Mission Mission

The group of people who went around the neighborhood tonight smashing up local business storefronts were not involved with the Occupy movement, according to a source who is heavily active in the movement. He concedes that there easily could be overlap in terms of people who also go to Occupy rallies, or support the cause, but that this is not action that is generally acceptable with the vastly peaceful protesters.

The source points out that wording in this post, where the above image was found, implies Black Bloc tactics, frowned upon by many Occupy protesters, and does not specifically call itself Occupy. Though it appears on a site that seems to be affiliated with Occupy Oakland.

Let’s hope that the damage done tonight ends tonight and tomorrow’s peaceful actions will strengthen, rather than overshadow, the strike’s important messages.

Our pal Walter Green, a designer and illustrator for McSweeney’s and the Believer, wrote in just now with a freaky tale:

My friend was walking down 21st and Valencia today at around noon when she was grabbed from behind by a crazy guy. The guy wrapped his arms around her and then tried to kiss her! She shoved him away and ran away. He followed for a bit, but she eventually lost him.

She’s really shaken up by it–is scared to go outside today!–and wouldn’t describe him beyond beyond a “fat, crazy guy.” I’ve attached my artist rendering based on what she’s told me about him.

Watch your backs! Thanks, Walter.

I was so excited for this monumental joining of tip-top hip hop and SF’s most popular ping pong party, but my excitement, and yours, will just have to wait, due to a scheduling misunderstanding or something.

The event has been tentatively rescheduled for late May at a venue TBA. Keep an eye on the official invite for updates.

And if you need a ping pong fix this weekend, there’s always Saturday Afternoon Ping Pong at Dear Mom:

Mission Local reports:

A citizen tried to dispose of an antique grenade at the Mission Police Station on Valencia and 17th. The police called explosive experts to analyze it, and as a precautionary measure have evacuated Taqueria El Toro and the Mission Police Station. [link]

Hopefully the bomb squad robot doesn’t drop the grenade and drive RIGHT OVER IT like last time. (Definitely watch the video if you missed it before.)

Mission Local reports:

A 51-year-old man was arrested Monday evening after stabbing a 22-year-old woman in the hand near 16th Street and Potrero Avenue.

The woman was sitting on a Muni bus when the suspect sat down next to her and spread his legs wide, police said. The woman felt uncomfortable so she got up and stood next to the rear door.

Police reported that the man stood up next to her and started yelling in her ear.

Then there was some pushing and shoving and guy pulls a fork and stabs her in the hand. SFPD got him. [link]

From our Contact Us page:

Saturday, 4/14, 2:30 AM, Mission between 16th and 17th (mcdonald’s side): any idea what caused the fresh trail of wet blood running the entire length of the block? (and possibly farther, I didn’t check.) A stabbing?

This type of thing has really been happening a lot recently, so everyone be sure to take extra care when walking around alone late at night.  This time the intended victim was San Francisco’s premier fashion blogger, The Fog Bender:

Walked my bike up Clarion alley and was confronted by 3 kids who couldn’t have been older than 18.  They ran up to me and started throwing punches and actually knocked me down and kicked me in the head a few times before i got up and started scrapping with them.  I picked up my bike and started swinging it at them saying “you wanna fuck with me?”  One of them threw a half empty plastic bottle of Coke at me.

Read the harrowing conclusion here.

On the heels of last week’s bike theft news, an anonymous reader wrote in with these photos of bike thieves caught on camera from recent thefts at 2125 Bryant (click to see them full size). These images are from about a month ago, but these thieves are still on the loose.

Here’s what you should do if you recognize them:

Please call 911 if you see them. If you have any more info you can contact Police report # 120/171/670 Officer J Lopez #373 Officer J Felix #2027 Mission Station 415-558-5400 415-601-4145 cell.

Mission Local delivers the news. First:

The 18-year-old victim was standing [in front of his home] near 26th and Harrison streets when a suspect approached him and choked him from behind. A second suspect took the victim’s phone before both suspects fled on foot.

And then:

The [25-year-old] victim was approached by a knife-wielding suspect near 17th and Shotwell streets. She cut the strap of her purse and took off with it in a 90s two-door gray Honda, according to a police report. [link]

Reader Joshua wrote in to report the following home invasion bike theft and accompanying photos of the thief (recognize him?):

On March 31 at 5:22 AM Saturday Morning, a man entered our locked front door on the 800 Block of Guerrero Street, went down into the locked garage and relieved it of four bikes, ripping one off the wall.

2012 54″ White Specialized Allez with SRAM Apex
2009 51″ Turquoise Jamis Quest Femme (105 Double, maybe with a BullDog lock still attached to the rack that had been bolted to the wall)
2008 Medium Black Masi Soulville 8 with Front and Rear racks a Velo Orange saddle
1999 56″ Yellow LeMonde Tourmalet

That’s right, one of those bikes was ripped off the wall with the lock still attached. The thing is, this is the fourth garage break-in/bike theft I know of from the past month and vicinity:

• Our pal Jenny reports that her garage (around 29th/Dolores) was broken into with one bike stolen on March 10th,
• This theft from the Glen Park area, via WBTC,
• And my own bike was stolen out of a garage around 30th/San Jose on March 18th, also entering through a locked front door.

When the police showed up at the scene of my bike’s theft, they mentioned that they are aware of a string of similar incidents and this may be a repeat offender.

I suppose I should list some safety tips and advice, or something. Here’s what I’ve learned, anyway:

• Make sure you have a deadbolt on any doors leading to a garage, and make sure to use it.
• If your garage opens with a code, change it frequently.
• Lock your bike to something in your garage. Apparently, this doesn’t necessarily change anything, but it’s another deterrent.
• If you must hold onto your bike, store it in your apartment, instead of a separate storage area.
• If someone really wants your bike, they can have it. Everything we own is essentially on loan from the universe.
• Be okay with losing irreplaceable things, or own replaceable things. The bike that was taken from me was a cheap single speed from an online wholesaler, and though it bruised my bank account, I was back on practically the same wheels within a week.
• If your bike is truly sacred to you, write down its serial number somewhere safe. This is pretty much the only way the police can help you if your bike turns up on Craigslist or elsewhere.
• As Vic would say, sleep with your bikes under your pillows, kids.

Update: Here’s time lapse footage from Joshua’s garage burglary.