Crime

Body Closes (Part of) 24th St. BART Station

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

An anonymous reader sent this in:

24th BART. Bunch of cops, stairs closed, something covered in a yellow tarp. Body? What's going on?

Not sure, but this tweet confirms something is up:

Update: Mission Local has more:

A 60 year-old man collapsed on the platform of the 24th Street BART this morning. He was dead by the time that paramedics arrived.

It’s still being determined whether he died of a heart attack, or from complications caused by the fall.

Global Film Initiative Robbed Of Everything But Their Security Cameras

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

The Global Film Initiative, a small Ninth Street-based non-profit whose mission it is to “[promote] cross-cultural understanding through the medium of cinema,” was CLEANED THE FUCK OUT on Sunday night.  Santosh fills us in:

[The thief] entered the building around 12:00 am, went into our office, packed up all the computers, and left with a first load.  And then, came back a few hours later to finish the job.  The second time he came back, he returned with a different outfit and another set of tools—and tried to dismantle the elevator control panel, so he could gain access to the second floor of the building.  Total duration of the burglary was about 5 hours. 

The guy knew what he was doing.  He didn't have a key, but used a homemade tool to open the door in a manner that would not reflect a forced entry, and not draw attention.  We did cut that part out [of the video], because many of the buildings in SOMA have similar doors, and we didn't want to give anyone tips on how to break into other buildings.  Our loss was close to $15K, and with the damage to the elevator, the overall loss from the burglary is about $20K. 

Give the video a quick scan and be sure to check out the end for a key shot of crackhead roll up to the door and not rob the place.  Also, I highly recommend bumping some hot ragtime jams while watching.

Help TK Find His Stolen Car

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

TK's car loves shoegazing and boys in flannel, so look for his stolen ride at Debaser tomorrow.

In my ideal world, everyone would be already reading TK's 40 Going on 28.  Alas, there are probably a few of you still not hipped to this work of comedic genius, so let me be the first to notify you that TK's car was stolen and he would like everyone to stay on the lookout:

My car got stolen last night.

I want to think it's God punishing me for getting a parking space DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, but probably not, right? Gotta hand it to the SFPD: they were here at my office to take a report less than 30 minutes after I called. TRY THAT SHIT IN OAKLAND AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. So, good for you, SFPD! […]

ANYWAY, I need your help finding my car. Below I've assembled some artist's representations of places you might find it to help you look.

Keep your eyes peeled, everybody.

Now a Bunch of Brits Know the Tenderloin is Hella Sketch

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Blouz alerts us to this month-old clip from BBC's The Joy of Stats, which focuses on the city's open data efforts, particularly the Crimespotting project.  The short has some solid visualizations of the data mixed with video of the city, plus a fine interview with the Crimespotting founders.  And of course, what piece on crime stats would be complete without a SUV ride down Jones, gawking at cops, cholos, and crackheads?  Perhaps not the most flattering view of the city, but a well-produced and generally interesting one, to say the least.

Check it.

Which Taco is Worth Dying For?

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

16th Street is pretty shitty for tacos, no doubt.  But if you were a gang member of the MS-13, the gang that controls the northern part of the Mission, would you consider the limited selection of tacos crappy enough that you'd cross into enemy territory for a delicious 24th Street taco?  According to the SF Weekly, they do just that.  In the Weekly's “Insider's Guide to the MS-13 Gang,” members would “dash” onto 24th for tacos:

10. You can cross into rival gang turf — for a tasty taco.

In one of the more bizarre moments of [former MS-13 member Abraham] Martinez's testimony, he said he'd venture into the heart of [rival gang] Norteño territory on 24th Street to get food at one of the taquerias. “I'd make a dash for it, in and out really quick. Or I'd have someone go for me.” Try Yelping that.

In a follow-up post, they looked into the court transcript to see what taquerias are worth the risk, but there weren't any good answers:

Phillipsborn: There are some taquerias on 24th Street you like? There are times you'd go in disguise to get some food?
Martinez: That's incorrect. I'd make a dash for it, in and out really quick. Or I'd have someone go for me.

The Weekly conjectures that Martinez would head to El Farolito, Taqueria Vallarta, or La Taqueria Guadalajara.  I'm pretty certain it was Papalote.

Join the U.S. Army and Simulate Middle East Combat in Central California's Beautiful Coastal Range

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

During my bikepacking trip last weekend, I unexpectedly found myself riding through a live firing area in Fort Hunter Liggett, outside of the Los Padres National Forest.  Not as gnarly as one may think, although you have to bushwhack past some skulls and crossbones to get to some of the post beautiful rock formations in the area, so there's that.  Anyway, from what I can tell, the general public is permitted to explore the area when the military is not actively using the range, so be sure to make your way out there if you ever find yourself in this part of Central California.

Not sure why they had to make some of there targets look like mosques.

This setup apparently allows the military to practice firing upon trucks driving quickly through rubble-filled streets in the Middle East (in the distance, you can see how the truck begins to swerve around barriers).

Coming Soon: 'Community Courts' to Deal With Graffiti, Drug Possession, Quality-of-Life Crimes

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

This morning we received an email from one of the Mission's 'concerned citizens' email lists sharing news of a new “Community Court” system, spearheaded by sit-lie champion George Gascón, coming to the Mission.  The reasons for the program seem reasonable — the city's court system is currently tied up with petty crimes, taking resources away from prosecuting serious crimes and leaving many misdemeanor offenses left unpunished.  Rather than letting these quality-of-life crimes slip through the cracks, District Attorney Gascón wants to move 20% the misdemeanor caseload to a panel of volunteer neighborhood residents that will sentence the accused to community service and/or restitution.

While optimizing and improving the justice system is a noble task, outsourcing the role judge and jury to the segment of the citizenry that campaigns for banning drinking in Dolores Park, restricting the quantity of public events held outdoors, putting more rules and regulations on people looking to enjoy themselves, advocates against cycling infrastructure in our city, and harasses nightclubs strikes us as a troubling solution to the problem.

The idea that these people, with their bias against marijuana, public intoxication, and street art, could impartially judge the accused dances in the realm of absurdity.  As the government gives these activists the same power the courts enjoy, we're one step away from institutionalized vigilante justice.

If you have any interest in telling our DA and Supervisors what you think of this program, or would like serve as a community court justice and bring a little balance to the bench, feel free to attend tonight's meeting:

You are cordially invited to attend a special community meeting on Wednesday, April 13 from 6 to 8 PM.

Come hear District Attorney George Gascón discuss the forthcoming Neighborhood Prosecutor and Community Courts program. DA Gascón is launching a new initiative to quickly resolve low level crimes through community leadership and restorative justice. Low level crimes will be immediately referred to the community court neighborhood panels for non-criminal resolutions that combine accountability with neighborhood improvement.

DA Gascón will be joined by Supervisor David Campos and Supervisor Scott Wiener, and representatives from SFPD.

At the meeting, you will learn about the new model, get a chance to dialogue with the DA, and learn how you can volunteer to serve as a community court adjudicator

The meeting will be held at:
Centro Latino Community Center
1656 15th Street

Saw-Wielding Bouncer Aims to Keep Parking Meters Bike-Free

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

I had a burning desire to order overpriced shots of Jameson from a meth addict last night, so I made my way over to 800 Larkin with two of my three friends.  Rather than leaving our bikes to the mercy of the Tyrone Biggums-looking sketchtard who offered to “watch over” our rides for five bucks and a cigarette, we opted to park 'em in front of the well-lit Century strip club on Larkin.  Within 10 minutes, some agro dude wearing a shirt that clearly didn't fit him and a tie, who we later learned was the proprietor of New Century Theater, began running around the block yelling “whose bikes are these?” He even ran into 800 Larkin and yelled at all the glazed-over hookers and coke dealers. When he learned they were our bikes, he squawked “come with me and remove them.” Naturally, we resisted because they were locked up to a parking meter on the sidewalk, but he insisted that because they were parked at the edge of a white zone (loading zone), it was illegal and that he would cut the bikes from the meter if we did not voluntarily remove them. So we did the mature thing and told him to get bent and finished our drinks, while he called the police and told his bouncer to fetch a saw.

To our surprise, these guys were actually intent on cutting our bikes off the meter and throwing them up the street.  A car quickly pulled up to loading zone and the owner and bouncer started riffling through a trunk full of tools.  As all this went down, the police showed up and clearly didn't know what the fuck to do. After a minute of the owner ranting against the bicycles hurting his business, it came down to the cops asking us “how long are you leaving your bikes there?” We quipped some  awful pun like “we're just loading up our drinks and we're biking back to a more civil place.” Then they said they'd be by later and expected our bikes to be gone.

So is it actually ever illegal to lock your bike up to a meter?  SF's laws don't say there is anything wrong with locking your bikes up in a white zone, but I'm sure cutting bikes from meters isn't cool.  That said, next time you're in the TL, watch out for ornery strip club owners mugging your bike.

[photo by miss.libertine]

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