Mission Mission

In regards to our previous reporting on claims of a violent sexual assault on 19th and Capp Streets last weekend, the San Francisco Police Department have released a statement addressing possible similarities to another reported incident, as well as follow through. Here is the full statement:

Community Crime Prevention Advisory.

SFPD has identified the victim of a possible sexual assault which was first reported in a local news journal. The assault, which allegedly occurred in the early morning of hours of Monday, June 18, 2012, near 19th Street and Capp Street, was never reported to the Police Department. An investigation into the incident was initiated after Inspectors from the Special Victims Unit interviewed the author of the “Mission Local” article.

Investigators looking into the June 18th incident have discovered some similarities between the previously unreported incident, and a separate attempted sexual assault case, which was reported to police on June 15th and occurred just five blocks away. On June 15, 2012 on Erie Alley near 13th Street, a woman was approached from behind by two men who grabbed her from behind and attempted to sexually assault her.

In both incidents, the women were assaulted by two men, one short, possibly 5’-04” and the other taller, about 5’-10”. The men were described as being a Hispanic and an African American, or two Hispanic males.

Additional investigative personnel have been assigned to determine if there is any actual connection between these two incidents and Mission Police Station has increased patrols in the area.

The San Francisco Police Department is requesting that anyone having information on either of these incidents contact the SFPD by calling: the Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip via your mobile phone to TIP411 and type SFPD followed by your message. To report a life threatening emergency or crime in progress, call 911.

Also, via Uptown Almanac, here is a tip sheet that officers have handed out.

In addition, Maria tells us that San Francisco Women Against Rape is running a drop in & billingual Spanish/English free Self Defense Workshop at The Women’s Building this Thursday from 5-8 PM. If you have questions, SFWAR can be reached at (415) 861-2024.

We appreciate the commenters who have participated in the discussion by sharing personal stories, offering advice, gathering information and seeking to help the victim and survivors in general find healing, as well as to prevent future attacks.

No matter what the details are surrounding this particular incident, the fact remains that these kinds of crimes do happen. Without resorting to a response that could do more harm, such as racial profiling or excessive fear and paranoia, we hope that people will continue to look out for themselves and each other. As we see in the discussions that have arisen, an attack like the one detailed in our previous post can have an affect on all of us. It should not be minimized. It should not be acceptable. We hope for closure and healing for any victim, and hope to move forward together as a stronger community.

Additional reporting at The SF Appeal, Mission Local and SFist.

Right before I snapped this I walked past two kids having a water balloon fight on the sidewalk just outside the park on Hoff. One of their balloons missed its intended target and hit the ground, splattering me a little, but mostly spraying an unmarked police car rolling through the alley. The kid who had successfully dodged the shot said “Whoa dude, you hit a cop!” The plain clothed officer said “Watch out.” and rolled on. I thought to myself, way to be vigilant, small child.

It was so hot in the neighborhood this Saturday. How hot was it? Well, I sat in a window booth at a bar and tried to capture it by drawing various hot feeling guys as they walked by. It’s possible I embellished a bit for effect.

Friday night, with the shops closed, and while other people socialized in bars or at parties, a few of us walked the streets like creeps and browsed some promising future shopping opportunities. I now present to you:

THE MASK

Now you can dress like the titular character of the 1994 Jim Carrey film, based on the comic book of the same name! Somebody stop you! They can’t!!

THE BOOTY

Now you can have the booty you’ve always wanted, with cheeks clenched tight enough to turn a lump of coal into a diamond!

THE WATCHMEN

Now you can watch yourself watch a tiny monitor that displays a live feed of you squinting into an empty storefront to see what the hell is on the tiny monitor on the ground at the far side of the bare floor!

So much fun to be had out there!

[pic by Hélène Goupil]

Mission Local has a write up about last night’s meeting with Supervisor David Campos, local business owners and residents. The owner of La Victoria Bakery wants to turn it into “a Latino-themed lounge and a coffee bar,” and Elixir’s owner wants to expand the 150+ year old bar into a space next door.

There are a whole lot of places to go to in the Mission if you’re looking to get drunk. Would a few more really make more people drink more alcohol? Maybe they would, and for many people from other neighborhoods an evening in the Mission means they’ll be staggering home by the end of the night.

Why is it so crucial to so many businesses that they be able to sell alcohol? Besides the markup, wouldn’t it be nice to think that there could be a thriving restaurant, bakery or foods store that just didn’t happen to have any alcohol? Dosa claimed that they needed to have hard liquor to stay in business on Valencia, and the city agreed. In the case of the corner stores, it really just seems like booze is what drives people in and makes sure they spend a lot more than if they just wandered out with a pack of gum. Considering the high rents in the neighborhood it makes sense that you can’t run a business on gum sales.

Are these businesses offering good enough times without alcohol? Or maybe the question is do they offer something that is greatly enhanced with it, and missing something without it? Would you go bowling if there was no liquor or even beer? Oh, and by the way, have you ever seen a movie . . . on booze?! You would probably go eat a dinner without alcohol, but probably spend at least a third less.

The business owners may have a good point, but in the end I think the biggest issue is that nothing loosens a grip on the wallet like liquor. People will pay more for anything when it’s part of the package, and they’ll do it with much less hesitation. Just throw on some fancy words like “muddled” and “artisan” and you’re in business.

Seeing The Avengers again in an air conditioned movie theater? Waiting in line for Bi Rite Creamery? Walking the length of the city borders? Jumping off of a rope swing into the Russian River?

It’s gonna be hot again today. Hopefully you’re not stuck sweating it out in a cubicle.

Phew! The Fayes Video sign board once again brings us back from the brink of collapse. This time by solving the age-old question of how toilet paper hangs from its holder. There is a right way and a wrong way. And now we have the proof.

Thanks, Fayes. Specifically for the photo by Mike, of the drawing by Alfonso.

In the interest of disclosure, I worked at Fayes in the years leading up to and immediately following the turn of the century.

The greatness of the signboard previously appeared here, here and here.

The mural space on Bryant at 24th Street has changed again. Most likely as a reaction to somebody tagging over it.

Reader Rob sends in the above picture and says:

Stoned, Occupy-targeted caterpillar has morphed into a stripey-panted, kowtowing, piece of poo/penis. Never a dull moment around here.

Commenter Dolissa says that as a public art wall the space is already reclaimed from advertisers who used it as a vehicle for unwelcome messages:

In the 1970s Latino artists and activists took over a billboard with tobacco and alcohol ads because they felt it was harmful to the community. The took over the space and used it to create art.

So now we have this thing. Soon to be replaced/defaced by something else. Hopefully this is respected long enough for people to appreciate it. Hopefully the next thing adds value to what’s there now, but since that’s completely subjective there’s just no way everyone can be satisfied. I guess the best we can hope for is that anyone can get in their piece at some time and that everyone gets a chance to appreciate at least one incarnation in the rotation. Free, open and public space is valuable to our neighborhood (especially if you consider that an alternative might just be another corporate billboard), and it can be anything you want it to be, but you will inevitably be forced to compromise what you want to make room for what someone else wants. And no amount of challenging a participant’s aesthetic or motives will change that.

UPDATE: In the comments, Matthew points us to the history of the Digital Mural Project on this wall.

From 1954 to 1974 Lakeside Liquors was a little mom and pop shop at 2188 Mission Street. Local photographer Dave Glass/Dizzy Atmosphere grew up with the store as his actual mom and pop’s shop. He recently shared a shot of the exterior and surrounding Mission Street apparently taken in 1984.

[photo by Dave Glass]

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As the street generally looks nowadays. [Google Maps]

Dave’s got a ton of other great Mission photos on his Flickr page.