Where’s my avatar?
magicmarker on paper by Todd Berman.
Zoom.it thingy by Microsoft
“It sort of feels more like the park than an actual picture of the park”- MissionMission.
Did SFPD Take Their Eye Off the Ball?
August 3rd, 2010 by Robert Brust View Comments »The recent horrible stabbing in Dolores has us all outraged and on edge. And you have to ask, have we taken the recent peacefulness of Dolores for granted and allowed the park’s western slope to become a safe haven for juvenile delinquents and thugs? My question to the SF Police and Mission Policer Captain Greg Corrales is, “Could this attack have been prevented?” The western slope of Dolores, the back side by Church Street and the MUNI tracks, has had a history of harboring late night shenanigans and crime. My fear is we are again creating an environment irresistible to violent criminals.
But to most of us, the park seems to have settled into an almost gentrified bohemian calm. Rules against open alcohol consumption and smoking (toke up if you got em) are rarely enforced. Fine! We seem to like it that way. Look at a typical Dolores afternoon. The scene is lovely, yes? But by 6pm, the buzzed and the woozy give way to the drunken and the delinquent who gather behind the clubhouse, next to the shed and near the bridge. Here, in this dark corner of the park up in the trees, with just a few old lampposts is where trouble brews.
Next to the Shed
On Sunday, I asked Maureen Kelly, KRON4 News, “Is Mission Station still conducting nightly patrols of Dolores Park?” I spoke with one or two of the officers last year as they walked through the park at dusk. The cops said that try to stop by most nights and walk, in pairs through the park to “prepare the park” for the 10pm curfew and then return to close it down. These patrols are essential for the prevention of violence and are well worth the effort.We were encouraged to hear Lieutenant Michelle Jean of Mission Station tell KRON4 that foot patrols of Dolores “are routine” and will likely increase now (after the stabbing) . Yes, but exactly how much emphases was being placed on the Dolores Park curfew this year?
In January, Dolores Park Works sat down with Captain Corrales to talk about policing in the park. He assured us that officers from the sector patrols do get out of their cars and walk the park. We need a plan to prevent Dolores from once again becoming a magnet for crime and violence. We need a commitment from Mission Station they are prepared to keep.
A 19th Street Fix
August 3rd, 2010 by Crystal Vann Wallstrom View Comments »
Wouldn't it be great if this is what they meant by "zebra print"?
SFMTA has finally agreed with neighbors to address pedestrian safety at the dangerous intersection of 19th & Dolores.
Neighbors have been requesting a better pedestrian safety plan for years. Finally, after renewed efforts by Dolores Park Works and neighbors, SFMTA has devised a temporary solution that we hope will do the trick until the permanent solution is implemented, which we expect will happen with the park renovation.
According to Manito Velasco with SFMTA, “We will be painting staggered continental crosswalks across Dolores Street at this location. This will replace the conventional crosswalk markings we have there now. Instead of 2 sets of 12” solid white lines marking the crosswalk area, the new continental crosswalks will be ‘zebra’ style with 24” solid white lines along the roadway and should be more easily seen by motorists on Dolores. We also will be adding painted “PED XING” stencils on northbound Dolores as well. Because of the slight crest, the existing “PED XING” stencils are not as prominent as they should be. These new markings should complement the Police Department’s efforts on this corridor as well.”
Some questions do remain, which we have asked of SFMTA: 1) Why was a stop sign or stop light not the appropriate solution? 2) Will there be PED XING stencil going southbound as well? 3) When will this be implemented? 4) When will the permanent solution be implemented?
We’ll let you know more when we learn more. In the meantime, what do you think of this solution?
Community Action Regarding Stabbing in Dolores Park
August 2nd, 2010 by Crystal Vann Wallstrom View Comments »By now, you’ve probably heard about the stabbing in Dolores Park that happened early Saturday morning. The news that this has happened is devastating.
Dolores Park Works is working on pulling together a community meeting to discuss public safety issues including 19th & Dolores pedestrian safety, after hour patrolling, and filming permits, as well as the lemonade stand incident, park repairs, and the renovation. Please stay tuned.
In the meantime, our thoughts go out to the victim and his family.
Lemonade Stand Shut Down
July 26th, 2010 by Robert Brust View Comments »
Cops put kibosh on micro-entrepreneur.
Here is the scene. The concert by the San Francisco Symphony on Sunday was beset by a plague of jangly Mexican ice cream vendors. We are talking at least 20 cow bells times six drowning out the string section. Cut to SFPD to the rescue. Unfortunately these young entrepreneurs on the move were caught up in the sweep. SF Weekly’s, Joe Eskenazi got the full spin from the cops. Thanks J0e. And a special thank you to Mission Local and Mission Mission for posting our pics.
