Mission Mission

Our pal Todd from Bernalwood sent us a tip about a situation that didn’t exactly turn out as planned for an aspiring ninja:

Getting reports from a friend who lives there. Thief jumped a fence, then took a stand on a roof on Alabama St, threatening to jump. Police scanner says two hostage negotiators were on the scene. He was just taken into custody.

Reports that the two negotiators were in fact Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey remain unconfirmed.

UPDATE from Lysol Tony on our FB page:

I live at 25th and Florida, a man snuck into my house to hide from the cops. My roommate came home, opened the door to her room and the dude said “don’t scream!” She screamed, roommates ran out of the house, I followed because the cops were yelling at us to get out. 2 hours later he’s still on a roof on Alabama.

Our pal Chex was minding her own business on Friday morning when all of a sudden:

I got punched in the face and had my iPhone stolen near 23rd and South Van Ness this morning (around 10 am). He grabbed my phone and when I spun around he hit me and ran off.

Mexican guy probably in his early 20s. On the shorter side, maybe around 5′ 5″

Sooo, maybe if somebody grabs your phone, immediately duck before he punches you in the face? I dunno.

A dear reader writes in with a harrowing tale from last week:

i was on my motorcycle, riding south down guerrero toward 22nd st. when a white SUV pulled a u-turn from the right lane in front of me.  I braked, but slammed into his left side with the right side of my body, and then it drove off.  this was right in front of The Liberties (and one of their staff, a woman with long blonde hair, was one of the first people at my side) around 10pm on Tuesday night.

I am writing this for two reasons:

one — to see if anyone has seen a white Jeep Cherokee with damage on its left side?  if the other driver is not found, then i am out of pocket for all expenses for my health and to fix my moto, and i do not have much in my pockets.

two — to thank the people who stopped to help me, the staff member from the liberties, the police and EMTs who took care of me on the scene, and the nurses, x-ray techs, and doctors at SF General’s ER who were so kind, calm, and helpful.  they made a very scary situation bearable, and i appreciate all of their skill and wish to thank them from the bottom of my heart.  these are the real heros of the city.

Glad to hear she’s alive and well, but hopefully someone will be able to provide more information that brings the driver to justice because this is a really sucky situation.  Anyone who has more info should reply in the comments and she will get back to you.

The suspect is described as an Asian or Hispanic male, 25 years of age, 5’10”, 160lbs, with a buzz haircut and slight beard growth. He was wearing a dark hooded shirt and dark pants.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact San Francisco Police anonymously at (415) 575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 with SFPD typed in at the beginning of the message.

[via SFPD facebook]

Last night, there was a march for solidarity in response to the rape attempt reported on January 8. Participants marched to 24th St. BART at 5:30pm and stopped to let volunteers speak and share their thoughts.

While some of the speakers talked about ways for potential victims to stay safe, such taking self defense classes, carrying mace, and not walking home alone, I was moved by some of the more idealogical issues about the surrounding community that were discussed. Some of my takeaways of that kind were:

• If someone says she was sexually assaulted, believe her.
• Don’t ignore cries for help.
• Get to know everyone in your neighborhood.
• Don’t blame the victim.
• Don’t joke about rape.

The reason these things hit home for me is because I, like many of you, read comments on this blog. I know that a few commenters fall under these categories when we post about these incidents.

If your first reaction to sensational reports that don’t show up on the news first is to think that they are a hoax, then please consider that some rapes go unreported because victims are afraid they won’t be taken seriously and that they will be shamed in their communities. In fact, I just heard about someone who still thought that the recently-convicted Mission rapist of last year was an “internet hoax”!

No, we aren’t seasoned reporters, but we are members of this community and if we don’t take it seriously, how do we expect anyone else to? It starts here, folks.

We live in a crazy neighborhood where wild stuff happens all the time. We can get numb to it. But we should never turn a blind eye to people in danger. There are so many different people living in the Mission who are invisible to one another. Stopping and getting to know your neighbors can go a long way in knowing when something isn’t right.

Stay safe everybody, but also keep others safe.

[Top photo via Adrian Arias]

In response to the recent assault and attempted rape this week, there will be an organized march for solidarity this afternoon starting at 4pm at 16th St. BART. It is being organized by Rupa Marya, doctor and bandleader of Rupa and the April Fishes.

Judging from the facebook invite with over 500 participants, it’s gonna be big. Here are the details:

Last Saturday January 5th, a young woman was assaulted in an attempted rape on 23rd and San Jose streets in the Mission–the first reported attack of this nature in our neighborhood in 2013. She narrowly escaped by fighting off her attacker.

We are joining together in an act of SOLIDARITY, women and men in the Mission district of SF, to alert the neighborhood of what has happened and to promote increased VIGILANCE by ALL for ALL so that these crimes do not continue on our streets.

Last year, several women were brutally raped on the streets of the Mission, some with broken necks. We must ensure that our sisters, our mothers, our daughters are safe on these streets.

Please bring any signs stating a clear message of NO MORE SEXUAL VIOLENCE ON OUR STREETS and MISSION SOLIDARITY TO KEEP STREETS SAFE. Please bring a drum or a pot and a wooden spoon to drum. Please bring puppets if you have them.

We will have bilingual flyers to distribute in the neighborhood, to post in every store front, to hand out to every household stating that WE ARE WATCHING–ESTAMOS ATENTOS so that no more people are assaulted and raped in our streets.

Meet up Friday January 11th–PROPOSED SCHEDULE

4pm Meet up Mission and 16th BART Station
430pm walk down 16th to Valencia, down Valencia across to 24th and Mission Bart
515pm Meet up MIssion and 24th BART Station
530pm walk up Mission back to 16th and Valencia

Read on for a copy of the bi-lingual flyer and manifesto that will be distributed.

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We received the following email this evening, which has been circulating in a few neighborhood email lists. The original message was written by a female Mission resident who was attacked on Saturday evening. The assailant is still on the loose. Please stay safe and be cautious and vigilant if you are walking home alone late at night.

Update: According to Mission Local, “authorities described the suspect as an 5’8-tall Asian man who weighs approximately 160 pounds, between the ages of 20 and 30. He has a buzzcut and a slight beard and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.”

Hello -

If your getting this email its because you are a female friend in my circles, live in my neighborhood-ish, or have a large circle of women friends. I wanted to spread the word of what happened to me so hopefully you and your circles can be more aware, street smart and vigilant about your personal safety.

On Saturday evening I was walking home from a friends potluck through the mission when I was attacked – an attempted rape. I was actually being quite conscious of those around me due to the fact that I’m heading to Nairobi in several weeks and personal safety has been on my mind. As I turned up 23rd street, I noticed a man walking to me that ‘zero-ed’ in on my presence, locking eyes on me. There was no side street to turn down, and I didn’t want to turn around, exposing my back to him, so I kept walking. As we neared each other, I tried to walk around a tree quite close to the curb, before I could do so he lunged at me.

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Reader Kevin spotted this scene on 17th between York and Hampshire:

Is this yours or someone you know’s bike? I find it hard to believe it really belongs to this guy.

As Allan puts it, “the guy has a beard and a hoodie, why wouldn’t he also have a flashy track bike?”

We’ve got more bummer news to report in 2013, although not quite on the same tragic level as the earlier fire and fatal car crash, but at least this one comes with a delicious reward:

I figure it’s a longshot, but someone stole my beloved bright-yellow green glow-in-the-dark bike while I was out at dinner tonight! The bike was kind of my baby/I had it locked to my older crappier one and a railing in my apartment building.

If you/your awesome readership and friends could keep on the look-out for it, I’m offering a cash reward/eternal gratitude/a lifetime supply of homemade ginger beer for it’s safe return!

That’s a lot of Moscow Mules!  Let’s hope it turns up!

Last night a latino man was shot four times on Natoma Street at 15th. Apparently he is in critical condition now, but seemed awake and was moving when I watched them load him into the ambulance. From what I could see the shots were to his stomach.

Here’s hoping he recovers well. Thoughts go out to the friends and family.