Mission Mission

Esta Noche is in trouble!

Last year the Board of Supervisors passed laws that can make it harder for some small businesses to afford their permitting and license fees. Unfortunately, Esta Noche will have to pay for all their licenses in one bulk payment which is already one month late.

We need to raise $9,000 in the next two weeks in order to keep San Francisco’s only Latino queer bar open. We need your help!

Here’s what you can do:

Donate: Every dollar up to $9,000 will go to Esta Noche to help them keep their doors open. Any additional monies raised will be given to El/La (a Trans-Latina nonprofit in The Mission)

Come to our party: Join us May 18th as local queer DJs, drag performers, and politicians come together to save Esta Noche!

Tell your friends: Spread the love. Share this on Facebook and via word of mouth!

Save Esta Noche Party
Esta Noche: 3079 16th St
9pm-Close • $10-20 Sliding Scale • 21+

RSVP and invite your friends via Facebook! Also, contribute via the Indiegogo campaign!

Our pal Jeff Seal, who, incidentally, in his capacity as standup comedian, is performing Wednesday night at The Business, just posted this ‘gram of a column his teenage self wrote for his high school paper, back in high school, like 20 years ago:

[link]

The Business takes place every Wednesday evening at the Dark Room on Mission Street.

It’s still untitled, so we have time to submit some more here . . .

[another stock Mission photo by me]

Production starts in the fall for a premiere in 2014, story here.

Previous coverage here.

We’ve gushed about Cool Try and its awesome line of t-shirts and things many times in these pages, so we’re happy to be able to say Cool Try is now a real-life store right here in the Mission!

It’s located at 483 14th Street, at Guerrero, right across from Thieves Tavern and Box Dog.

Now here’s everything we’ve ever said about Cool Try and founder Ryan de la Hoz:

And it is goooooood:

Here’s something you might not know: the cartoon biz as of late is no stranger to Mission/Bay Area talent.

Take Bob’s Burgers, for example. Do those Mission-style Victorian buildings in the background art look familiar? That’s because they were designed by local artist Sirron Norris. The character design in the show was done by none other than Jay Howell.

Regular Show, a hilarious Cartoon Network show about a couple of 23-year-old dudes who are also animals, features the writing/storyboarding talent of local indie comics darlings Hellen Jo, Calvin Wong (my bro!), and Minty Lewis (additional voice talent)! I have it on relatively shaky authority that pages of Mission Mission may have been source material for the cutting-edge fashions in this episode:

More recently, Jay Howell has announced his own show on Nickelodeon called Sanjay and Craig… with and additional Mission bonus: music by thee Oh Sees!! Check out the awesome promo for it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7nP1p7MARw

Granted most of these jerks have moved to LA to, you know, actually make a career out of art. Zinefest doesn’t pay the bills. Still, let’s take every opportunity to claim all the credit for their talent just like Modesto tries to do with George Lucas.

Just another day on Muni.

[Photo by @bdonohoe via The SF Kid]

Awesome! The first time I ever saw Thee Oh Sees in San Francisco was at Potrero del Sol, at some kind of premiere for some kind of movie about surfing. It was awesome, and they’re always great outdoors, so this is going to be killer! (YACHT rules too! And don’t even get me started on B. Hamilton.)

Here are some ticketing details courtesy of The Bay Bridged:

Tickets are on sale right now, with a limited number of discount six-packs available (save $5 per ticket by grabbing six for you and your friends). VIP tickets are also available, which include access to a shaded viewing area for the main stage, drink tickets, VIP bathrooms, and a tour of Tiny Telephone Recording led by John Vanderslice.

Cool!

On Friday evening, a man tried to steal my phone on the 14, ripped it out of my hands and ran off the bus. In some fit of animal instinct, I ran after him off the bus, fought him, and got it back. I will spare you most of the details here, but if you want to read my full account of it, redirect yourself here.

Here some quick thoughts:

• Be vigilant, obviously. Keep aware of your surroundings, and avoid using your smartphone or tablet on public transportation, especially if you’re sitting near a door. I know that this is a big fat DOY but it’s also easy to forget.
• If you must use your device, look around you and take note of who is around you. I am not asking you to profile anyone. Just be aware and remember faces.
• If you see a person in distress, do something. I understand the impulse to ignore what is going on and not be nosy, to stay safe. But I am a 26-year-old woman barely over 100 pounds and I was screaming and fighting a man twice my size who had struck me in the face and thrown me to the ground, and between the 20 or so witnesses on the sidewalk and nearby, none intervened until it was over. Apparently, several people thought it was a domestic dispute, and thought, “wow, what an odd couple.” No.
• I am not implying that what I did was the smartest or best thing to do, but I had no time to think and adrenaline is one hell of a drug. This worked out in my favor, but it could have gone terribly wrong.
• If you are a victim of a crime, file a police report. If you are hurt, tell the paramedics and police everything. Shock can delay physical pain until later, and later might be too late for anyone to be held accountable. I was tempted to just get on with my day and get to whatever I was trying to go to, but I’m so glad I didn’t.
• I don’t care how much you resent the new “techies” moving into the neighborhood, but this kind of crime (or any other kind of crime) is not justified. I do not work at a startup or tech company (and it really shouldn’t matter if I did), and I certainly don’t have the paycheck or means to justify buying a new phone if mine was stolen.
• It is easy to forget that this neighborhood can still be a rough one, despite the price tag and all of the big white shuttles. Carry pepper spray, choose well-trafficked paths, don’t walk alone at night, etc. etc.

I don’t know what became of the mugger, and I’d like to think that my altercation with taught him a lesson and scared him enough to lay low for awhile (or, optimistically, to retire from mugging!), but the reality is that he is still out there and he may strike again. Stay safe, everyone.