Benefit Bends Bounds of Benevolence

San Francisco - Attending a beer bust to benefit a good cause is generally an easy, quick, and fun way of donating to charitable causes of all kinds, but after attending one of these fund-raising events at Truck, at 15th and Folsom on Friday night, I now have a different view as to the legitimacy of some of these events.
     As a journalist, sometimes i seek out stories of interest, and other times they fall into my lap, as with this story.  My best friend, told me about Al Claxton, 35, who had severely injured his face in a tragic accident, and that the fundraiser was to help him defer the cost of his surgical bills related to the reconstruction of part of his face.
     I later found out that his "tragic accident" involved being utterly intoxicated and face-planting on the sidewalk outside Truck only a few weeks earlier.  I was dismayed to learn during the course of the beer bust, that this type of "accident" isn't new for Mr. Claxton, and that he has a history of drunken calamities.
     When, in the name of charity, does benevolence turn to enabling the behavior of the drunk?  When the repeated behavior of someone who is unable to be responsible for their own safety as a pedestrian, is compensated with accolades, laughter, and "Oh, that's so Al!", we've compromised the meaning of benevolence toward others truly in need.  Those with life-threatening diseases, who would truly benefit from any dollar amount raised by a group of kind-hearted people who enjoy having a couple beers for charity, in this case, have been overlooked in favor of an adult with no concept of his own alcoholism, who stumbled down the street to his own demise.
     True benevolence, in this instance, has been replaced by a shoddy, enabling facsimile of love.  Encouraging someone who repeatedly exhibits this type of irrational and self-mutilating behavior by raising money for them, only tells that person their behavior is okay.  Is this the message we have for someone that many people at this event considered a friend?  These are no friends, these are people who enjoy the tragedy in anothers' hopelessness, so as to not magnify their own shortcomings.     The emcee, a tall, husky Latino gentleman, upon beginning his announcement for the selling of raffle tickets cackled, "Why is no one listening to me?"...grow up and remember why you're there.
     At first this reporter laughed at the concept of this beer bust, but upon meeting Mr. Claxton's friends, i was saddened by their repeated attempts at sick comedy as they poked fun at him for being such a "dumbass."
     I can't wait until the next beer bust, maybe the next "victim" will have gotten his penis caught in the delivery tube at the bank drive-thru, and they'll have a 5K where everyone stumbles across the finish line.  Go to an Al-Anon meeting, and let's stop enabling each other to live our tragedy, and not our beauty.

Peas and Carrots, Peas and Carrots

            As similar as we Americans wish we were, our willingness to emphasize our similarities sometimes lingers in our closed mouths like so many bad throat lozenges. If, on the street, we asked for people’s views on prohibiting (brown) children from receiving an education, most respondents would be opposed, citing the negative societal effects of an undereducated generation.  Likewise, if election results showed results similar to those obtained through a public opinion survey, then elections would be decided before the polls close.  In these survey/election processes, we find the duality of the American status quo.  We’re all for change, but why so fast, and why so loco? 

Immigrants have been coming to this country even before declarations were penned or proclamations were uttered. Conservative fringes that attempt to proselytize humanity in the guise of purity, while instilling fear in their contemporaries of how nonwhites in this country will ultimately overwhelm or undermine our "sistema franca”, have existed since lords ruled over serfs. And what American, at some point, hasn’t felt the nationalistic pride of one accord being sung by brethren and foe, holiday-time benevolences of wheat and wine with those less fortunate. We hold this virtue as part of our American culture, but doesn’t American culture (or it's cultural elitism) habitually brush aside the calls for justice by its’ smallest minorities?  Does it not contain derisive groups extolling the purity of being Caucasian, while forgetting, linguistically, that Caucasian wouldn’t exist without the Asian? Do we not recall many U.S. presidents subjugating their moral imperatives to merely get reelected?  To denigrate the future of our culture, merely by emphasizing the existence of another, only serves to dilute the culture of the denigrater.

In 1996, California’s Proposition 187 election results show that for every blue-haired person over the age of 50 with a either a fat pension and/or plenty of time on their hands to visit their local polling place, there were four middle to lower class working parents without ample time to cast their ballot.  Prop 187 passed with 59 percent of the vote, but technically, 59 percent of those who were able to vote, and that’s with only half of the registered voters participating in the election. Independent surveying of large groups of anonymous people also doesn’t have to take place within a 10-hour period, on one day, and at only a few select locations. And even if Prop 187 hadn't been thrown out by the courts, these election results show that if verbally asked, many people will respond with their heart. Unfortunately, the aorta doesn’t dislodge itself from the top of the heart and pull that lever in the booth, or touch that screen in the cubicle; only the mind can do that.

Given optimal conditions, humans will choose their best vision of a better future, but when restricted by time, finances, or overwhelming daily responsibilities, humans will choose the path of least interference. A lever isn’t a heartstring, and a person with a clipboard on a sunny street corner has a face, not a screen.  Don't let the polls and surveys proliferated on unscrupulous news channels determine your political leanings.  There are many minorities that are still left to be heard, if we only learn to listen.

Slinky Sister City Streetcar Reappears

The Castro - Usually, being bumped off the historic "F" streetcar line at Market/Noe can be a bummer, especially in bad weather.  But today, as i was directed to disembark by the operator, I turned to look East down Market Street, and spotted a slender, blue streetcar.  One that I had never seen before.  Apparently, i was witnessing an initial test run of the return of one of the most unique streetcars in the historic fleet, a carriage from San Francisco's Sister City of Zurich, Switzerland.  
          "In June, 2004, Market Street Railway facilitated the delivery of Brussels No. 7037 to the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) following its retirement. Muni modified the tram for service in San Francisco, and renumbered it to 737.
In June, 2005, the car made its first appearance on the street, but at the request of Mayor Gavin Newsom, it wears the blue and white livery of San Francisco's sister city Zürich, Switzerland, which operated similar looking cars (but narrow gauge and non-PCC). In the future, No. 737 may be restored to its original 1952 cream Brussels livery" (via Market Street Railway).

          The streetcar was running in 'training' mode, so it stopped without passengers.  The exterior was this almost periwinkle blue that reminded me of the sky if you look straight up.  The driver threw open it's doors, revealing a classic interior with abundant wood and brass adornments.  The gleaming paint, authentic emblems, touches of gold and the window trim were among the notable details.

          I hope to see this streetcar more frequently, and soon i hope to ride this historic piece of our living, moving past.

View of train approaching Market/Noe from the east.

    

Insignia located along the side, close to the rear.

Place and date

View of train leaving station

Cops Increase Patrols of Bicycle Scofflaws

          Walking along Church Street at 14th this afternoon, I watched a SFPD officer quickly do a U-turn and issue a citation to a cyclist that had unsafely used the crosswalk to cross Church Street; causing several pedestrians to dodge and scatter.
          It is encouraging, as one who is a daily bicyclist, pedestrian, and car operator in the city, to see our SFPD officers begin to apply the same rules to cyclists, as they do to motorists.  As a driver and pedestrian, i continually watch as bicyclists brazenly ignore not only stop signs, but red lights.  As a rush hour cyclist along Valencia Street, I witness countless numbers of fellow cyclists run red lights, use the crosswalk without dismounting, and perform 'right on red' with no regard for pedestrians with the right of way.  This flagrant  disrespect for not only others, but the law, put pedestrians in harms way.  A roughly 150 - 200 lb. bicycle (operator included) traveling at 10 miles an hour could inflict notable injury on a child or elder pedestrian.
          The cycling lobby has continually fought Mr. Anderson's lawsuit (and the resulting injunction) to lobby for safer streets for all modes of conveyance.  Newly striped dedicated bike lanes are popping up all over the city, making San Francisco again the leader in progressive ideals.
          It seems to me that since we have gotten the policy change we've worked so hard to get, it's time to do our part.  Obey the law, be engaged in your surroundings (cell phones, headphones) and please, start stopping at traffic signals.
          Who knows, maybe a kind driver will surprise you and wave you through a 4-way stop, simply because you selflessly made the attempt to slowly approach and assess the intersection responsibly.
          No one mode of transportation is better than any other, we are all equal at an intersection.

Final Renderings of 2001 Market Revealed

San Francisco - via SFCurbed - BAR Architects partnering with Prado Group has featured a rendering of the newest mixed-use development at 2001 Market Street.  Until now, the project has been depicted in simpler renderings, but the newest images give a whole different look at the project. 

     BAR notes the building's "emphasis on verticality and 25-30 foot modules," which "allows the building to continue the residential feel of the Castro neighborhood."  According to the architect's site, the project could begin construction as early as late 2010, with the first-floor tenant, Whole Foods, opening in early 2012 and the 80 condos coming on line by mid 2012.

     Although the building makes adequate use of the footprint it was given, the aesthetic street view of this structure far from "blends in" to the nearby structures along this segment of Market Street.  Local residents welcome the introduction of Whole Foods to the neighborhood, however, with the neighborhood lobbying for a new Trader Joe's at Market and Noe, it will be interesting to see how these three specialty grocers will exist together in this tightly-knit neighborhood.

     The Safeway, located directly across the street from the pending Whole Foods, will definitely take notice as one of its biggest competitors in San Francisco faces off with them.  Updates will be forthcoming with the revitalization of many selected properties along the Market Street corridor, including 2299 Market, 1844 Market, and the embattled 1960 Market.
     With the city spurning the development of several visual "behemoths" along Market Street, will 2001 Market suffer the same fate?  Only time will tell.