My guess is that everyone's heads were so buried in their work that they were only tangentially aware of how big of a deal this was. @extrabaggs detailed an awkward 30 seconds of silence in his piece https://theathletic.com/1374240/2019/11/13/the-gabe-kapler-era-in-san-francisco-will-begin-not-with-a-fresh-start-but-with-opening-old-wounds/ that indicates there was no razor-sharp response ready

Which kinda undercuts the we-talked-to-some-advocates-and-realized-how-we-screwed-up argument. Because if they had properly done that due diligence, they would have instantly had a better version of "That sucked. We learned from it. We should have learned more from it years ago."

Instead, it gave off a real, "Whoa. People are still furious. Be careful, let's think about how to approach this" vibe. The response should have been *locked* *down* a day before the press conference. (Maybe I'm wrong about that and reading too much into the pause, dunno.)

Anyway, I'm still thinking through all this, and I'm kind of a dullard who tends to think "I don't get the big deal" before someone explains why it's a big deal and thinking "Ah." I usually need help, so constructive criticism is welcome.

Farhan's two realizations felt right to me, though. Just late, and harder to stomach because of the sense that they're happening only because it's a big deal. What if it weren't a big deal?

Sorry about screwing up the flow of your timeline.