Mission Mission

[via WBTC]

UPDATE: Kevin did some sleuthing and found out it’s for real.

Rudy from Monkeybrains sent us this snap and added:

Found on the corner of Bryant and Cesar Chavez while walking beside my 4 year old learning to bike.

Well a kid’s gotta learn about legalized prostitution sooner or later. Better this way than from some punk at school.

Everyone’s favorite hero of the park is now more mobile than ever thanks to this sweet new ride he was recently seen rocking at the park (rad colors!).  This can only mean more cold, convenient beer for everyone, for which we are grateful.  One word of advice though, sir–you could definitely cut down on trips if you affixed a basket to that thing!

Just look at him scanning the horizon.  Wherever there are thirsty people, cold beer will be there.

(Thanks Elliot!)

Previously:

• Cold beer, cold justice

[pic by Wayne Coyne]

As an update to my post from yesterday, homicide detectives just came to my door to ask if I had any information about the homicide that apparently happened around 2:30 AM Sunday morning. A man was beaten to death and was calling for help, but nobody came to his rescue. 

If you know anything about it, the SFPD flyer has the following information:

On Sunday morning 02/19/12, sometime between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. a man was robbed and then murdered in front of 125 Jullian, [sic] between 15th st, and 16th st . We ask anyone in the area of this street and the blocks surrounding it who saw or heard anything to contact S.F.P.D. YOU CAN REMAIN ANONYMOUS: TIP LINE 415-575-4444

Anyone with information regarding the circumstances surrounding this incident is asked to call Inspector John Cagney of the SFPD Homicide Detail direct at (415) 734-3181 or during business hours (415) 553-1145 (Weekdays from 9AM-5PM) you can also call after hours the SFPD Operations Center at (415) 553-1071, or the anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444

Refer to Case #: 120139612

UPDATE: Mission Local has more about the stabbing death and the people who heard the victim’s cries for help and did nothing. It’s a complicated scenario, when people become used to walking past others in various forms of distress at all hours of the day. A commenter on ML brings up the famous Kitty Genovese case, which this obviously resembles. A man is beaten and stabbed, cries out for someone to call the police, and dies a slow death on a heavily trafficked sidewalk, where his body remains for maybe nine hours.

I’ve lived in the Mission for a long time and seen a lot of people in pain. It’s often not clear if there is anything I could do to help them. I’ve intervened a few times, and I’d like to think when I specifically hear the words “help” or “police” I’d take action. But at the same time, there’s so much drama every day. Two weeks ago on Capp Street a man was yelling at the top of his lungs for someone to call the cops. When I ran outside I found two men who knew each other and were arguing over something petty. They both seemed like they were high, and neither seemed to be in any danger. I was pissed that they tried to involve me in their dispute and yelled at them and they dispersed. Nevertheless, the fact is that one man was calling for help for probably five minutes before I got out there and nobody did anything.

It’s very sad that this man wasn’t able to be saved, and the reasons why, no matter what anyone says, are very complicated.

UPDATE 2: Mission Local now reports that the cause of death is now unknown. He has been identified as Richard Sprague, 47 of San Francisco.

We’ve been getting criticism for ping pong being the only sport we ever write about, so try this on for size — a weekly dodgeball party at the Mission Rec Center put on by World Dodgeball Society San Francisco. Tonight’s edition is special:

[Today] is Presidents Day so naturally you all are encouraged to come as your fav president (no joke, dress up as Millard “Chill-more” Filmore if you like). Best homage gets a bar tab. And god bless America we are gonna try and squeeze in an extra 30 minutes and start at 8:30 if we can!

Open Gym Power Power Hour! Co-ed, No-Sting dodgeball played to sweet jams from 8:30-10! Great way to sweat out all those leftover toxins from your weekend. Spread the word! $5 to play. We will be hitting some new watering holes this Monday (pre and post)

I love watering holes! RSVP and invite your friends!

Reader Josh I. explains:

Don’t know if you ever went to the Ace Cafe, on 14th and Mission, but it was one of those bars seriously beloved by a cadre of local motorcycle enthusiasts. Filmmaker pal Henry Dombey recently completed this short film following the last days of the bar.

It’s a moving little movie:

According to MM reader Raun who was on the scene, it occurred at around 10 or 11am on Sunday while you were waiting in line for brunch somewhere.  It’s pretty horrifying to imagine how the truck managed to get on top of the bicycle, but let’s hope that everyone involved is okay rather than level inane accusations like “Oh look the bicycle wasn’t even in the bike lane THEY DESERVED TO GET HIT.”

These are glorious. They’re kinda like an expensive French version of an egg tart, but with that crackly caramelized sugar shell of a real crème brûlée. You can find them in a few places in the Mission, but I won’t tell you where, because everyone loves a good scavenger hunt. And if you can’t be bothered to have a little fun, you can use Google, much like how I used it to find the correct accent marks for those French words in this post.

From a tip by reader Jewel D. I checked out the block of Julian Ave. between 16th and 15th, which is blocked off to cars at this moment. (9:45 am Sunday) The police have a small area taped off to pedestrians as well on the East side of the street near 15th. It appears to me that there is a human on the ground under a yellow tarp*, but it could be something else. The police didn’t seem to be on edge, they were just standing around talking.

Reverend Bertie Pearson told me that all the cops would say was that someone was assaulted. A few of the cops went in and out of an apartment building there, but I didn’t see anyone who looked like a civilian involved out on the street.

More as it comes in.

*Seen in the above photo between the truck and bicycle.

UPDATE: Still blocked off an hour later and the Medical Examiner is on the scene.