Last week, a public safety meeting in Hayes Valley sought to address the neighborhood's top concerns for 2016. The results spanned a wide range of issues, from car break-ins to loitering, but the foremost crime that concerned residents was property theft.
The meeting was the first Public Safety Committee gathering of the year, organized by the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA). Bob Barnwell, who is the Public Safety Chairman of the organization, presided over the event; 20 community members were in attendance, joined by Lt. Chris Creed from SFPD Northern Station, and Supervisor London Breed's aide, Vallie Brown.
Across the board, property crime concerns dominated the conversation. The residents in attendance noted the increase in everything from auto theft to mailbox raids, both in the neighborhood and across the city.
"The property crimes are an evolution," said HVNA member Jim Warshell. "Before the cell phone kill switches, we were talking about cell phone thefts ... that is now a much-improved situation, but car thefts are up. Finding the correct response that will reduce them is next on the agenda."
"Same with the merchants finding effective notification systems for teams of organized theft," Warshell added. "It was good to proactively discuss options and work to reduce this issue."
For those who've been robbed and are not sure how to handle the situation, Barnwell has put together a Public Safety Bulletin on who to contact for a variety of different property theft crimes.
Ivy Street. (Photo: Roshan Vyes/Flickr)
In addition to theft, a lack of street lighting came up as a big safety issue. Late-night businesses raised concerns about customers leaving stores and restaurants to walk to cars in dimly-lit areas, and Hayes, Octavia, Gough, and the nearby alleys were all cited as being in need of better lighting.
In particular, there were requests to switch the highway-style lights in the neighborhood to lower, more pedestrian-friendly versions, as the abundant trees that line Hayes Street often block the high street lamps. Smaller, more vibrant lights, like those in the Panhandle, were suggested.
Brown said that there was no current funding in place to improve this situation, but encouraged residents to work with Breed's office to make improved lighting a citywide and neighborhood priority for the next budget cycle.
"Certainly, a future Public Safety meeting will deal with the complex issue of better street lighting in Hayes Valley," Barnwell said. "This will take a lot of effort to get any results."
Hayes and Laguna currently has four-way stop signs. (Image: Google)
Another major discussion centered on pedestrian safety, most notably at Hayes and Laguna. The intersection is currently managed by a four-way stop sign, but meeting attendants agreed that a traffic light with a pedestrian countdown should be installed, as it's a high-volume intersection. The influx of new residents was cited as an additional reason that Hayes and Laguna will grow more dangerous, as more vehicles and pedestrians will be using it.
"My take is that public safety is not worse than before. Rather, we are addressing different issues as the situation changes," said Warshell. "We hope to remain vigilant in this to build community and address changing safety needs."
While the issues raised at last week's meeting are valid concerns, there was still only a small sampling of residents in attendance. If you live or work in Hayes Valley, do you agree with the issues raised above? What public safety concerns do you have? Let us know in the comments.
