The rain may be back, but don't let it get you down just yet. There's a handful of interesting—and free—events coming up this weekend.
But first, here's what you may have missed this week:
Police Commission visit sidetracked
Once a month, the San Francisco Police Commission meets in a different district and invites the police captain and the community to review crime and safety issues and measures. This month, the commission focused on the Tenderloin—well, sort of.
Before the meeting on Wednesday evening, word spread that the five officers involved in the Dec. 2nd shooting of Mario Woods were cleared by the SFPD and Chief Greg Suhr to return to work. As a result, supporters of Woods packed the gymnasium at 240 Turk St., with protest banners and prepared speeches.
Attendees line up to address the commission.
Tenderloin Police Captain Teresa Gracie was barely able to finish her presentation on 2015 crime statistics and 2016 goals before calls for the opportunity to speak on the elephant in the room erupted from the crowd. Not one to be interrupted, however, Captain Gracie did finish her presentation. Here's a few of the highlights:
- Year over year, violent crime was up in 2015, which the captain attributed to the expansion of the district. There were four homicides in 2015, compared to two in 2014, and robberies were up 26 percent. The most prevalent crimes were auto burglaries—not surprising, given that property crimes have surged citywide.
- Neighbors concerned with Tenderloin Station's response time to incidents will be pleased to hear that its staffing has increased for the first time in years, also thanks to redistricting. There are now 140 officers assigned to the station, compared to a steady 70 in previous years.
- Captain Gracie's 2016 goals for the station include decreasing time to arrest by 10 percent, getting more officers into specialized training (including crisis intervention training focused on de-escalation) and expanding community outreach and education.
Given the crowd's impatience, Commission President Suzy Loftus decided to forgo discussion of the presentation and move straight into public comment. There were some heated flare-ups between members of the Police Officers Association defending the officers in the Woods shooting and community members calling for Chief Suhr's dismissal.
While the commission has yet to confirm whether they plan to return to the Tenderloin to finish their review of crime and safety matters pertinent to the neighborhood, another chance to engage with Captain Gracie herself is just around the corner. The next police community meeting is this Tuesday, Jan. 26th at 6pm, at the Tenderloin Police Station (301 Eddy St).
What's up with LocoL?
It looks like LocoL, the healthy fast-food joint destined for the corner of Turk and Taylor, may be delayed, as founders/celebrity chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson focus on other California locations.
While LocoL's Tenderloin location was originally slated to open first, the duo celebrated MLK Day by launching their first outpost, with much fanfare, in L.A.'s Watts neighborhood.
As promised, the menu is as inexpensive as your average fast-food joint. Burgers with all the fixings are $4, tacos are $2, sides are $1 each, and you can wash it all down with a cup of high-end coffee for just $1.
So when's LocoL finally touching down in the Tenderloin? We're still waiting for an answer. But it looks likely that it'll remain on hold while the recently announced Uptown Oakland location gets up and running.
Tomorrow: Help beautify the neighborhood
San Francisco Public Works is holding its first "Community Clean Team" outing of 2016 in the Tenderloin. All are encouraged to join the morning neighborhood cleanse, which starts with check-in and registration at 8:30am tomorrow at Boeddeker Park.
Groups will tackle beautification projects all over the neighborhood, like removing graffiti, picking up trash and gardening at Boeddeker, before returning to the Boeddeker Clubhouse for a free lunch. To RSVP, call 415-641-2600 or email [email protected].
Here's a few more events worth checking out this weekend and early next week:
Discover even more upcoming San Francisco events at hoodline.com/events.
