— By Jack Morse (@jmorse_) |
In what has to be the most literal analogy possible for gentrification in the Mission, a video from two weeks ago depicts a conflict over who has the right to play on the soccer field at Mission Playground (located off Valencia between 19th and 20th). In the video, a group of adults attempt to kick a bunch of young people playing a pick-up game off the field because said adults had previously paid for the time slot via “an experiment with new mobile app technology” (or something).
The following exchange seems to sum up the disagreement best:
Guy Already Playing on Field: You don’t understand— this field has never been booked. How long have you been in the neighborhood?
Bro: Over a year!
GAPOF: Oh, over a year?
Off Camera Guy in Dropbox Tee-Shirt: Who gives a shit? Who cares about the neighborhood?
Update: It has come to our attention that the field was not rented via the SF Pickup Soccer mobile app. Instead, the group of adults seem to have rented the field directly with the Rec & Park Department (and paid $27 to do so).
There has been quite a bit of debate as to whether the adults’ actions were justified because they legally rented the field. It’s clear the Rec & Park’s relatively recent policy of allowing Mission Playground to be rented out is deeply controversial, and might not have been made in the best interest of the community. Making public spaces quasi-private by charging usage fees is always going to restrict lower income resident’s access to parks—especially children’s. People should question the Parks Department judgment in making this policy.
But the policy is besides the point. Having the proper paperwork does not excuse shitty behavior. Once a group adults threatened to call the police on youths playing soccer, they’ve lost.
Comments (475)
Those bros suck. I did work the sf middle school summer program. i recognize one kid. he was mean. nevertheless, how stupid can guys be to come in and bust out with kicking kids off a field that were playing already?
This makes me so sad. Truly, truly sad. I am so sorry for the regular players that are now being invaded by the bros, sadly… I know one of them and really am so ashamed, embarrassed for the bros. Where has the true spirit of San Francisco gone? Wow. This is totally lame!!! Seriously lame!
I want an under armour dropbox shirt so bad
So, if the boys from Airbnb, Dropbox and what other tech startup was present? Perhaps they can ask to use the lobby of Airbnb. It’s big enough for them to play soccer there. I’m truly saddened to see this video, I truly am! #theregoesthemission #brovasion
I feel ashamed to be a part of the tech community sometimes. Irrespective of whether or not you have a reservation you can be nice about not and not a d*ck.
Also, a-holes if you want to be part of the community you start by caring about the neighborhood and the kids and not by “Off Camera Guy in Dropbox Tee-Shirt: Who gives a shit? Who cares about the neighborhood?”
Come to LA and tell ppl playing pick-up ball to get off the court. Shit will go down.
Lol - you realize Oakland’s much closer for this type of street education, right?
There have been at least two futbol players who used this park, that went on to play college soccer. Having parks open, and available for high level play, is an important opportunity, that should not be shot down, especially when the reason to close a park is to enhance other’s exclusivity. Let’s try to get along.
Did anyone notice that one of the main guys kicking the kids off the soccer field is wearing an America Scores short. If you don’t know what that is please search america scores and your jaw will drop.
Thanks for pointing that out. Because I didn’t notice, and I didn’t know. S
Thanks for noticing the America SCORES logo and eluding to our work. The fellow wearing the white SCORES shirt played in our SCORES Cup Soccer Tournament – a fundraising event that helps us offer programs for free to all youth. This man has never worked for or volunteered with us. He is not an official representative of SCORES. (I didn’t see any other SCORES shirts in the video). Renting or playing on public fields is a thorny issue at best. The city tries hard to balance public drop in play as well as time for pre-scheduled, organized events. It’s hard, if not impossible, to balance all the interests when fields are so scarce. Because fields are overcrowded and hard to access for the students in our program, we have taken matters into our own hands and are building fields at the schools where we work. So far, we have put in five fields – ER Taylor, Redding, Webster, Cleveland, Hillcrest – and plan to do dozens more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKsaTyTVsNU
More importantly, we continue to build a community that is respectful. One that values sportsmanship and hardwork and diversity. A community that demonstrates teamwork, leadership, commitment, and problem solving. At the end of the day, we hope to build bridges, not create walls.
God, now I feel awful for having jumped on these guys a little. I mean, they can’t help it that much, can they, that they were raised to feel they’re perpetual winners who are never questioned. They seemed to be genuinely bewildered by the conflict.
We’re just not used to these kinds of people in our neighborhood. They used to be somewhat limited to the Marina/Cow Hollow areas. I don’t think they moved to the wrong neighborhood as an act of malice; they just didn’t know!
Maybe they will spread the word to their compatriots and they will slowly start moving to their own natural habitat.
I’m very proud of the Mission kids for being polite and keeping their sass amusing. I’m especially proud of the 20 year old who, though obviously incensed, tried to keep the peace.
I just rewatched and paid better attention, and I rescind everything sort of nice I wrote. Get the fuck out, douchebags.
I think it’s a simple situation to grasp. Here you have a group of guys from drop box who thought they went through a process that gave them claim over this space. Which there is nothing wrong with, but where this goes wrong is the reactionary tone they have with kids who haven’t experienced anyone having to reserve this space before. This could have gone differently. I think the nature thing would have been to understand the frustration of having your system hijacked and the rules changed. Playing together would have been the positive change. It’s sad to watch men who are supposed to be intelligent tech innovators threaten to call the police on kids who won’t let them play soccer. I don’t think twenty seven dollars is worth treating other people like that. Tech people or local it’s unfortunate.
Hey I saw Rick’s comment and watched the video again. There are guys with drobbox shirts on, but one of the guys (the one in white and who goes up to the camera and asks “why are you filming this argument”) is wearing an America Scores shirt. I just searched America Scores, and they are suppose to be about working with the community through soccer and poetry. I can’t believe that.
Some of those guys were much bigger jerks than others. In his defense, the guy in the American Scores shirts seemed to be the one of the bunch most open to just playing with the kids and the pickup rules.
Thank you for taking the time to research the work that America SCORES is doing in urban cities across the country. The fellow wearing the white SCORES shirt played in a fundraising event that helps us offer programs for free to all youth. He has not worked or volunteered for the organization in any capacity. He is not an official representative of SCORES.
Renting or playing on public fields is a thorny issue at best. I know the city tries hard to balance public drop in play as well as time for pre-scheduled, organized events. It’s hard if not impossible to balance all the interests when fields are so scarce. Because fields are overcrowded and hard to access for the students in our program, we have taken matters into our own hands and are building fields at the schools where we work. So far, we have put in five fields at local school communities to make safety and play easy and accessible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKsaTyTVsNU.
More importantly, we continue to build a community that is respectful. One that values sportsmanship and hardwork and diversity. A community that demonstrates teamwork, leadership, commitment, and problem solving. At the end of the day, we hope to build bridges, not create walls.
AppLickers GO HOME. Your sense of entitlement stinks worse than the textured, artisan sewage you create. Get the hell away before the people you displace give you a painful what-for.(Beautiful, progressive SF is supposed to be paradise… for whom?)It’s true: Some Bay Area men just can’t grow up. Everything is like a video game.
Back in the day playing hoops at eurka valley or glen park, you put your name on the chalk board and waited.
Everyone had to do this. Period.
Guys would try to bully you out, erase the board, walk on at games end–all kinds of crazy shIt. U basically had to stand guard at the board –fight for your spot.
and even then u might still have to shoot for teams to EARN your spot. prolly at any gym or crappy blacktop anywhere in the country you play by those rules.
Why would a soccer field be any different???
Yes, the old white dudes were douchebags, but the real problem here is that SF Parks and Rec has set up a system where money trumps everything. Rather than providing a field, like this one, where the community has come up with a fair use policy, they require reservations and money. I tried booking a field for a soccer club I was sponsoring and I could not believe how frustratingly hard it was. Finally, we just found a field and played until someone who had a reservation showed up. These guys don’t care about the neighborhood kids and would probably be much happier if everyone moved out. What they don’t realize is that their behavior is exactly the reason why San Francisco will no longer be the city many of us have grown to love. It is becoming a playground for the rich, where the poor are only tolerated if they are gardeners, janitors, busboys or dishwashers. This is white, class privilege at its worst, but they are totally playing by the rules of the system. We need to change the system. Start lobbying your supervisors to get Parks and Rec to change their policies or else this will continue to happen.
To update, the soccer field has been working great Friday night in its role as a pickup stadium.
Credit to the Sacred Heart H.S team has been winning most of the “arretas”, I translate that as challenges. The Sacred Heart team isn’t really a “park” team, but they’ve played here before, and everybody is good that they are winning the most. They only got put off the field, and returned after two other complete games. Its a great feeling when parks function like they should !!
hey
I don’t like tech bros either but…
is this real?
because wasn’t one of these SF douchey tech bro videos shown to be faked? the google bus dude?
this just seems a bit too perfectly captured. along with “who cares about the neighborhood” comment
i just don’t want to get clowned if I share this on twitter
plz advise
NO PUES WOW!
dropbox people are all d-bags. so glad i switched to google drive and stopped using dropbox. what idiots.
There punks total assholes i am sure they feel great and dont see that they are the problem, i hope they know they come off as assholes, privledged little shit head that make me imbarised to be white.
Another great quote from this guy; “This ONE time we let you play”. Thanks!
This guy…..what a hideous douchebag. NICE FKIN HAIRCUT, KING OF BROJOBS!
The main thing to remember is that a bunch of ‘adults’ needed their play time on this field. They were rude aggressive and basically mean spirited misbehaved trash.It is wonderful that they make lots of money but have no other reedimg qualities whatsoever.They and anyone who witnessses their behaviour should be embarrased and debate the integraty as “adult” men. I pray for their speedy exit from our city.They are ablight upon us.The real “adult’ male would have asked politely if they could play with these wonderful kids and try to get to know them.The children would be far more interesting than these pathetic parasites that have invaded the city.They are shameful examples of people and they definatley do not belong in San Framcisco.We need to deport everyone of these adult ‘gentlemen” to Ferguson MO. Pray that we are rid of them soon.
Thank you
of all places to “deport” tech douchebros to, why Ferguson? That makes zero sense.
when reused tire particles (like the fake dirt found in turf soccer fields) heat up they release toxic chemicals that are being linked to cancer. so, on second thought, maybe let the dropboxdouches have the field. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/how-safe-artificial-turf-your-child-plays-n220166
Nonsense.
This has gotta stop, rich young mostly white men deciding they can buy and occupy, and people wanting to move into the “exotic” Mission and then remake it into their fancy restaurants, expropriating other people’s cultures, making up their faces for Dia de los Muertos, like it’s a second Halloween. Oh, that insult’s coming up soon, gross. We are getting pushed out of the Mission, people who struggled all their and our lives, only to be evicted by landlords and insensitive people who can afford to pay one million and more for a house. Their attitudes are disgusting, we have been watching it happen over time now, but no more. I am proud of the youth who stood up and said what’s right. Those guys who “bought” their time have money to go to a club or pay for some other entertainment or drive to some other place. And the city/county politicians should be ashamed of themselves, voting for all the “freedoms” for the rich to get even richer at our expense. Google pays $1 for a bus stop? We get fined $270 for even stopping to pick up someone on the curb?
So glad you filmed this, thank you.
Gloria La Riva
60 yo
Born and raised in SF Richmond Ocean Beach
Never heard of such a thing.
Want to play on a field, challenge : WIN IT
Want to play on a court, challenge: WIN IT
These “new” people need to understand the “rules” of the game.
I feel bad for the “Bros” in this video. They have been painted to be assholes. Put yourselves in their situation, you use some app to reserve a soccer field so you and your friends can have fun and get some excersice, but once you get to the field you realize that there is some disagreement about the polocies, the “non-bros” are unaware of the new policy implemented by San Francisco, not implemented by the “bros” . The “bros” were just following the rules that they thought were in place, but now instead they are ass holes, rich faggots, people who just throw money around to get what they want. Great job with the title though, you definelty got your point across making these guys look like assholes.
Its not that they used an app to book the field or didn’t understand the social dynamics of the playground. They could have tried to understand the dynamics or tried to resolve the situation in a different way. But, really they are assholes because they acted like assholes.
Can someone please explain why the kids have any right whatsoever to the field?
As I understand the situation, (1) there is a long-established unofficial policy where people either play each other for use of the field or wait their turn, but (2) there is a new-fangled official policy that authorizes people to pay to reserve the field, and (3) the tech guys have followed the official policy and paid to reserve the field.
It seems blindingly obvious that official policies (even new-fangled ones) always win out over unofficial policies (even long-established ones). And that means the tech guys have the right to the field, and the kids have no right to the field. Can someone please explain why this isn’t an open-and-shut case?
You know what? There’s a lot of douchebags, and many of them are on this page. I’m really really sick of the left in SF, sick of them. And I am a NATIVE SF‘er going back several generations, unlike most of you who almost ALL came from elsewhere.You think you own SF? You don’t. SF always changes. The IRISH & ITALIANS were in the Mission before you. Now it’s going to tech. Tough shit if you don’t like it. All you wannabes and Johnny-come-latelys to SF can also MOVE BACK to where you came from. Frankly I welcome Tech.
The Latinos didn’t build the mission. They took it over. Now the tech people are taking over. In the future it will be some other group. The only thing permanent in this world is change.
took it over? yeah, when no one else wanted. sit your ass back down.
That’s becaues the Irish and the Italians left and didn’t want it anymore. The Irish, Italians, Mexicans, Central Americans, and Puerto Ricans make up the cultural of the Mission. What does the Tech geeks bring to the table?
You know zilch about SF, nothing and “didn’t want it”, etc are realllly fucking ignorant.
What DO the Tech geeks bring to the table?
1. Taxes.
They actually contribute more taxes via their salaries then the services that they use.
What does that mean? When a tech bro pulls in $150,000 a year, they pay close to $50,000 of that in taxes. When a “native” with kids pulls in $35,000, the taxes they pay does not cover all the food stamps, setion 8 etc. services that they end up relying on.
2. Market rate rents.
Someone has to make up the difference that the landlord loses due to rent control. The tech bros pay $3000 for an apartment that the “natives” pay $800 for.
35k for a “kid” isn’t bad at all. Learn to live within your means. You can live off 35k in the city and own a car.
Make up market rents to who? What? You’re assuming it’s all the same landlords when in reality all these new apartmentd and developments are not owned by “landlords” but by giant companies.
Do you live here?
I live here.
Where did you get $35K per kid? Either I can’t explain things well or your reading comprehension is a total fail.
And North Beach used to be Itallian.
lolz- irish willingly left the Mission as part of white flight. very big difference, “tough shit if you don’t like” that!
Obviously another non-native SF‘er who doesn’t have family going back generations.
You’re wasting your time here with mere facts.
What you’re dealing with is “history started when I got here, and the world has no right to change from that point onwards.” The irony of people who (I would wager heavily) would perhaps even violently oppose laws to toughen immigration policy at the same time quite easily telling other Americans to “go back where you came from” is beyond rich.
STFU, tech-faggot.
I’m just sorry that the guys with the permit didn’t just agree to play the kids. I think they missed an amazing opportunity on several levels.
And, the video would have been an internet sensation, in a good way. As it is, the video ended like the last episode of the Sopranos did, with no resolution. Too bad!
Not too late to come back and make this all happen, guys!!
Well that’s fucked up.
The “bros” probably had no idea of the history of the field. They went online to find a field to play on, booked it, and expected to be able to play for the hour they’d paid for. The problem isn’t the bros, it is the city that created the booking system Without considering the neighborhood/field traditions. I’m quite liberal, but I’m torn about how the kids reacted. On one hand, I see their point, on the other hand, it smacks of entitlement. You think the bros are acting entitled? So are the kids “I was raised here and you are an outsider. I deserve to be able to do whatever I want whenever I want, regardless of the rules or the laws.” If it is not possible to clear people off the field when you have booked it, it should not be an option. Why should the people who paid to use it lose their money? I’d definitely be down at the city offices demanding my money back. As to the money paid, and how it makes the bros priveledged…27/7 people is less than $4 per person. It hardly makes them rich snobs trying to buy their way in.
$4 may not seem like a lot, but its really easy to lose perspective. Many of these kids are here every day, its a good outlet for kids needing something to do. $80 a month is non-trivial amount of money for many families and couldn’t happen. Should those kids not be able to play on the public park field thats funded by city bonds and taxes? Where should they go instead?
A game a day for $120 a month? Maybe more? Football is is a godsend for some kids in the hood. They don’t have any money. Football is the most popular sport in the world and is played everywhere, the beauty of it being you don’t need to buy a ton of equipment and pay exorbiant prices for access (skating, soccer, surfing, boxing vs golf, polo, horseback riding, tennis, lacrosse). You shouldn’t have to pay to play.
I remember when this town was a family town. Kids could play without perverts around. Now the city the homeless center at the armory to s and m people. We could hike all along the lands end until the gay nudists came and started doing everything. The zoo, museums, giant’s game was affordable. The park was ours all the time. not rented out to outside ands, etc. the polo field was accessible not fenced. I could go on. So, don’t complain take action. Get rid of the crazed stupid ideologes at city hall. They are really stupidvisors and worse.
That is f*cked up that kids don’t have a place to play soccer for free. For a century its been that way in San Francisco. Its that way in almost every part of the the world. But now that rich tech bros life claim the space, we are too damn poor to have a field to play sports.
Blame the sorry jerks that run this city from city hall! The stupidvisors are trying to control everything from happy meals to plastic bags to bubble zones to stop free speech! Wake up, stop blaming your neighbors who don’t make the rules! Don’t be racist because there are no races anyway. They are just trying to always divide us, so we fight each other not them,
Just try to immagine the kids getting the money together to book the field.
wow, lots of good, and bad, interaction here. seems it pretty much comes down to: lets let traditions be the rule, or lets go to mommy government to make the rule. to me, this is like alot of what is going on in every aspect of life in california, (maybe the rest of the country, but i have only been here all my life) our population continues to grow, and less and less, space and time for things are available, so, for too much, we are told to have mommy government step in and create some new rules, (laws, more and more and more, soon we will be told when to go to the bathroom, because of: insert crisis here real or imagined) and only mommy government can fix our ills. and it is clear, that mommy government only serves those who can donate at 30k a plate fundraisers, so they get to make the rules, (laws) and the rest of us can eat cake. orrrrrr, we can do as so many have said, we can find a compromise, without the use of mommy gov. learn to really interact, like taking turns, talking amongst each other while waiting, learn about each other, and lose all the pre-concieved notions amognst us. the games are supposed to end up bring us together, having gov. step in, just confuses it even more, and ends up serving very few, and leaves the rest out on the side wondering wtf happaened. yes, the mission is ever changing, my father grew up there, and told me how things were done when he was a kid, his boys would have, “pants” the techies, ( took off thier pants and hang them from telephone pole) and told them to wait thier turn, and win the field. which, in turn, was what is best for the GAME, remember here, THE GAME is whats really at stake. outside of the “pantsing” making the game the focus, and letting the best rise to the top, via true competition is the best option for all. winner take all. but no, in todays society, we are all equals, and everyone gets a trophy. there will soon be a law for that too. sadly. obtw, soccer sucks, but that is just my stupid opinion. soccer is great, takes a shit ton of skill. being ann asshole is easy, all you need is an app, i side with the kids, have not watched the video, only read the comments first, but i will side with the kids, who have used thier own system for years, and not the techies, who have helped create a new system, that mainly serves them at thier particular convienence. i do not like the idea, that technolgy cures all ills, it has made our lives too dependant on it, and is quickly killing normal human interaction. i know, i read the app for that.
watch the video, buddy. what the heck? the guy who wrote this initial post got it pretty wrong.
It was the government that is ever encroaching into the lives of the citizens. Please remember who to blame here. Please remember when you go to vote. San Francisco has terrible people in power here. We can change that. First, let’s let go of dated politics. The 60’s are so dead!
In my day you played for the field. It’ll make you play harder. I think the camera man started to get it.
If the situation were reversed, and the kids were the ones showing up with the permit, my bet is that the “bros” would have packed up and left and given the field to them. This wouldn’t have happened in the Marina. Just because your born someplace and have lived there “20 years” doesn’t give you any special entitlement. Hard lesson, I know. Born here myself so I know this for a fact :-)
“This wouldn’t have happened in the Marina”…….good god
Did you just equate the Marina and the Mission? LOL
Marina = Mission
Five years and you won’t tell the two apart
The mission was Irish once so what is your point? Neighborhoods evolve. the Mission was once as nice as the Marina.
What? The Mission used to be way more hood. The type of people who are moving into the Marina and Mission are the same, in the same industries, and both bring their entitlement alien attitudes. Doesn’t matter if you’re an LA trust fund hipster or east coast Ivy league douchebag.
Mission is better than the Marina. And we want to keep it that way. Resist the rental of the soccer field. Stop the soccer field evictions!!
Given the race, income and gentrification dynamics here, the newcomers should have swallowed their pride, walked off and asked for their money back from SF Parks and Recs. Welcome to the neighborhood, bros.
That said, can we please not romanticize “the longterm custom of the winner of the previous game plays the waiting next team.” Having grown up around streetball courts, it’s not some system that favors the plucky underdog. Asshole jocks can be of all races and colors, and they all love streetball, which is basically the Ayn Rand School of Organization’s preferred method of allocating playing fields. I know this because I have been both stomped as a kid, and doled out the hurt like a douche when I was a teenager, there being only one decent court in my neighborhood. Just saying: if you want to give everyone a chance to play, a reservation system is a good idea, providing you can keep it free and accessible to the local neighborhood.
@Maus29 The current pickup system mostly solves the problem that you have raised. Player of lesser ability can particpate well at the shoulder hours to the popular times. The shoulder hours being, Sunday afternoons, other weekends times, and with some randomness, 6:30 to 7:70, and after 9 pm on the weekdays. They can also play during the popular times, but its true that they might feel the high school stigma of the “last one picked” for the game.
“off camera guy with drop box t says, ’ who cares about the neighborhood’ ” ?
no way. you got that totally wrong.
The kid who said that, said it facetiously, and he was behind and to the left of the kid with braids.
Greaaaaaaaaaaaaat job framing this. You wanted to set up a “I heart the Mission more than other white people” thing, and you did it. real good job man.
The only legitimate beef here is with the city for running a permits at this pitch. I’d ask every person who commented to imagine themselves in a position where they show up to something they’ve rented, see other people using it during the time they’ve rented, argue about leaving, then have a camera put in their face, and be magnanimous about it.
Get real. The bros could have handled it better. The kid with the braids told a few untruths, and framed this dialog the way he wanted to, and you bought in while inserting your own incorrect editorial. Awesome all around.
yup, awkward when braids frame the issue better then the dropbox bosses. Like, who even let the guys with braids frame issues and upload them to YouTube. What are things coming too. hummmph
Yeah, these neighborhood kids ruining things for the fine people of Palo Alto who drive their BMWs all the way up to the inner city parks to announce “This ONE time we’ll let you play”.
i don’t think you know what facetious means. you also don’t get to decide what a legitimate beef is; there can be more than one. just sit down, you’re being “disastrously awkward.”
not what i said buddy. if i knew the guy’s name i would’ve used it. how fake
i used the word properly, i get the beef, i’ve played in the game, i know what’s going on, i’ve been on all sides of this dialogue in neighborhoods all around town, and i know exactly what i’m talking about.
apparently the fact that the guy who wrote the article applied the “don’t care about the neighborhood” comment to the wrong dude doesn’t mean anything to you.
whatever. judgmental people suck.
i used the word properly, as the kid who said it was one of the kids who had been playing, and was being sarcastic
you’re the only person who seems to think that the guy in the dropbox tee did not say that; you think the camera phone would’ve picked up the audio behind dreaded dude?
You also think that little 13 year old has the same voice as a 30+ year old? You can hear it’s the same voice as drop box tee dude who says that “you can share one time” at 1:50. So no, being facetious doesn’t fit in this context and YOU my friend, are the one that got this “totally wrong.” Get real! Your bias is showing.
nope, it wasn’t a very deep voice, and it wasn’t the same voice
my bias? what a joke. you don’t even know what you’re talking about in any way. calling me out on facetious, which, whether or not you agree with my take, was used properly. now you’re trying to talk about bias. whatever. like i said, i’ve been on both sides of this. i can tell you haven’t. i bet you never even played there. i bet you don’t even live in sf. step off
well, you’re hearing what you want to hear here, and couldn’t be further from reality here. if it ain’t bias affecting your perception here, then i don’t know what it is. sit back down.
also, the kid you’re saying said that, is talking, and you can hear his trailing off indicating he prob said something like “been here all my life” but yeah, go on, bud.
Kenny, you may want to beleive its a different guy, but pretty sure none of those ‘born in the mission’ kids has that accent. The same accent as the dropbox ass who pronounces “This ONE time we let you play”, to the kids.
I think Kenny might be watching it on mute
Nope. Watch the 20 year old kid react to the comment, originating from behind his right shoulder, viewer left. Not from off camera, viewer right.
also, no problem with dude saying “this field is never rented”? Because it clearly is, and that was just wrong. They have organized games with ref’s there once in a while for cryin out loud. Get real. And the meme? of dropbox t bro’s supposed quote? Totally fAkeD. That never happened on the video. Come on. So much baggage brought to the table.
So… the dropbox guy that says “Who gives a shit? who cares about the neighborhood?” apologized for what he said via twitter, thereby settling the mystery of who said what.
https://twitter.com/jgreze?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fvalleywag.gawke…
Sorry, Kenny. You were wrong and the events happened as stated here.
Oh Kenny
DB guy still doesn’t get it.
These kid don’t live on twitter.
and the fact that he calls it “his” community.
So, uh:
http://i.imgur.com/r6gq3UR.jpg
exactly, and most of the kids in that video understood the real deal, which is “show us the permit if you want us to stop playing”
So that photo raises the question of what is a “special event?” Charging money to give one group of people preferred access over others to “open play” doesn’t seem to rise to the level of “special event.” And if it does, by what open democratic process did Rec and Park empower itself to make such a determination? I’m almost positive the answer to my question is “None.”
Rec and Park made this mess; an organized, concerted effort by park users and other concerned people determined to resist the privatization of our public shared spaces can clean it up.
As newer wealthier people continue to economically displace existing lower income residents in the Mission, I predict increased incidents like this one, which will be less and less likely to be resolved peacefully.
We can’t all just get along when the distribution of resources are determined by the size of the money roll in one’s product. Especially public resources. Eventually people get fed up with stuff getting unjustly taken from them. And they will fight back.
no, he highlighted the wrong clause. look toward the bottom, where the practice reservation process is delineated
They rented the pitch. What more are they supposed to do?
The adult with the children is a dumbass, trying to gain popularity among kids with unintelligent quips.
Nah, he’s a good kid looking out for other neighborhood kids and sticking up for them. Who the hell rents a field for a 3 on 3 run? Permits should only be granted for actual organized play.
isn’t 3 on 3. they were going to run like 7 v 7 or 8 v 8. wow. people have no idea what they’re talking about, just bringing their own notions to the mix. incredible.
i’m going by what i see in the video. they didn’t have enough to run a 7 v 7 when offered to play against one another; seem to say they only have 6. go on….lemme guess, you were there?
watch the video. it pans downfield where another group are congregated. then there is the group at midfield. then the two or three arguing. it’s clearly seven on seven or eight on eight that they’re trying to play. jesus. not that difficult
you’re right on this oneKenny, i thought he had said 6 when he said 16. you’re still way wrong on what drop box T dude said, though.
No, I am not. Look at the reaction to the comment and the direction from which it originated.
and the doctored still doesn’t bug you? That shot, and that quote, were placed together. They ain’t in the video. This is some bs dude. Too bad you can’t see it for te manipulative pap that it is.
This is turning into a “grassy knoll” situation of “the audio in question comes from the left side and watch how the the crowd turns” but it appears to me that the voice that says “who gives a shit, uh” and “who cares about the neighborhood” is a higher pitch male voice with a distinct east coast accent. The grey haired guy who says ”let’s play one time” has the exact same pitch and inflection in his voice.
However, my opinion in general is that the tech guys are getting a bit of an unfair reaming here. The argument that Kenny made as to how would anybody feel and react if they showed up to find the field or anything else that they had paid for was being used by someone who hadn’t paid for it is a fair one. I don’t know a living soul who would say “okay, I guess these random teenagers are correct and the city contract and $27 I paid are wrong. Boy were we suckers!”. Even if you are the most fervent anti-tech person in the Mission, your argument is more than a little bit hobbled if you deny this basic logic.
This video does serve a purpose in that it showed the larger public yet another example of incompetency in SF city government and especially in the ever bumbling Park and Rec department. The “bros” in THIS INSTANCE are not to blame. Park and Rec is. Perhaps (probably) pro-gentrification board members like Weiner are to blame. What we are witness to in this video, however, is a misunderstanding that is now being blown up into something way more than it was. People are really angry about the way the Mission and the city as a whole has been taken over by what many of us see as carpet baggers from the tech industry. But this was a case of one set of soccer players not being aware of a new field reservation system and another set of soccer players not being aware of a turn based tradition. Perhaps they were both right, or both wrong. But noone should be crucified over this simple misunderstanding.
Except maybe the grey haired dude. He is certainly an a-hole in the video, and more than likely in every other circumstance. I may be wrong about everything else I said, but that part is obvious.
If this is the type of people my dropbox subscription brings to one of my old favorite neighborhoods, then I am canceling. As if the mission hasn’t been stripped of its soul enough.
One way that this could be improved is if there was onsite recreation directors. An on-site rec director would be able to give feedback to the log cabin about the appropriateness of renting the field during certain hours, and be an informed person if there is a conflict over usage, like this one. The regulars of the field would likely be invested in getting along with the regular on-site recreation director.
In the past, Luis Azucena, ran both the adult and youth futsal leagues for the city, and was the senior park director at Mission Playground. As was said, the City is in flush money times, if it could afford to staff the building with competent bilingual recieation directors in prior years, there is more than enough money to staff the facilities today. But maybe things like recreational directors who bilingual culturally compentent staffing are a thing of an simplier era??
As a sidenote, Dropbox is cozily in bed with the NSA sharing your data, while Condee Rice is on the board…. http://www.drop-dropbox.com/surveillance.html And now they wanna kick the kids out of the ‘hood! Yeah… I don’t have a lot of sympathy for the employees for this double oppression.
The most hilarious thing is the tech bro whining about the guy recording the conversation.
As if all these stupid tech companies don’t poach as much data as possible from their clients, including chat logs, emails, phone conversations, comments, likes, upvotes, etc.
The second most hilarious thing is that their stupid tech company doesn’t have an indoor kickball field to go along with all their other shitty amentities. But, they probably wouldn’t even use it. They have to venture out into public to show off their wealth and name drop the awesome tech company they work for to let the world know how precious they are.
you guys are acting like the “tech” guys are rich because they paid $27 dollars for a field. Assuming they are playing 6x6 thats $2.25 a person. Less than a bus fare in most cities and hardly unaffordable for anyone. They have a right to be pissed about getting prepared to play at a certain time, going through the proper procedure, and then being told that they can’t have the field. If you are going to complain about the system not being fair, then you should direct your anger towards those who made the rules, not those who are following them. This isn’t a white vs hispanic thing or a rich vs poor thing, but of course some people will take any opportunity to make it into that. I live in NY and you bet your ass that if someone is playing on the field during a time slot I will kick their asses off one way or another, white black latino asian or whatever race they may be. The kid asks “how long you been in this neighborhood”? That’s completely irrelevant to the argument. He brings up how usually they don’t pay, that’s also completely irrelevant. If the white guys weren’t such nerds, the argument would have been over much sooner, with those who paid on the field, and the ones who didn’t waiting for their turn.
I agree
spoken like a true douchebro wannabe
The wealthy always get preferential treatment. A few years ago I tried to take my son to his field trip to Angel Island. We arrived just as the ferry was pulling out. No problem, we’ll take the next one. A wealthy group had rented it out for a wedding, and my son missed his field trip & got a bad grade. Unbelievalbe. A public ferry!
For years now, Rec and Park Director Phil Ginsburg has been working overtime to privatize and limit access to as many SF public parks as posssible, and this little shitfest on the part of these entitled brodouches is just one of the latest festering pustules on the Phil Ginsburg / Ed Lee / Mark Buell corrution machine to spring a leak.
We already pay a fortune in taxes and bonds for unrestricted access to our public parks here in San Francisco.
The people in this neighborhood already had a great system worked out for prioritizing who is allowed to play on this field.
The problem here stems from greedpigs like Phil Ginsburg who cuts budgets for Recreation Center employees and gardeners while (with the help of Scott Wiener, of course) allocating millions of taxpayer dollars to six figure middle management, public relations hacks and an ever increasing recreation and park security patrol force. As an additional bonus, Ginsburg and Wiener recently made it a crime for you to visit any of the public parks you pay for after the ungodly hour of midnight.
If you carea about parks and don’t want to see brodouches kicking children out of them, feel free to contact Mayor Ed Lee and give him some feedback on Phil Ginsburg and our parks:
Mayor’s Office
City Hall, Room 200,1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett PlaceSan Francisco, CA 94102Telephone: (415) 554-6141Fax: (415) 554-6160Email: mayoredwinlee@sfgov.org
I watched the entire video. People are obviously seeing what they want to see. I see a group of guys who have a legitimate claim to the field and a big misunderstanding on the part of the kids. It’s too bad that the kids weren’t aware of the policy, but I didn’t see any bad behavior on the part of the “bros.” In fact, they looked like they were trying to avoid a conflict. I guess if you’re already primed and looking for something, you’ll have your own view.
I have thought a lot about this video and I now see it as a simple misunderstanding that people are using to express frustration over the bigger picture of the gentrification of the Mission. I really don’t like tech bros, and I can pick apart a lot of what annoys me personally about the guys in this video. But if I were to look at this without any prejudice and strip away everything but the facts of what appeared to happen that evening I see very little about the general situation in this video that should merit so much vitriol and consternation. Except maybe the grey haired guy and his obnoxius quotes about not caring about the neighborhood.
One group did not know about the reservation system. One group did not know about the turn based tradition system. Both sides, however, appear to know that this misunderstanding wasn’t the end of the world. I can see that it is symbolic of something much worse than some kids couldn’t play soccer for an hour cuz some white dudes went through official channels to reserve the field. But what it shows me most of all is that we need to hold the city government and Parks and Rec accountable for setting up this system with what appears to be little public knowledge and than leaving it up to the renter to enforce the ridiculous policy.
Seems to me there aren’t enough parks, not enough fields, not enough… The fight isn’t just about what the customs of the field were, but about why there aren’t enough safe places to play and learn. Sorry, I’m a retired teacher and I guess I think schools should offer more opportunities to serve the community after school.
Maybe a test of the new folks would be to challenge them to a game, but play it at city hall and stir up some trouble, invite the press and explain what’s going on in the community. The measure of the new folks would be if they showed a give a damn attitude towards the needs of the community by engaging in fighting to make the community better.
It’s understandable and easy to simply blame them for using money and white skin privilige to get what they want when they want it, but maybe some would step up and join a fight to demand more fields. Hell SF has lots of money, enough to host the entire US armed forces on our dime, so there should be $ enough to build more facilities. If some or all of the folks trying to figure out how to use the limited facilities were to join forces then maybe everyone will come out ahead except for the politicians and their minions who keep telling us we don’t deserve anything but arguing over the limited resources.
Just a thought.
Raleigh
#SFGiants win game 1, 3-0 vs. Cardinals. Bumgarner goes 7 and ⅔rd scoreless innings, so the baseball game is done, now its time to go to Mission Playground.
here is dropboxes address and telephone number, let them know how you really feel:
185 Berry Street
Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94107
United States
Founded in 2007
Phone:
415-986-7057
Fax:
415-789-4548
www.dropbox.com
For anyone just looking for a game, we have a long standing pick-up in North Beach.
7pm Thursday. North Beach/Joe DiMaggio playground. We won’t judge, but please leave any attitude in the Mission :-)
YKW? This city is going to constantly change. It has money now. Don’t like it? Fucking MOVE your ass out to San Leandro or Richmond. Do it now because THIS is not ending, and it’s best to get your house/condo now while you can. The prices in Oakland are skyrocketing as we speak btw.
First, if the city insists on renting the park that kids are already regularly and routinely using for play - shouldn’t it be for more than $27? I mean it is part of the city - and the taxes everyone pays funds the park - hence the Park and Recreation authority - so it should be free - but if you are going to rent the field kids play on all the time - does it have to be so cheap? Shouldn’t running kids off a field - stopping them from playing - cost more? Are we really pretending that the city would have to close the park without the $27?
Second, to understand why a lot of people are upset about this video - aside from the fact that many of the young guys on the field are really just kids - playing - on field - many still in street clothes - all you have to do is tell us when these same guys would go to a wealthy suburb - and go to a field where a bunch of weathly young white male teenagers were playing - and presume to take over the field with a piece of paper that costs $27. Just give us all one example of when a bunch of white kids are made to stop playing on a field they use regularly - because some computer guys thought to spend $27. This is about race - pretending otherwise does not change the truth.
The young man who asked to see the papers struggled with his speech - clearly nervous - the still younger guy in jeans and t-shirt - who told them to go ahead and call the cops - while walking away - biting at his nails - was clearly more upset than he wanted to let on. Who sees this and thinks a piece of paper and $27 freaking bucks means more than that?
Evidently - in San Franciso - it only takes $27 to make some poor non-white kids feel like they are nothing. Their right to play - in a public park - means nothing. Seems like the tech guys got a bargain.
Bros just kicked community relations back to 1998 with their Second Estate behavior. They’ll be swaggering with a noticeable limp when their companies begin to appear on fuckedcompany.com, and they have to return to their prairie villages. Well executed Ronaldo moves aren’t gonna impress their Rust Belt kinfolk.
With all of their self-aggrandizing savvy, they could have turned the confrontation into a growth moment and won some friends in the process.
I have lived by this playground my whole life. Ever since these privileged white people came to the Mission and especially the Valencia area, they think they own everything and we don’t have any rights to do anything, and now to take the field! I don’t care if you have a permit to play! This has always been a public field. I think its ridiculous to pay to use a soccer field. What’s next us paying to get into the park? This has got to stop. These kids are on the right! They have a right to play freely in the park. I don’t think it’s fair to pay to reserve time on the field.
gimme a break. None of the “bros” (since when did we decide all youngish white guys are bros?) are being especially shitty. All I see are some people being jerks who don’t even want to give up the field for one hour. The guy going on and on about “this field has never been reserved” is wrong, obviously. If people have a problem they should take it up with the city. From other comments it seems that you can only reserve it certain nights anyway. How is this unreasonable? Why do people who just moved not get to play?
Imagine if the kids had the permit and the tech bros refused to leave the field. Would anyone be siding with the bros? Anyone? No, you’d be ripping them a new one, because this whole thing is entirely about your hatred of techies, for which you are completely willing to disregard the fundamental principle that rules should apply equally to everyone.
OK, apps, government, Locals, Bros. Has anyone thought that maybe the locals have NO IDEA the field could be rented out with a frickin’ app? I work in tech and have NO idea what my city is doing. I had NO idea they had an earthquake early warning system. I had NO idea they had an app for checking your building permits.
How the hell are the locals supposed to know they have to RENT at certain times? How many of us know what the Fu(k is happening in our city? Plain and simple, this whole shitstorm was the fault of local government. Did they get out from behind their desks to EDUCATE the locals? Seems doubtful. Beaurocratic business as usual.
It can’t be rented with an app. There is a sign posted delineating the rental policy on the fence. The process is: 1. go to the log cabin in GG park in person 2. deal with their weird hours 3. prove that you’re a resident with utility bills 4. register 5. after that, you can call and pay over the phone with a credit card
The app people keep talking about might be meetup ? That would be secondary to the actual renting of the field. Maybe the 14-16 people looking to play got together via the meetup app, but the field was rented via the old school bureacratic method.
Not sure about the meetup app. Just guessing. Anyway, meetup is dork city if you ask me. And yes, you will have people rolling up to situations they haven’t really taken the time to truly consider, in real world terms, because of meetup.
Example. There is another soccer pickup game whose location will go unmentioned. But the skill level is actually pretty good. Probably the best in town. Anyway, some meeetup bros found out about it and tryied to to co-opt it into meetup. All of a sudden a bunch of people whose skill level was nowhere near good enough to be in the game started showing up, and showing up without any understanding of the proper protocols for the game: no shin guards, no slide tackling, various local rules. Basically ruining the game for a while ….
err, that was, the sign outside Mission Playground Park displays the phone number to call, which is to the Log Cabin. But you can’t just call it cold. You have to go the process I delineated.
The amount of stupidity from people commenting is making my head explode!
-City owns it, makes the rules
-Stop please with the cultural, ethnic, religious or economic references, it has no bearing here!
-Follow the rules on the public courts, or shut up and go home.
Personally I would have smacked the goofball “who can read and is educated” and the rather svelte looking kid with the open reference to marijuana on his sweatshirt.
Who is this city you speak of as though a person? Are the Latino kids and young men on this field a part of that city - or just the white guys? In order to be a part of the city do you have to pay the additional $27? Since one of the guys on the field lives in Palo Alto - does he own the field more, less, or the same as the kids who live within walking distance of the field they have been playing on all their lives?
The taxpayers - not the city - own the field - and expect the city to maintain it - WITH THEIR HARD-EARNED TAX DOLLARS. The additional fee is for one reason and one reason only - to allow people with too much disposable income - to utilize public spaces they have neither paid for nor deserve - at the expense of the local taxpayers who have, in fact, paid for it.
This is about race - and you pretending otherwise will not change the facts of what this is about. Let us know when they start taking public fields from rich white kids in Palo Alto?
no, the fee is for the lights
Suggesting violence against the kids playing soccer is not the answer.really
I’m wondering how, in either system for using the field, the neighborhood girls get to play at a reasonable and safe time. (i.e. not after 9 pm at night or something ridiculous).
I think it’s bullshit the kids didn’t let them play. I love to play sports with my friends but hate it when others come in and try to say anyone can play here. If you paid for it then the kids should have backed off, THEY PAID FOR IT! If I wanted to have a field for my use only I would pay for it and would expect all the others who didn’t pay to back the fuck off…realize respect for the permit and leave!
12 Million for sailboat team and no money for children. Phil Ginsburg had 12 Million dollars to cover the expensives of the Oracle sailboat team, and then want to charge kids for playing soccer. Great ! One of the richest guys in the world not only doesn’t pay, but we pay him to play a sport that no one cares about, and the Phil Ginsburg charges children to play the most popular sport in the world
I honestly blame the city for this. You cannot charge people to use a public facility and then expect the people to handle their own scheduling controversy when kids probably have no idea that certain days are reserved for paying people - let alone if someone paid for that day or not. If the city wants to place a staff member at the park when people have the field reserved and enforce the rule, then the idea to charge becomes acceptable, as long as you still give kids a chance to use it without having to pay as well. Driving kids away is the last thing I’d want to do from a public space.
If I paid $27 for use of a space though, I would like to get my money’s worth, and I’d have an expectation that the field would be ready for me to use. It shouldn’t be up to me to play police when kids or anyone else is using the space that I paid for.
I’m not a tech person, and I don’t play one on TV either. I grew up close to a number of hispanics and delivered pizza to a lot of horse farms in KY when I was a youngster. I have a great deal of respect for the Mission and the tradition of the area. I didn’t watch the video, but this sounds to me like another example of the natives, or other anti-tech people blaming the tech people for their troubles, when in reality, the issue is truly with Parks & Rec in this case. Yeah, tech people are generally entitled, self-absorbed brats who think money can buy them whatever they want, but consider what you’d do if you paid money for a service, only to be told that other people are using that service right now, so you lose out on that money.
If your answer to that consideration is that “they’re rich tech people - $27 means nothing”, then you’re as bad as them.
They are rich tech people - $27 means nothing to them - and I have never been - nor ever will be as bad as they are - I will never go to a field full of hispanic youth - playing - and wave a piece of paper around to make them STOP PLAYING. Please feel free to lecture the rest of us when they take a playing field away from wealthy white youth - which will be the 12th of NEVER.
So funny guy who barely speaks English demanding documentation! News to mission homeboys. This is not new. Welcome to what the rest of us in S.F. Have to put up with. It is not the guys fault who paid and just want to to things right. Please look at the fools you elect at city hall. Look at the gov guys who make all the rules.
He is something of a hero, because he previously caught one of the other tech team flashing a paper in the eyes of the kids, and he read it and pointed out that their “permit” was expired. So the kids know that the tech guys sometimes try to get away with dirty tricks.
Dropbox prick better kno how to fight cause now he known. Assholes. Don’t move here. The real City has no love for you. Vampires.
They’re standing on a sports field. Just play already. Afterwards both sides shake hands. Winners stay. Losers go home, practice, come back next time and win…Then someday the US, and all of it’s cultural diversity, embrace sportsmanship over differences and actually win a World Cup. (Or we can be a society that allows grown men to have $27 victories over kids)
The city might not own the field, but the city does apparently manage the field’s leasing.
To all those griping that “the community”–whoever exactly that is–should set the rules, would you say the same if the field were in a place where minorities aren’t treated well by most of the community? A community where blacks and hispanics and gays were not welcome at any time and had to leave upon the arrival of a group of players who were more representative the community? Probably not.
“Majority rules” is a nice policy when you’re in the majority, but it’s not a fair policy. At least, it’s a less fair policy than paying a nominal fee on particular days of the week, especially if rental fees help pay for upkeep or improvements.
The dispute on the video could have been avoided if the Dept. of Recreation had conspicuously posted the rented times at the field.
Oh no, look at those evil, “entitled” whitey crackers. How dare they expect to be able to use something they paid the city for, according to all the rules of the city.
For all you racist scumbags out there - imagine if the situation were reversed.
A local youth soccer team, composed mostly of Mexican-American and black kids, wants to hold a local soccer tournament among a few neighborhood teams. They pool together their innocent, hard-earned money in order rent the field and keep people from ruining their tournament and hogging the field.
But, when this innocent team of PoC children shows up on the field they pooled their hard-earned money to rent, what do they find? Some entitled, out-of-town, rich, privileged, white bro-grammers, who believe that they are entitled to use the field for their own game, since they were there first. Even when the innocent PoC children show them their city-signed rental papers guaranteeing them use of the field, the evil out-of-touch white folk reject them, and even have the gall to suggest that they should just wait their turn or join whatever game they were playing.
You people would immediately label those evil white brogrammers racist, entitled, out of touch outsiders who think their whiteness entitles them to not follow city rules and think that their whiteness and status entitles them to a field that someone else paid for.
You would be crying “Oh, those horrible entitled whites! Even when nice innocent PoC follow the rules and rent the field, the white rich brogrammers still literally steal their money by using the field! How dare they be so entitled!”
If the situations were reversed, there is no way any “social justice” conscious people would ever defend the white people on the field already instead of the innocent black children who paid hard-earned money to rent it.
And you know what? That means you’re Racist, with a capital “R”.
Not against the white people, because surely you’ll just tell me that their “privilege” means that they shouldn’t be allowed to use the field at all (maybe we could make a “separate but equal” field for white privileged scum, eh?) when innocent oppressed PoCs want to use it.
No, but racist against the poor oppressed PoC themselves. You’re telling me that the law doesn’t apply to them. You’re telling me that they should be held to a different, lower standard of behavior, because of their race. You’re telling me that PoC simply can’t handle following the city’s rules, just like everyone else. You’re telling me that PoC should not be treated equally or fairly. And that’s racist, not against white people, but against PoC. Because you’re saying that white people are good enough to follow the rules, but that PoC simply can’t help themselves.
You’re literally being racist against the people you’re trying to defend.
And I hate racists.
I hate entitled brogrammers, but I hate racists more.
The bros were not organzing a tornament - they had reserved the field for one hour to play a game - these kids would have stepped aside had this been a tornament - what they were NOT willing to do - was leave a field of play because some white guys show up with a piece of paper saying the field is now their FIELD OF PLAY - because racist bigoted white guys - who would NEVER - not in a million years - think to go to a wealthy white suburb and take the field away from wealthy white teenagers - will GLADLY AND EAGERLY take the field away from hispanic teenagers - waving a piece of paper - letting them know that they can buy the field RIGHT OUT FROM UNDER THEM.
For those of us who live in California - who pay taxes in California - we are furious that the parks our tax dollars maintain can be bought out from under kids by white guys who think nothing of STOPPING HISPANIC KIDS FROM PLAYING - BECAUSE THEY CAN.
Since one of the guys featured - lives in Palo Alto - let us know when he takes a field from kids there. Simply because you refuse to see the racism - in these guys indifference to the kids ON THE FIELD - does NOT mean there is not racism.
If you oppose having our public parks bought out from under us, please contact the SF Rec & Park Dept to let them know!
San Francisco Recreation & Parks DepartmentMcLaren Lodge-Golden Gate Park501 Stanyan St.San Francisco, CA 94117(415) 831-2700rpdinfo@sfgov.org
If the bros want a bike polo court for one night a week, SF Rec builds them one in Dolores Park and the rest of us get dust during 18 months of construction.
Legally, they paid for it (Assuming the document was real; AND, If so….) then they have a written and binding contract that would surpass any cute “we have lived here for 20 years and have never seen one before,” argument. Yes, it sucks and probably isn’t cultrally sound, but even if they’re snotty white kids, they have a legal agreement that says they rented the field out from x time to x time. Again, if they weren’t so snotty about it it probably wouldn’t have been a worthwhile video to watch. It’s only a big deal because they’re white and brats vs. a more cultural neighborhood.
Awkardly weird guy is Conor Welch and ironically his title is ‘Community Support Lead at Airbnb’
Unfair that this is portrayed/labeled as “bro’s try to kick kids off.” It makes it more of a race/class issue than it really is or was, as the real villain here is the local govt. selling field time to unknowing neighborhood newbies, but then offering no structure for this apparent business they’re suddenly running. It’s true, the “bro’s” look silly and corny here, and should have gone straight to the people who sold them the time instead of trying to debate with kids. But it also wasn’t fair or accurate for the kid to suggest they felt they were entitled to the field because they “have money.” They felt entitled because some asshole sold it to them; not because of their bank statement or skin color. Posting vids like this perpetuates a very negative stream of consciousness.
They should build affordable housing on that plot and get rid of the sports and argumentative sports culture. 27 dollars a game isn’t a good use of multi-million dollar property, anyway.
I’m a 31 year old white male living in Chicago who that was brought up by educators in the public school system. My folks have struggled their whole life to mine and my sisters life better.
When I witness things like these men pulled to kick the others off the field, I find it repulsive. Surely they could have easily played them without pulling a paper out to shove in their face.
I am completely aware that the priveleged white young urban professionals featured in this video knew what they were doing by attempting to take the ones that were already on the field, off.
It’s been metioned already but let me reitterate that the sense of entitlement these young urban professionals seem to flaunt nowaday has gotten out of control and will eventually get the better of our society.
Neighborhoods are being overrun by these types and culturally depleted. They have no contribution to any culture because they have none except commercially driven business and invasion of space via expansion of condominium saturated real estate.
These people are the out of state university grads who get spoon fed education by their parents who have already paid their education fund by the time they turn 12, given a new car by the time they turn 16 and given the freedom to live the booze driven college life which gives them that sense of entitlement without any regrets.
Stands will have to be taken and our government is only aiding the spoiled.
Middle class families are poorer than they’ve ever been before which only explains how the lower class is suffering, the gap is widening and quickly at that. Why should we rely on certain officials in government when they haven’t the right idea in their minds to give the people equality? Instead they segregate communities just to raise prices and taxes for their own benefit, let’s all wake up and share the space we are meant to share, stop acting like its meant for just your type. Grow up.
Public parks keep kids out of trouble and promote healthy extra curricular activities. Gentrification freaks me out and this is exactly why. I’m scared for low income youth not to have equal opportunities simply because they can’t afford to rent a field to have fun in. Not only does this deprive them of enjoying sports and exercise as well as socializing, but this can impact ones self esteem not being able to literally pay for fun. I just don’t know how I feel about renting public spaces, this all makes me sad.
While awkwardly weird Conor may look like a douchebag wearing a tuxedo and drinking champagne in Africa; on his blog he writes this about helping kids play soccer:
“Yesterday we built some small, 5-on-5 soccer goals at the school. They are basic, fashioned from branches, but we dug them into the ground pretty good and fastened the joints with nylon cord, so they should last. Even without the nets, which we’ll attach today, twenty children rushed to the dusty field after school and began to choose sides. This is a recording of the chaotic selection process.”
http://www.conorwelch.com/
http://lightingout.tumblr.com/page/3
I wonder why he doesn’t have the same respect for the chaotic selection process in the Mission?
The incident has sparked a protest at City Hall on Thursday at 9am.
http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2014/10/10/dropbox-drops-money-mission-soccer-field-kicks-out-neighborhood-kids
Rich tech bros need to leave their money and not ask questions. They may pay for the fields but we own the fields. The rich a$$ white dudes owe us. They only have what they got cause they stole it from native people. They needs to stay in pacific heights and leave us alone.
It seems to me that if the city wants to have fields that can be reserved for organized teams it should use fields that are accessible by car only. Parks in the inner city that are actually being used by local kids should be excluded from reservations. The adults can drive, the kids cannot and all the adults – Dropbox and Parks and Rec officials should keep that in mind.
OMG! White people always tryna take over shit! indians and mexicans have been here since been here. now we got over grown white boys trying to play on a field where kids have been playing there since been playing there. SO WHAT IF THEY HAVE A PERMIT! its a piece of paper like the kid in the blue jacket was saying. if these kids are put out into the mission and not able to play soccer, they might just wanna do things that cause the community harm. so I find it ironic that long white sleeve blue hat even says that hes part of the community and whining that he wants to play. when he should be apart of the community to SUPPORT. Support the kids and their effort to do something productive with their lives. PLAY SOME PICK UP SOCCER and join them! have a sense of unification and not seperation. im sure everyone on that field wanted to play. So play..
wait, so this was a league game between dropbox and airbnb? how did they get to use the “occasional use permit” then? those aren’t designed for league games, nor are they intended to be for league games. you are supposed to go through the league permitting process which is different altogether. basically questioning whether they got this permit on false pretenses by lying about whether it was a league game or not.
Good catch on that, hep!
I remember forty years ago in Los Angeles we used to go to a park, not a field, because all the fields were reserved BY ORGANIZED TEAMS–not a handful of yuppies. They probably told Parks and Recs that they were from a league. The city is probably trying to accomadate requests for organized team practice on some evenings while “allowing” pic up games the remainder of the week. “Pick up” is international but homeowners will dominate the local park politics. If I remember correclty from when I lived in the mission, NOT IN THE MISSION! Break a leg keeping your park, becuase it’s not about luck or posting. You need to organize.
We don’t need no stinkin’ papers to play on our field.
The last three words exclaimed in the video sum it up the best. “We can share!” These young adults have every right to be angry about this. Especially when some D-bag yells “Who cares about the neighborhood!?” Look. If you want to be part of the neighborhood, act as part of the neighborhood or the community will not want you on their feild. It’s sad that a measly $27 was all it took to disrupt another groups game and ruin their day. Unfortunately money talks, but a few bucks is not enough to justify this situation. How about a hundred for an hour which could be redistributed toward youth programs? Yes $100 is a lot, and that is the point. Proportionately the amount that these working college graduates had to pay is equivalent to the loose change of the inhabitants of the Mission area.
Kids were wrong, soccer sucks, use the permit system, don’t use race, economics, or gentrificiation to complicate this very simple issue. The field belong to someone else at that moment and the kids needed to get off the field. The kids were acting like they were entitled to the field because they live in the neighborhood. This article is terrible, probably written by someone who doesn’t play sports or reserve fields in San Francisco.
http://sfrecpark.org/permits-and-reservations/
go try to rent a field.
I am an admittedly an outside observer. But, something about this whole episode and the brouhaha over this video doesn’t seem right to me. Why was it being recorded even before the confrontation began? Who recorded it? Could the entire thing have been staged? The so-called “politeness” of both sides could be attributed to the presence of a camera, but it could also be attributed to somewhat of a script.
The comment at the very beginning of the video: “6:55. Homies on the field. They’re [the Bros[ waiting for the field at 7. It’s about to go down.” This is obviously not being taped by an unaware observer, but by someone who had knowledge of the booking and the existing rules. Were the Bros set up? Were they not really Bros at all, but social activist actors? Were the Homies in on the plan?
Certainly would explain a lot of the otherwise inexplicable smiling at the camera in the middle of this “tense” situation.
Call me a skeptic. Something doesn’t ring “right” about this whole thing.
All these rich bros and every other entitled white person should leave San Francisco to native people. We don’t need them or their money.
Where we learn the DB douchbag doesn’t like talking to people, just wants their credit cards, and the tech audience laughs that he says that he doesn’t like people at all during his instructional seminar on getting users to pay
Minute 13:55
Not that this was handled well, but I don’t understand why one group who “got there first” has a right to something that was rented. As the article states, the rules are probably the issue here, and they need to be considered carefully, then printed and prominently displayed. I’m not sure that leaving it up to the bigger, or scarier, or pushier people is a better system than a rental fee. Perhaps the rental fee could pay for lights which could allow the field to be used longer hours and by more people, increasing everyone’s share of the pie.
Enrique Penalosa will be at Mission Playground at 2 pm on Sunday. He has interesting things to say about the importance of public parks for the City, and his TED talk has been picked as one of the best about cities.
F*** those stupid punk lazy piece of s*** kids.
This is bullshit. Pay money, use the field. End of story. The main guy thinks he’s in a Spike Lee movie, and is not willing to DO THE RIGHT THING. In fact, he thinks he’s all that and his tiny minions are swearing and cussing out folks that did do the right thing by getting the damn permit. Last time I checked, I need a permit to do stuff like build a house, put in a pool, etc. I don’t just go around those things so why should the kids feel like they are entitled to do that? They’ve been playing way too many video games. Retarded brats.
internalized colonialism. normative dissociation and disengagement with the exisiting cultures of a place for profit- the american “dream” (nightmare). we have a legacy of entitlement because these laws/rules that are written for profit (“fairness” to those that can afford to pay, too bad for those that can’t). “power over” is a cultural shadow that will continue to haunt us if we stay blinded to our egoic pursuit. what ever happened to the moral ethic of care and compassion? cultural repair can happen when we think creatively about solutions that weave together the old and the new. this takes humility!! when i look at this video it’s very clear to me where humility lies and where ignorant ego lies. an all too familiar story. thank you for sharing this argument, it is indicative of the larger cultural problems we face.
Pages