ago, how has everything been since? In hindsight, what have you learned from your experience?
My life has been remarkably different since “The Event”. Partially due to Covid-19 Quarantine and the effects it had on a “Luxury Based” business model like mine, I’ve taken the summer off, to stay safe and expand my business for 2021.
In hindsight, I would say I learned that I was well loved in my various communities. The SF Dog Walker Community. The Pacific Heights Residents Association. The St. Ignatius Alumni Club. The Pride Committee and Real Bad Hosts. You don’t know, necessarily, where you stand in life until the world takes a microscope to your life and the people that know you best uplift, support and testify for you.
But not only did you stand your ground, you had salient points to make about forgiveness and grace—how do you stand today with what the encounter showed you?
That you should be always willing to forgive, if the apology is grounded in action and remedy. And don’t be shy about asking for a meaningful apology, if that’s what someone wants to offer you. Saying “I’m sorry” over a coffee might be fine for friends and a misunderstanding. If you’re going to call the police on a man reacting to seeing the death of another person of color on TV, you may want to have a more substantive apology.
Is there anything you want to say or mention about the encounter from your point of view that wasn’t covered in the press?
Yes. The overwhelming “defense” of the couple’s behavior is that she was “polite. respectful. calm”. While many people found it condescending and cloying. I found it to be a code-switch. Before I came up recording, I found her tone to be shorter, colder, more authoritative. When she was aware that she too was “on camera”, she became the Stepford Wife of Pleasantville. Her self-awareness about being taped triggered her to “act” like a concerned citizen. When really, they could not square why I was willing to talk to the authorities, and thereby encouraging them to do what they wanted to do as soon as they saw me stenciling Black Lives Matter, call the Police.
But aside from that moment, you’re an avid dog lover and a champion for the fur babies, tell us more about what you do at Pack Heights?
Gladly. Pack Heights is my dog walking and boarding company servicing Pacific Heights. I took the often truncated nick name locals use for the hood, added a K as in K-9, and Pack Heights was born, in 2014! I’m a micro-localized small business that caters to a handful of select clients that live in Pacific Heights. I do daily group walks, private walks and over night boarding. Before this event, I was the sole owner/operator. I may have to expand my business and take a more managerial role, but I’ll always enjoy the fact that I’m a professional pet lover!
You make your business feel like an extension of family to the dogs and their owners, why did you want to bring that level of comfortability to what you do?
Dog walking is a VERY personal business. I do not know many people I trust with daily access to my home, much less then entrust with the family’s most innocent member’s care. You see a family grow, right before your eyes.
What’s the most rewarding part of doing what you do? Is it the interactions with the dogs, making connections with owners, or is it something grander than that?
Being my Own Boss. Being able to keep my word. Being in control of how much I work and who I work with. Being able to resist the racism and homophobia I found in the corporate world. Being able to control my own fate. Being able to actually enjoy the work I do. Being able to know work is done when work is done, that I don’t take work home. And that I use every hat/every skill, I acquired in a lifetime of work experience, everyday as a Small Business Owner.
Is there a memorable moment in your work that made you think “yes, this is exactly what I want to do.”?
Yes! I’m the only dog walker I know who has actually had to perform CPR on a dog/client and successfully revived the tea cup terrier named Scout back to life. I had taken the CPR course to fulfill my Emergency Training, but had no idea I would have to put it to use, the first year I walked dogs. Convinced me I was an excellent dog walker and cemented my reputation on the trail!
Can you tell us one moment from your past that threw you off the tracks (a comment by someone, a barrier you couldn’t overcome, etc) and how did you pick yourself up and continue to carry on? Or if you didn’t, what were your key takeaways from that particular interaction?
Early on, I was looking for a dog walking company where I could gain experience and learn the ropes for my own benefit. I decided to go with the dog walking company that seemed to have a huge fleet of vehicles, a catchy, urban, company name and a couple of young, white owners. We negotiated a lateral move from my previous dog walking company where I cut my teeth and earned my solid reputation. I thought I was just trading bosses, making the same amount of money, but with a company that could accommodate my vacations, and occasional doctor visits and sick days. I thought I was trading up, even if I didn’t want more money. Within the first few weeks of employment, one of the owners loses one of her dogs in her pack while I happen to be in the same parking lot in the same dog park handling my own pack.
She panics at the loss of the beagle, and focuses her frustration on me. Suddenly, I’m not responding quickly enough to her “panic button” because I need to secure the dogs I’m actually responsible for keeping safe. She harangues me for being “slow to respond” to correcting her mistakes. Now the dog was eventually found, but it was up to me to repair the new relationship dynamic I had just created with my boss. She knew I was not the type of employee who would be obsequious to her. I would be her employee, but I would not be her servant. This is an uncomfortable place to find yourself with your new boss in your first week. I worked for her for three years. It motivated me from that day forward to be my own boss, to create my own company, where I would decide what’s fair. Haven’t looked back since!
When do you feel the most powerful? Is it moments of standing up for what you believe in or something smaller like completing small tasks?
I feel the most powerful when I do what I say. If I say I’m going to college. I make it happen. The most powerful moment in my life is when I was 18 and opened up that acceptance letter to University. If I say I’m going to work for a world class company, I get hired by Microsoft. If I say I’m going to make a life and find a family in the Gay Mecca, I do. If I decide I’m going to be the Captain of my own ship, I’ll make my own LLC and start my own company. Being true to yourself is the ultimate use of power. What do you want to say to all of the young and mature people of color who want to chase their dreams but feel like they don’t have access nor the voice to resources? Re-focus your dreams, keep the big picture tapestry as your vision, but concentrate on the small, manageable, task you can complete today. The mountain doesn’t get climbed if all you see is how far the peak remains. Baby steps. Small victories. Daily diligence. Build your Future if you can’t buy it.
Who do you champion?
I champion Black Leadership Voices in America like Shaun King. We need to listen to the Black Community in America. Especially Now.
// Feature Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle.
