Mission Mission

Really?  You’re raising the tuition again?  You guys remember what happened last time, right?  Granted, this is an 8% tuition hike rather than last year’s odious 32% increase, but that still makes student fees double what they were six years ago.  And on top of that, you’re increasing the number of “senior officials” making over $200k?!??

Oh, I know.  You’ve got to pay that much in order to remain competitive enough to attract the top administrative talent.  Sure, the same “talent” whose selfish decisions are gradually eroding one of the wonders of the modern world, the University of California system, in which any Californian could get a top-flight education no matter what their economic background?  Yeah, sure, they’ve got a proven track record.  OF FUCKING UP.

This has been your morning dose of BERKELEY RAGE.  Please enjoy the rest of your day.

At the Giants World Series street afterparty.

This evening at 6:30 at The Women’s Building queer folk and queer allies alike will be gathering in support of LGBTQQI* youth. In the words of the organizers:

6 youth across the country committed suicide in September after facing severe homophobic and transphobic bullying…that we know of…This is nothing new. And death and hatred has reminded us, yet again that we must build towards love and collective empowerment.

Rather than mourn, process, and ask questions in isolation we are asking for community to gather, reflect, share, and heal, but most importantly to take action together.

Queer youth in crisis can’t wait. How can we start making it better now? Please bring your ideas, resources, and most of all, an open mind and heart.

All ages, genders, and orientations welcome!

Their Facebook page is here. If you have any ideas or just want to show your support head over and join the conversation.

The Women’s Building is at 3543 18th Street.

*Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, and Intersex.

Did you get a chance to spend some time and chill out in one of those temporary parklets this past Friday?  If not, here’s a peek at what you missed at PARKing Day 2010.  [Disclaimer:  NO SAVESIES were used in the commandeering of these parking spots]

As expected, the longtime PARKing veterans in front of Lost Weekend and Ritual Coffee went all out with a 3-meter spot featuring a camping ground complete with a tent on top of real sod and a portable forest of potted plants.  Attention to detail such as the inclusion of a panda clinched a mention as one of the best parklets of the day.

Similarly, the fine folks at SPUR also created a parklet so kickin’ it probably would have qualified for their useful map of POPOS (Privately-Owned Public Open Spaces) had it been a permanent thing.

Despite the fact that not all the parklets were as thoughtfully orchestrated, that didn’t stop people from getting into the spirit of the day.  As this fellow proves, all you really needed was a swatch of AstroTurf and a juvenile tree.

(more…)

Do you want to protect your right to throw an alcoholic energy drink themed flash dance party in the park without being hassled by the po-po? Who doesn’t?

Well now is your chance to be heard in front of the people that make these decisions:

Dolores Park Works has organized a community meeting to discuss safety, law enforcement and 19th & Dolores has been set. The big day is just two days away, Wednesday, September 1st, from 6:00-8:00, at Mission High School cafeteria, which is located across from the tennis courts in Dolores Park (entrance to cafeteria off of Dolores & 18th).

We will be covering:

• 19^th & Dolores pedestrian safety & proposed changes
• Park patron safety and law enforcement

Get to work folks, you have about 30 hours to formulate a convincing argument about how we live in a police state and that NIMBYs are harshing your mellow, man. See you there!

More info at DPW, thanks to Andy B. for the gentle reminder

Planning for the proposed park on 17th and Folsom is shaping up nicely.

The current design includes such non-standard park fare as a community garden area, an outdoor classroom, greenhouses, rain-collecting barrels, and even “demonstration gardens for wildlife habitat and water conservation”. Holy crap, was this thing designed by EarthFirst?

As if that weren’t enough, the park also features espaliered fruit tree fences and a bioswale! What, you don’t know what those are? Good thing Curbed SF did this thing called “research” that we casual bloggers keep hearing about:

And so you don’t have to look them big words up: a bioswale is a planted filter for water runoff from paved areas, sort of a ditch with a reason. Espalier, originally French and both a noun and a verb, is the technique of training a plant, most commonly a fruit tree, to grow on a grid or a fence.

[via Curbed SF]

That is all.

[Photo and Title by Scotty Roo Karate]

Did someone accidentally/intentionally leave a tub of chalk on the block between 17th and 18th on Valencia? I’m looking at you Chalk Visions. Last night the new sparkly sidewalk was blanketed with scrawlings from dozens of people, or one person with severe schizophrenia. So how do Mission folks choose to express themselves?

With CEREBUS COCK AND BALLS:

With HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL OPINIONS ABOUT HIPSTERS AND FIXED-GEAR CYCLISTS:

… and with HISTORICAL FACTS (with bonus burritojustice shout out! I guess blogger hat-tip etiquette still applies in real life):

Check it out for yourself on 17th and Valencia. Hell, add to it if you want, but it’s probably a BYOC affair at this point.

In case you haven’t heard about it yet, Direct Action to Stop the Cuts/Creative Housing Liberation, is so bummed that it’s hard to move into the Mission on the cheap that they went ahead and helped themselves to the vacant second floor of the 20th/Mission T-Mobile building last night and occupied it into the morning. Believe me, I can relate — the only affordable spots are rent-controlled flats with a bunch of dudes who interview you for 15 minutes then just go with the cute, broke art-school chick that walks in after you.

After displaying their stern disapproval of capitalism and demonstrating some formidable pun-making skills (“Grabbin’ Newscum”!), they were ultimately put under citizen’s arrest by the building owner around noon today… which must involve mace or nunchucks, because most people would laugh that sort of thing right off.

From SF Appeal:

11:52 AM: The protesters were placed under citizen’s arrest late this morning, according to a report from Bay City News. The owner of the building issued the citizen’s arrests, charging trespassing. Five people were arrested, San Francisco police spokesman Sgt. Troy Dangerfield said. He said the five are being taken to the police station for processing and may be cited.

[photo by Steve Rhodes]

Update: Here is the full press release from the CHL:

In a city with so much conspicuous wealth, an estimated 6,000 to 15,000 individuals sleep without a roof over their head. 23,000 or more others are on the waiting list for public housing (a list that is often closed to new applicants), while some 30,000 housing units sit empty.

Each budget season, the mayor threatens to cut funding for vital housing, health, legal, and other services that help the working poor and indigent. Without these services, many who remain housed would quickly end up on the streets – or dead.

The mayor’s vision for San Francisco? Million-dollar condos and “affordable housing” that most residents can’t afford; schools and other publicly owned buildings laid to waste; jail bunks and early graves for those who have no place to rest but the sidewalks.

On Monday July 19th, community members will respond by undertaking a collective act of homefulness. Please join us promptly at 5:30pm as the march to the occupation site is time sensitive. This is community resourcefulness in action, don’t miss it! Housing is a human right!

But we’ll give it to you if you want it.