Mission Mission

In the aftermath of the shootings at El Tin Tan last night, reader Alicia recalled a Mission Local piece from a couple years back which details the bar’s very special standing in the Mission and abroad:

When Pedro Ruiz arrived here twelve years ago, his only possessions were a bag of clothes and a slip of crumpled paper: “El Tin Tan, 3065 16^th Street, San Francisco,” it read.

Ruiz had come from Yucatan, Mexico and El Tin Tan—a dusty bar between Mission and Valencia Streets where Spanish and Tecate are on everyone’s tongues and mournfulrancheras howl on the jukebox—was his only contact in America. But he didn’t come for a cerveza. He came for a job.

Informal meeting places where immigrants gather and hear about job opportunities have always been vital to settling in America. Despite its humble appearance, El Tin Tan is one of these places, famous throughout Pedro’s home state of Yucatan as a key stop in the United States for Latinos hoping to escape poverty in their home countries.

Read on.

P.S. El Tin Tan, not to be confused with El Tim Tam.

[Photo by Mission Local alum Armand Emamdjomeh]

Pontificating on the frustrating nature of bike security in the comments thread of a recent post about ninja-like bike thievery, reader Tiny Tim elucidates a creative solution:

Best to use Bagel Lox. Smell stays on thief’s hands and then you can trace him. Cream cheese also makes it slippery.
Bagel Lox–wherever fine lox are sold.

Think about it!

[Photo by Jesse Friedman]

I mean, you’re innocent until proven guilty, right? Right.

Also, the vandalism may be alleged, but the excellent penmanship is confirmed.

[Photo by Talent Is An Asset]

Whoa! Epic!

Did a crazy celebrity shout this in a TV interview this morning, or did a crackhead shout it near 17th and Capp last night?

Janebook has the answer here.

Am I right?

We tried to use all the CSI imagery equipment we have back at the Mission Mission labs to sharpen this photo up a bit and elucidate as many details as possible, but perhaps you can still make out a crock pot on top of some sort of heating apparatus, both of which are being pushed along on a skateboard.  Mission ingenuity wins again!

Of course, it’s times like these when you really curse those textured yellow anti-skateboard strips at every intersection sidewalk ramp . . .

I heard something like 20+ shots fired at about 11:00pm. At least three people in the bar shot. Hoping for the best.

UPDATE: 5 victims at El Tin Tan.

UPDATE 2: Pancho Villa’s right door was shattered, but the doorman was unharmed. He was already sweeping up the glass. No deaths at the scene.

UPDATE 3: This is even more troubling when you consider earlier in the day the SF Examiner was reporting that the violence in The Mission had calmed down.

More pics by N. Von Joo after the jump.

(more…)

Just so you know, no matter how friendly this thing is said to be, my gut reaction would be to kill it with fire and run very fast in the other direction.  It may look cute on paper, but imagine it as a real creature. You’d do the same thing too.

Check out more Swampy here.  Just as “friendly” as the guard dog.

And maybe if you have time you can get me more cupcakes!  Please?