Last night's SFPD Park Station community meeting began with a discussion about City Attorney Dennis Herrera's decision to threaten McDonald's Corporation with a civil suit unless it addresses persistent criminal activity at its 730 Stanyan St. restaurant, directly across from Golden Gate Park.
Yesterday, Herrera informed the Oak Brook, IL-based burger giant that it's legally liable for open drug sales and "other public nuisance conditions" that have resulted in nearly 1,100 police calls since January 2012. Filing a civil suit against McDonald's would be "a pretty heavy hammer," said Deputy City Attorney Megan Cesare-Eastman.
Herrera's letter is a pre-litigation move made after failed efforts to reach a compromise with McDonald's franchisee C.C. Yin. Because McDonald's owns the property, Herrera is using state drug laws, health and safety codes, and the Unfair Competition Law to hold the corporation liable. If the city wins a civil suit, potential sanctions include closing the restaurant down for 12 months, mandating that Yin hire private security, and even taking one year of the location's profits. "We've done some outreach with Yin McDonald's, but unfortunately, we haven't seen the kind of progress that we hoped," said Cesare-Eastman.
The meeting yesterday. Photo by Walter Thompson/Hoodline.
"Other businesses don't have these problems," she said. "Drug dealing attracts public nuisances and it's a huge drain on police resources." The letter gives McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook until May 18 to respond. "That will help us deal with many problems associated with the Haight Street corridor," said Park Station Capt. John Sanford, Jr.
"The police are are getting an exorbitant amount of calls to respond to problems at McDonald's, and every property owner is responsible for their property," said Vallie Brown, a legislative aide in Breed's office who was at the meeting. "The police and the City Attorney have sat down with the owners to give them suggestions for how they can deal with the issues, but unfortunately, none of those suggestions have been implemented."
"We are definitely ramping up our forces on Haight Street so we can make a positive impact," said Sanford, who spent part of Wednesday afternoon patrolling the area himself. Sanford, who took over Park Station last month, has rolled out an initiative called "Haight Street Heat" that boosts SFPD's presence in the area with an additional foot patrol.
"We're doing more about quality of life issues," said Sanford, who was transferred from Bayview Station. "We are slowly starting to see a change in these issues that impact the community," he said.
420 Recap
Phil Ginsburg, General Manager of SF Recreation and Parks, gave attendees a debrief of the 420 Day celebration that drew approximately 10,000 to 12,000 cannabis enthusiasts to Golden Gate Park. "This is the most we've been organized in many years," he said, citing the collaboration between his department, SFPD, Department of Public Works and Supervisor London Breed's office.
Despite the happy vibe frequently associated with 420 Day, "this event sucks," said Ginsburg. "This does get a little not-so-nice by the end of the day," even though "the vast majority of people come with goodwill," he said. "Any time you have ten to twelve thousand people, it's bound to be problematic in many areas," said Sanford. A park ranger who was struck in the head with a bottle during the festivities is still off duty.
An official cap at the meeting. Photo by Walter Thompson.
On 420 Day, which is not a legally sanctioned or permitted event, 23 employees from Rec and Parks worked until 9 pm to clean up. "In partnership with Park Station we started pushing people out by 6:30 [pm]," said Ginsburg. Forty-five employees were on hand at dawn the following day to clean up trash and other unpleasantness, he added. "We do not put porta potties out there because it's not an authorized event," said Ginsburg.
He estimated that the department spent $33,000 to restore and clean the park. "The meadow has bounced back," Ginsburg said, thanking volunteers from The Green Cross dispensary who helped pick up garbage on 4/20. Because smoking pot in public is illegal, Rec and Park hasn't brought on a corporate sponsor to cover the cost of cleaning and providing security.
According to Sanford, SFPD made 6 felony, 5 misdemeanor and 5 narcotics arrests at the celebration; six others were picked up on warrants. "We came together to try to make it as safe as possible," he said, noting that the station didn't receive any property damage or vandalism complaints. " I think the graffiti artists knew the plainclothes officers were out and about," he said.
"We're not selling permits for this," said Brown. "It's an illegal activity, so we can't do what we do with Bay to Breakers or Hardly Strictly Bluegrass to get money for Parks and Rec and pay for an increased police presence." Managing an event of this size "is this massive effort, and it's a lot of money. Every agency out there, it was overtime for them, and we still don't have the numbers," said Brown. "If legalized, it may not be such a big deal," she added.
Speaking Of Bay To Breakers
In a preview of their plans for Bay to Breakers on Sunday, Sgt. Ron Meyer said he expects a 420 Day-sized crowd to gather in the Panhandle, "and then they eventually make into your neighborhoods," he told attendees. "What we're going to do is what we do every year: plan for the worst and manage what we can," he said.
Park Station will turn its community room into a command center for Sunday's race, said Sanford, and residents with non-emergency complaints are encouraged to call the command post directly at 415-242-3062. Sanford said he normally doesn't give out direct lines, but "this is my way of taking care of the community."
In other business, Sanford recognized Ofcs. Jeff Sung and Ryan Crockett, members of SFPD's Homeless Outreach Team, for special recognition after they received The Lions Club's First Responders award. "They're doing things that are outside of their jobs," said Sanford.
'A Pit Bull That Broke The Skin'
Park Station officers are stepping up enforcement efforts regarding dogs in the area after Ofc. Lily Prelinger "was bitten by a pit bull that broke the skin," said Sanford. He said officers will give pet guardians "fair warning about how to be responsible, how to be accountable." People with off-leash animals will be asked to restrain them "for the safety of the community," he said. For those who won't comply, Sanford said the station is in contact with Animal Care and Control.
Near the end of the meeting, Sanford screened two home security-camera videos that showed people stealing from unlocked cars in Park District. Some residents have cultivated a belief that leaving vehicles unlocked will discourage break-ins and thefts, but "it's an absolutely horrible idea," he said. "If you're going to leave your car unlocked, leave absolutely nothing inside," including registration and insurance documents, he advised.
Sanford ended the meeting with news that SFPD's academy graduated a new class of 45 cadets last week, and that he hopes to have two or three assigned to Park Station. "We're going to see where the dust settles, and how many officers we'll get" once citywide police redistricting is implemented.
Park Station holds community meetings on the second Tuesday of each month in its community room at 1899 Waller St.
