there’s NO REASON, for example, that ANTI DISPLACEMENT and RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT can’t be symbiotic.

there’s no reason that HOMELESS ADVOCACY and SAFETY FOR EVERYONE can’t be symbiotic.

there’s no reason ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT and THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS CHANGING, LIKE IT OR NOT can’t be symbiotic.

unfortunately, sf is historically such an ego driven place – people come here to become themselves and do what they want…me me me me me – there’s no precedent for that type of mature dialog.

ultimately, history says that even the most truly progressive movement will become insular and reactionary. some of the most uptight and rules focused people i know are hippies…supposed t be live & let live, but actually it’s live & force you to live the same way.

i do think there’s hope though. i think the reactionary crowd in the hood are getting tired, and i think things are changing somewhat. there’s A LOT of folks like me in the hood now…committed permanent residents (both renters and homeowners) who are just a little more moderate, and a lot more reasonable. who recognize that there’s a lot to preserve in the hood, but that there’s also a lot to fix. who want to respect and NOT displace the Latino community, but rather help it meld with inevitable change..have it be part of the future….not insist that the future never come so as to maintain (the broken) status quo so that arcane “service” organizations can stay in business.

i mean shit…why DONT dema, paxton gate and therapy and ritual hire kids from the hood to work in their stores…as something other than janitors? there’s NO FUCKING GOOD REASON.

and if Stephen Elliott is the new vanguard of that “progressive” movement in the hood, i think there’s great opportunity for reasonable, moderate dialog, becuase if MAC sees him as a slanted, selfish blow-hard (my words, not theirs), and PCR is the vehicle…well, it’s a fucking circus in my opinion, with no credibility and no purpose other than its own self-aggrandizement.

But picking up where zinzin left off: I hope this AA matter will help the odd coalition of one-issue activists, self-interested business owners and politico wannabees (who together, by the way, describe a majority of the neighborhood) learn to work together to address other problems in the Mission. If the fixie crowd started talking with PODER, we might be able to get some cool stuff done. Call me Pollyanna, but why not look for the potential in this?

sorry Frederick, for sullying your measured and well stated points with my vitriol.

why should the mission be excluded from this basic retail environment? why can’t consumers in their own neighborhood benefit from competition and shop for desired quality products from a variety of stores which are striving to please the neighborhood’s taste? or is this a matter for one-issue activists and self-interested business owners, and others who are (in my view) over-sympathetic to the ideal of “uniqueness”?

With that said, it is crucial that we encourage independent stores and restaurants, but this encouragement is not an absolute. there are other interests — overall economic growth in the neighborhood, for example — which I think are more important in certain situations. here in sf, we’re blessed to have a system where we can weigh these interests each time a proposal such as AA’s comes up. this system, however, is undermined when some people reflexively rely on dogma and self-interest, and do not adequately consider the benefit to all those in the community.

Anyway, AA should be on Mission st., not Valencia.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Monkey

Pirate Cat Radio

415-571-1911

monkey@piratecatradio.com

http://www.piratecatradio.com

Pirate Cat Radio Announces Demonstration to Protest Chain Retail on Valencia Street
Proposed American Apparel at 988 Valencia Threatens Local Business, and
Neighborhood Character

San Francisco, CA, 1/30/2009 ‹ Pirate Cat Radio will host a demonstration to
protest the licensing of formula retail in the Valencia Street commercial
corridor. Pirate Cat Radio deejays, community leaders, local business
owners, and concerned citizens will gather at 988 Valencia St. at 10:00am on
Saturday, January 31 to show their commitment to maintaining a locally-owned
economy and support for the unique businesses of the neighborhood.

Pirate Cat Radio will be broadcasting live from the location, giving
attendees the opportunity to voice their concern about the construction of
an American Apparel clothing store 988 Valencia St. ATA and Mission
residents will join Pirate Cat Radio in expressing the significant interest
in the Mission District protect the economic integrity of Valencia street.

³Regardless of the business practices or the quality of products sold at
American Apparel, a chain store on Valencia marks a shift from unique,
locally-owned businesses towards large, corporate formula retail,² says
Monkey. ³We do not believe this serves the best long-term interest of
preserving the character of the neighborhood.²

Additionally, the cost of rent on Valencia St. has begun to pressure the
local businesses that make the commercial corridor so special. If formula
retail moves in and pays the inflated rent, the trend is unlikely to
reverse, accelerating the potentially inevitable decline of the spirit that
makes Valencia Street a noted commercial and cultural destination.

Pirate Cat Radio also encourages concerned citizens to voice opposition to
formula retail on Valencia Street by taking the following actions:

· Write a letter to the city planner in charge of this case:

M. Pilar LaValley
Preservation Technical Specialist/Planner
City & County of San Francisco Planning Department
1650 Mission Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94103
pilar.lavalley@sfgov.org
Subject: 988 Valencia – Case No. 2008.0720C

· Attend the city hearing on the matter:
There is a meeting scheduled for Thursday February 5th at City Hall. Please
call the San Francisco Planning Department at 558-6422 after Monday,
February 2 for a more specific hearing information, RE: case no. 2008.0720C

For additional information:
Monkey
Pirate Cat Radio
415-571-1911
monkey@piratecatradio.com
http://www.piratecatradio.com

Small businesses do not have the kind of margins of loss that wealthy, corporate chains can afford to have. This new branch of AA can afford to go for months without turning a profit. If times get slow, they can “weather the storm.” Most small businesses CAN’T. They don’t have wealthy people backing them. They generally put most of their profits BACK into improving their establishments.

The problem with AA is not AA in and of itself (although I’ve never bought anything there and probably never will)–it’s the precedent it would set, and the domino effect it would create as far as neighboring rent prices go. AA itself might not compete directly with anyone else on Valencia right now, but Urban Outfitters would. Starbucks would. We already have suffered a Starbucks over in the eastern side of the Mission (18th and Florida? Something like that?) and I’d hate to see it happen again.

Yes, Mission Street DOES have Walgreens, Skechers, Sheik, McDonald’s, Popeyes, and possibly some other chains I’m forgetting about. And you know what? It SUCKS. People SHOULD give a crap about that. But just because you don’t care about one thing, does that mean you SHOULDN’T care about another? Everybody’s got to start somewhere.