Mission Mission

There has been a recent wave of knife crimes perpetrated by two suspects who start by asking a potential victim: ”Are you in a gang?” The question apparently doesn’t have a right answer, and it has resulted in stabbing incidents at Civic Center and Outer Mission.

My first thought was to immediately make a run for it if I ever heard that question, but SFist reports that this approach resulted in a shooting on Sunday morning near 16th and Mission. The victim answered negatively and started to flee. The suspects then shot him in the foot and fled the scene in a blue Buick. This is the first report of a shooting resulting from crimes of this nature.

Anyone who witnessed the Sunday morning shooting is encouraged to call SFPD’s anonymous tipline at (415) 575-4444 or send a text message TIP411.

As always, be aware of your surroundings and try not to travel alone late at night.

[via SFist]

Our buddy Wesley writes:

I hate to be quoted on this kind of thing, but sometime this morning, between 420 and 430, I heard a woman scream outside. There were a few bursts of screaming within a short time period (30 seconds, maybe), and by the time I was able to get to the phone, a car was speeding off with the passenger side door open, heading towards 19th (from the direction of 20th). I was not able to properly identify the make or even color of the car to the police, who I was at that time on the phone with. Another neighbor said she heard a woman scream that she had been attacked, and that someone was getting into her car. A few of us also heard some kind of collision, though we didn’t see any damage on the street. Though there were approximately 6 neighbors/witnesses in the street corroborating information, the police weren’t given much to go on. A minute after I called 911, two patrol cars came down san carlos, and we redirected them in the direction of the speeding car. 

Found this weird arrangement of stuff out front. What’s the deal? (Guerilla marketing attempt by Puccini Group?)

In the closer example, we have some exquisite custom brackets that are so difficult to dismantle that even Sheldon Brown admits that a prospective thief who somehow got the whole bike back to his secret evil lair of thievery would still have a hell of a time removing the wheel.

On the other hand, the farther bike goes for the color-coordinated DIY zip-tie method which, while perhaps not quite as secure, nonetheless would certainly still be a hassle to remove. And it looks quite stylish too! However, god forbid you actually have to remove the wheel from your frame–seems like it would be just as much of an ordeal for you as it would for the thieves.

Of course, we all know that all bicycles are on temporary loan from the universe, so it’s only a matter of time before something happens to yours. The best thing you can do is make it as difficult as possible on the jerks!

An anonymous tipster writes:

“Around 3pm a man was shot outside W-K Market [in front of an apartment building] near the corner of 24th and Folsom. The victim was able to get into a car and go to the hospital. Police showed up quickly, and solicited information about the shooter from bystanders. Citizens milling around the intersection could be heard saying things like, “What the fuck? It’s broad daylight.” and “Jesus, didn’t school just get out?”

Post updated to reflect correct location on June 11th

Photo © Google

As everyone who has had a bike stolen knows, there’s really no way to make a bicycle 100% secure – you’re basically balancing an equation where the amount that you spend weighing down your bike with locks only increases the difficulty of the heist. (And according to bicycle law, all bikes should weigh 50 pounds.)

Gizmodo put 4 standard locks through the paces to see just how hard it is to steal a bike secured with a u-lock. Although a few of them fended off a beating from bolt cutters and a hacksaw, not a single one could stand up to a 5-second assault with a $40 angle grinder. Check out the video here – how does your lock fare?

Photo by dpwk

That’s him there (allegedly), in the Kelly Kate glasses and stonewashed denim. He and his crew were out in full force of the weekend, taking advantage of the hordes of people out celebrating Pride. Mo, one of his victims, tells her story (on Reddit):

The way he pickpocketed me is this: He came up to me, grabbed me from behind, and told me to take a picture with him. I didn’t know this guy, so this was super confusing, but he seemed like he was trying to grab my camera maybe, so I handed the camera to my friend, who then took the photo. Afterwards, he scurried off with his friends and me and my friend were left wondering, “wtf drugs was this dude on…?”

It wasn’t until a few seconds later, when another woman (who I didn’t know) came up to me and said, “I saw that guy take your phone when he grabbed you!” and I looked in my pocket and indeed my phone was missing. This was long enough that he had disappeared into the sea of thousands in Dolores, though a couple of my friends spent a while trying to hunt him down to no avail. [link]

Yikes. Another Reddit user recognized him:

Him and at least one other person used to run scams in the Union Square area. They would come in and grab large amounts of product to “purchase” around Christmas time. When they got to the sales counter they would provide a credit card and an out of state drivers license(it was from Hawaii when I dealt with them) a form of ID. When the card was run through the computer would kick out a number to call for confirmation and one of their friends would be on the other end and would give you a confirmation number. And for some reason any number will allow the transaction to go through. I loathe him. [link]

And yet another warns that he and his crew are potentially dangerous:

This guy and his shitty friends used to come into the Castro Chevron and shoplift everyday. His friend has lips tattooed on his neck. They are known to pepper spray you if you give chase. Real tough guys. :/ [link]

So the next time you try to take a picture of this guy and his cute outfit for your fashion blog, make sure you keep your valuables locked up tight.

(Thanks, Chris and Danyell.)

[Photo by Mo]

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.

Late last night we received this email:

Violent Rape @ 19th n capp 

Sunday night, one A.M, Nineteenth and Capp. She was walking to her home two blocks away from Bender’s. She was dragged into a driveway by two unknown assailants after leaving Bender’s. They took all her cash and both of them raped her, so severely that she now has eight stitches in her cervix. The entire lower half of her body is black and blue.

The rape was reported at SFGH as well as in a police report, and also to SF WAR. If necessary, my friend is willing to provide hospital records with her name blacked out as evidence.

We are all so shaken by this event and feel powerless to do anything. We decided, with the approval of the victim, to maybe try to get this information out via the community blogs, so people can take the necessary precautions when walking home.

Today the following, which includes a description of the alleged rapists, started making its way around Facebook:

Okay people. I need your help, and this shit is important. One of my friends was VIOLENTLY ASSAULTED and RAPED by two men she did not know Sunday night at 19th and Capp. You wanna get graphic? I’m talking stitches in the cervix. With her permission, I’ve written to the two local mission blogs, asking them to publish this incident. Nothing. Police help? NOTHING. Then today my friend saw two dudes walking down the street matching the descriptions of the attackers. One had scratches on his face that correspond with the attack. Two Hispanic men, between 20-25. One stocky, one lean, one with obvious scratches on his face. So help me out. Share this info. At the very least, maybe we can tell women in the area to be on the alert. Any other suggestions?? I feel helpless and ANGRY.

Update: Mission Loc@l spoke with the victim and has more information.

Hey, looks like BART Police actually do stuff other than stand around holding their belts!

Today BART posted that that they caught 47-year old Brett Major of San Francisco in the act, and want your help in identifying some recovered stolen frames:

BART Police Officers booked Major at San Francisco County Jail for burglary, theft, possession of  burglary tools, and an outstanding warrant originating from Alameda County. A subsequent search of Majors’ home turned up seven bicycle frames and parts, which BART Police believe to be stolen. BART Police Investigators are looking for the owners to identify and claim their property.

My bike (stolen in January from the same location) wasn’t in there, but maybe you can identify yours so they can throw the book at this dude… multiple times. Hopefully they are heavy books with sharp edges like hardcover, large print editions of Infinite Jest. I don’t think I’ll be retiring the busted-ass Murray that I lock down there yet, but this is a good development indeed.

If you’ve had a bike stolen out of 24th St. recently, head over to BART’s site and see if a picture of your frame is listed.

Update: Also, don’t forget that Ingelside station posted a ton of pictures of recovered bikes in May. Worth a look if you haven’t checked it out already.