You might remember that about this time last year, there was a pungent subject on everyone's minds: dog poop. While the Haight isn't the worst neighborhood in San Francisco in terms of waste on the streets (we doff our caps to the Mission and the Tenderloin), it was getting pretty bad there for a while.
Back in the summer of 2013, Kent Uyehara, owner of FTC and Haight Ashbury Merchants Association board member, installed a rogue and technically illegal dog bag dispenser outside of his shop to attempt to curb the curbing problem.
This sparked a campaign by the merchants to persuade the city to pitch in and install the dispensers around the neighborhood. The city finally capitulated, and the dispensers were installed back in April of last year. After a bumpy start, they seemed to have caught on.
In July of last year, Taking it to the Streets began operating out of Mom's body shop, which could also be impacting the dog waste situation. By September of 2014, the program had developed a sweepers program that offered housing to street kids who worked for DPW to clean up Haight Street. By November, it was in full swing, with four street kids working full-time to keep the neighborhood poop-free (among other things). They have six sweepers now, and hope to keep growing.
It's unclear which initiative had a bigger impact.
We spoke to Uyehara, who said that so far he thought the results of the waste stations has been mixed: on the one hand, they definitely resulted in a slightly cleaner sidewalk, but on the other, they weren't maintained as clearly marked (his original installation is painted and graffitied over). Most residents who are out walking their dog usually bring bags, he said, but for the stations to be useful to itinerant dog owners it was important to keep them clearly visible and to let people know about them.
A query to members of the Haight Ashbury Merchants Association netted a positive consensus that the sidewalks are cleaner than they were this time a year ago.
Asked whether he'd noticed a difference on the street since the dog waste stations and Taking It To The Streets took effect, Piper's Shoe Parlor store manager Seth Cosmo said, "Personally, I haven't noticed one, but I'm glad they're out there."
Christian Calinsky, from Mom's Body Shop tattoo parlor, and founder of Taking It To The Streets, said that he's noticed significantly less waste on the street except for the block between Buena Vista Park and Masonic where, he noted, there are no dog waste bag dispensers.
Whether the change is attributable to citizens stepping up, or the sweepers being efficient, nobody can say. Most likely, the success is due to some combination of the two.
Regardless, we've conquered the poop, for now. What do you think? Are the sidewalks cleaner, and have you seen people making use the bags?
