The article was from this week's paper -- you can click "this week's paper" on the front page for a full listing of the articles from this week's paper. Not sure why you couldn't find it in google, although we do in fact have a search feature on our site and it turned up there fine. Here's the link to the story:

http://www.sfbg.com/2010/03/23/street-view

In a post above, Sam asks:

"Who is paying Arthur Evans to do all this work for his regressive agenda?"

I wish someone were paying me! If Sam has any extra patrons lying around, I hope he'll let me know.

Truth is, I just want my neighborhood to be safe, clean, and peaceful. It still amazes me that people oppose such an effort - and in the name of progressive politics!

The proposed sit-lie law will allow police to direct sidewalk squatters to move along, without requiring the police first to have a formal complaint from a civilian, as is now the case. The proposed law specifies that first-time offenders will be given a warning only, with no citation.

The requirement for a civilian complaint is due to two arcane General Orders of the Police Commission. Apparently they were created as part of the settlement of a court case some years ago and cannot be readily rescinded. The sit-lie law is a reasonable solution to this problem.

For anyone interested in my life apart from neighborhood activism, I'm a writer of scholarly books. You can find out about my latest book by doing a search on its title:

Critique of Patriarchal Reason.

Even better, Sam may want to buy a copy of this book and actually be informed about the values and ideas of the person whose motives he impugns.

Imagine that.

I read on another site some comments in favor of this sit-lie fascism. Most of the comments were the same in tone although supposedly from different people. They spoke of wanting their neighborhood clean, without "bums" [sic] (their despicable language), safe, scum-free (again, their despicable language), sanitized and peaceful. I found it ironic that they used the word peaceful after referring to other human beings that they don't even know as "bums" and "scum." I think that's called being prejudiced, because they don't even know the people on the sidewalks and they don't know what situation got them to where they are. I thought to myself: "well, if you want all that for your neighborhood, the only way to get that will be for YOU to move immediately....then the neighborhood will be all that, and more!

I'm a music teacher and I sell scholarly scores (Urtext editions) for my students to use on the instrument I teach and which they are studying, but I'm not here to push my services or my scholarly scores.

So, exactly how long has Whole Foods been working to get this passed?

SAM - Tiny Tunnel Vision.........................

I wish you could hear me laugh, according to you, you are the only one on this

board, but "we all understand what just happened"

God you are funny!!!

We need to protect our neighborhoods and internet from the damaging behavior of the migratory Attention Addict who now flocks here because attention is readily available and well meaning people are willing to waste their time and energy on the Attention Addict in an effort to be civil and respectful.
The proposed Mind Your Own Business Law is a reasonable effort in this direction. It's not the whole answer, but it will give our neighborhoods and internet a fighting chance against this migratory Attention Addict.

I found this interesting and thought I would post it here. It's a bit of history. Below are two letters that were published in the Bay Times on March 3rd, 2005: The first letter is from someone by the name of Arthur Evans. The second letter is written by Jim Rivaldo responding to that same Arthur Evans:

It’s Raining Needles

A silent, but jagged, rain is falling on San Francisco. Day after day, year after year, it comes steadily down. It lands softly, but malignantly, on streets and parks, flower boxes, and children’s playgrounds.

People who live in privilege, and have others to clean up their messes, have not noticed it. But those of us who sweep sidewalks, tend to plants, and maintain parks are witnesses to its persistent and growing presence.

This toxic rain consists of the used hypodermic needles casually tossed aside each day by many of the city’s 17,000 intravenous drug addicts. They can afford to be casual. For years, the city has sponsored a program that gives away free needles to anyone who wants them, no strings attached.

Legally, the program is supposed to be for needle exchange. But the people who run it stopped asking, long ago, for the return of a dirty needle in order to get a clean one. The result is that the city has created its own special rainmaking machine. It runs tirelessly and prolifically.

Soon the situation will get even worse. The board of supervisors has just approved a law that will permit drugstores to sell or “furnish” (i.e., give away) needles to anyone who wants them, without a prescription. No one will be required to turn in a used needle or pay a refundable deposit to participate in the new program. Participants will have every incentive to toss their needles where they will, as with the existing program.

The effect of this law will be to let the rainmaking machine replicate itself. Expect to see one of its replicants in your neighborhood soon.
Welcome to Needle City, and watch for increasing precipitation. The scariest part of this horror movie is that the people who are pushing it demonize anybody who dares to raise questions.

The Demonizer in Chief is Tom Ammiano. At a recent meeting of the board of supervisors, he said those who questioned the new program are part of a “jihad.” That’s right, folks—dare to broach this subject, and you will be compared to an Islamic terrorist. This is the same Tom Ammiano who, as president of the board of supervisors, did more than any other politician to stifle and thwart efforts to solve the city’s ongoing homeless crisis.

His underlying problem has been the same in both cases: a giant blind spot in regard to law enforcement and public sanitation. We need to find practical ways to get clean needles to addicts while also protecting the well being of the overall community.

But for that to happen, we must first frankly acknowledge that there’s a problem, and then welcome open dialogue, without demonizing participants.
Certain politicians are afraid of that openness. They want to lock up and shutter the house of dialogue. We the people will have to open the doors and windows ourselves.

Arthur Evans
San Francisco

Not So Milky After All

Arthur Evans has been in a high dungeon for more than two years caused by an alleged scandal committed by the Harvey Milk Club on behalf of Eileen Hansen’s campaign for Supervisor. He’s huffed and puffed ceaselessly about the content of the signs, which accurately stated, “Willie Brown supports Bevan Dufty.” Bevan and I (consultant on his campaign) did not share Arthur’s outrage. We chuckled over how long it had taken the Milk Club to get around to doing what we knew was inevitable.

It is NOT unethical to post signs that promote a truthful message. More importantly, Arthur has ranted that the signs violated the law by not having a “Paid for by the Milk Club” disclaimer. In fact, no law exists requiring such disclaimers.

The law does require that signs have a posting permit with the permit number imprinted on every sign. The sign company, not campaigns, obtains the permit number and is responsible for posting and removing the signs properly. Anyone who wants to know who paid for signs can call the sign company and find out, as I did when the Brown/Dufty sings began going up. Open government and campaign reform advocacy groups, such as the Milk Club, may voluntarily add their name in a disclaimer, but they are not legally required to do so.

The sign company immediately admitted that, while they included the permit number, they forgot to add the Milk Club name as they were asked to do by the Milk Club members who ordered the signs.

No laws were broken, no ethical breaches occurred. I think Arthur owes Eileen Hansen, Robert Haaland, the Milk Club and anyone else he carelessly, aggressively and publicly condemned for acts of ethical misconduct that exist only in Arthur’s fevered imagination.

Jim Rivaldo
San Francisco

The Controller has just released a report on the Haight. It shows that concerns of residents in the Haight over safety at night have increased in recent years, while those in the city as a whole have declined.

Also, at the same time, the Haight has the highest concentration of services for alcoholism of any neighborhood in the city.

The overall pattern is this: migratory alcoholics and addicts flock to the Haight, which offers ample services, but without requiring accountability (so far).

The sit-lie law would help correct this imbalance.

Click here for the story:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Haight-at-center-of-sit-lie-debate-89335...

It was a beautiful day on Haight Street yesterday.
The sidewalks were crowded with happy tourists from all over the world, as well as San Franciscans. People with children and dogs stepped over colorful chalk drawings on the sidewalk.
The crowds of people enjoying the day had no problem making their way past the many people sitting and lying on the sidewalk, either.
There were tarot card readers, a comedy rap duo, a poet typing poems on demand, street kids, people relaxing, chatting outside bars and enjoying cigarettes. And a lot of musicians. Guitars, harmonicas, singing, keyboards, a cello down by Amoeba Records. The sunshine and the people made for an amazing day.
And it occurred to me how this incredible afternoon on Haight Street.was so different from the ridiculously scary and dark picture painted here in the comments sections of the Guardian and other sites by people like Arthur Evans, and by the irresponsible writers of the chronicle and the examiner. By the hateful and the judgemental, the power hungry and the lickers of the boots of the power hungry.

Everyone on Haight Street yesterday, every day, knows the truth about this place.
This is a beautiful place, and there is no emergency.

I like the name Robin. What's wrong with the name Robin?