Mission Mission

It was just about quitting time in the dusty Mission Mission offices when the bossman smacked this photo on my desk.

I was just about to type the final period to wrap up the case of a missing bike lock, but now this new mystery sat in the middle of my cluttered desk. I looked up at Allan. The late afternoon sun cut across his face, shading his eyes and illuminating the old unlit cigar butt that he had been chewing on since he staggered in that morning.

“What do you make of this?” he grumbled. “I caught it on my way back from lunch with a tipster. I don’t think anyone saw me take the picture, I’m good at looking like I’m just texting.”

“Yeah, you’re the best. That’s how you got where you are.” I mumbled, thinking about a carne asada burrito at El Farolito that had my name on it. It had been a long day, lots of commenters to quibble with, and I wanted to get out.

“Well, do what you do. I’ll be at Benders, in my booth. Bring it over when you’re done.” He popped the rest of the cigar into his mouth and swallowed, hard. Then he grabbed his hoodie and walked out the door.

Andrew, Vic and the rest were probably already at Benders. I was alone in the office. The sounds of Mission Street filled the darkening room. I sighed, reaching deep into my desk and pulling out a flask. I took a long pull of whisky as I switched on my green glass desk lamp. “This won’t end well,” I muttered to myself. I got to work. An hour later this was staring back at me:

Where this case goes from here is anyone’s guess.

The sun is back, people.

It was a Dan Plasma Tiger piece for a while, then it got turned into a group piece, now, not two months later, Plasma takes it back. How long will this one last?

At Pancho Villa.

(thanks Sharon!)

Oh yeah, and free coffee.

3614 18th Street, near Guerrero.

Well, he does make a strong argument.

Motorcycle outside The Zeitgeist.

The placement of this logo is so inspiring. What do you see?

In the bathroom at Dalva/The Hideout.

Previously: Pupgate, And there are also flowers.

[pic from @PhilBronstein]

The former Chronicle editor paints a dark picture of The Mission in his new column on SFGate, saying about violence allegedly perpetrated by local MS-13 members, “If they don’t shoot straight, though, the next news story might be about you.” He goes through the current MS-13 trial, commenting on their Disney-esque nicknames, Tweety, Spooky, Goofy and Droopy, while just two months ago he patrolled our streets on a serious mission with Guardian Angels like Scorpion, Puma, Robo Cop and Maverick.

We all know there is a violence problem in our neighborhood. A lot of us just live with it, hoping we don’t get caught in the above mentioned crossfire. But like I said before, it’s our neighborhood, we do have a responsibility to look out for each other. I can appreciate that Mr. Bronstein wants us to understand the gravity of the situation, but I feel like the harshness of the language (like the title, right out the gate, The murderous gangs that stalk the Mission) creates a sense of a divide, when in fact we’re all living with it, those of us that live here. The divide is real, I don’t pretend to think that MS-13 members meet up in Bar Bambino or stop by Self Edge for some new jeans. I guess I just tend to think that it’s more helpful when speaking to a broad audience to speak in a way that seems to head towards a better understanding, rather than fear.

I agree that people who perpetuate violence aren’t “charming and colorful piece[s] of the neighborhood tapestry, like the murals on Balmy Alley”, but separating them from the rest of the people who live here, and preventing more people from turning to violence, isn’t as easy as any of us would like to think. No matter where we want to draw the divide, the fact is that we all influence each other, and solving these problems is an ongoing process.