Mission Mission

By Emily and Kendra (via email)

We also attended the hearing [yesterday] as Mission residents and are happy that the commission voted to disapprove American Apparel opening a shop on Valencia St.  Unfortunately, some of the public comments about the project and characterizations of the Mission upset us enough to speak up about some racism and classism that we witnessed.

Specifically, we found references to crime and the evolution of the Mission from an unsafe and undesirable place to a thriving business corridor as particularly offensive.  Some comments, mostly from young white residents and business owners, referenced the idea that “we” made the neighborhood good, implicitly distinguishing themselves from other residents and businesses in the neighborhood, including the large Latino community.

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By the other, other mayor

While I am sure it is soothing to your aging sense of emptiness to view your work against AA as a Form of Activism, let’s remember that: (a) in no way betters the lives of your neighbors (b) is focused on a purely meaningless circumstance (c) lacks consequence and most significantly (d) stands in opposition to the only vocal American manufacturer with fair business practices. This “win” for the loose collection of overly-degreed, lily white interests you call a “neighborhood” is pure theatre.

What you consider your “right” to neighborhood self-determination is a byproduct of the last round of gentrification. By becoming a street owned by, and catering to, the displaced exiles of the nation’s upper middle class, Valencia has transformed itself into a hotbed of the issues facing new mothers– are these diapers organic, are there too many drunks in the park– at the exclusion of ANY other political voice. You speak out on American Apparel because it is a “safe” topic. Why aren’t you campaigning against gang violence? Is it because the issue is too Latino and too dangerous? Because unlike like Dov Charney, those nasty little brown kids shoot bullets instead of semen?

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While we were all focused on American Apparel and the New Mission Theater project as evidence of a divided Mission District, Meave over at vegansaurus! took a hard look at the chasm between Foods Co and Rainbow Grocery:

It’s shitty that good grocery stores like Rainbow can be prohibitively expensive to people in lower tax brackets, and they’re left to buy non-perishables in disorienting big-food mausoleums, among roving hordes of drunks and weirdos and constant arrests in the parking lot. Then we all get to laugh about it and feel special for all the awesome deals we get, like, fuck Safeway, I’m shopping at FOODS CO! And aren’t we so clever with our slumming and penny-pinching?

Read on for lots more analysis (both sociopolitical and dietary), and the chicken bone.

Photo by Sexpigeon. See its story here.

Previously:

Mission vs. Valencia?

What? I like pictures of gloves.

Photo by Orin Optiglot.

Previously:

Glove

West Gate of Babylon just put up a sunny little video of Sean Gutierrez and other local skaters tearing it up at our neighborhood skate park. Link.

Previously:

Focus

1. Bananas and eel go together like peanut butter and jelly — or pork belly and jicama.

2. Diced avocado works wonders for brown rice, which I’m usually not crazy about.

2a. Avocado really truly is the bacon of vegetables.

3. Cauliflower soup is my new favorite soup. (I actually learned this at Range on my birthday, but it never hurts to learn something twice.)

Thanks, Mission Street Food!

Photos courtesy of Beer & Nosh. More of tonight’s dinner here.

Update: Saturday’s (!!) menu is HERE. “Classics Night” (!!!)!

Good to see that boy back on his feet after all the rap career hubbub.

Screenshot by Many Machines.

Got that? Ping pong AND foosball. Go to work!

Thanks, Andy!

Business owners worry about Valencia’s unique flavor being changed.

Valencia between 15th and 22nd is the place to be if you’re trying to open up a unique business.

Stephen Elliot apologizes for his absence. He is in New York promoting a new web magazine.

Everybody loves the community.

Local businesses know what makes local tuckuses look good, in a way a chain could not.

ATA believes AA is a Trojan horse.

Ritual owner thanks commissioners for doing the right thing, and calls Valencia a delicate flower.

Now I’m going to MSF. See you guys later.

Ryan Holiday of American Apparel, at the hearing:

None of our other stores are accessible by BART [...] This one is.

Our [basics] complement [the wares of] other businesses on Valencia.