The cops are killing SF's public partiesStory and photos by Steven T. Jones
Cops immediately shut down the street party outside the Ferry Building...
While there are some good things about the engaged style of new Police Chief George Gascon, it’s been a major disappointment to watch the SFPD take a zero tolerance approach to public partying in recent weeks, making San Francisco less hospitable to the fun, free, grassroots events that make this such a great city.
On Halloween night, the cops shut down the Take Back Halloween Flashdance party before organizer Amandeep Jawa even turned on his stereo (luckily, that resourceful crew stealthily relocated to Pier 7 and threw a great dance party that didn’t hurt or offend anyone).
...so Deep secretly moved it to nearby Pier 7.
The next day, the Brass Tax Halloween Renegade dance party – the highlight of Halloween for many lovers of the beat -- got shut down by the cops in each of three remote spots, for no good reason.
The victimless criminals of Brass Tax covered a lot of ground yesterday.
While it’s true that these events didn’t have permits, that’s no reason to prevent people from dancing on sidewalks or in parks. After all, getting permits is expensive: How Weird Street Faire had to pay almost $10,000 in SFPD protection money last year, and the Clarion Alley block party organizers were recently made to pay the cops $1,000 for the privilege of having them walk through busting attendees for drinking.
Even in Dolores Park, a prime gathering spot for a diverse array of San Franciscans, the simple and long-accepted pleasure of drinking beer with friends in the park has ended, thanks to Gascon (who, as we reported, has been pressured by Mayor Gavin Newsom to crack down on public drinking).
There’s now a simmering frustration with the police for killing the fun, which we at the Guardian share. So we’ll be monitoring things and presenting some of the budding backlash movements that are now building. Stay tuned.
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Comments (1)
I wouldn't be surprised if Gascon shuts down Critical Mass. Personally, I don't like a cop leader is too afraid to tackle gang violence. Obviously, it's easier to bust people armed with stereos. Gascon is spineless.
Posted by marmot | November 2, 2009 05:50 PM