Park Station Police Community Forum, March 1st

San Francisco Police Department
Park Station Police Community Forum
"Violence In The Community- What Are We Doing"
Join Captain John Ehrlich and Guest Speakers Invited From SFPD: Inspectors Bureau, Homicide, Gang Task Force, and Park Station Violence Suppression Team

Thursday March 1st, 6PM-7:30PM
Jewish Community High School of The Bay
1835 Ellis St @ Pierce St
Free Parking Available in School Garage on Pierce St @ Eddy St

Light Refreshments Provided

The focus of the forum is SFPD Enforcement and Community Response to the Recent Violence.
Park Station Crime Statistics Will Be Provided.

Good gossip

This blog has been dominated by information about shootings lately, so I want to also share some fun gossip about new businesses in the neighborhood...

Cafe Gabin has a new owner and they have private karaoke booths.

5-Star Truffles has open at 411 Divisadero, next door to Country Cheese. The owner worked at XOX Truffles in North Beach for 7 years, according to Chowhounders. The Yelpers like 'em.

The Mojo Bicycle Cafe is coming to 639 Divisadero (across from the Independent). Tablehopper says "Mojo will start serving coffee early in the morning, and plans on having some tasty pastries to offer as well. In the back you’ll find a bike shop...".

Amina's Pizzeria is serving up thin crust a couple doors up, 655 Divisadero (again, Yelp reviews).

And finally, there is a rumor that someone will be opening a sushi restaurant across the street from Nopa...

Tell us what you've heard about in the comments section.

Write your letter!

Welcome to those of you who have found this blog through the post on SFist. The information for the letter is below and all are welcome to join our effort, where ever you live. The violence is a citywide issue.

More to come...

Something you can do - write a letter

Below is contact information and a sample letter that you can use to send the message to our city officials that we want to feel safe in our homes and on our streets. If you only did ONE thing for NOPNA this year, please make it be this ¡K.

Write a letter of outrage to the Mayor, the DA and the Police Chief demanding that things change.

Demand that we get police patrols, rapid response, and arrests; demand that the DA prosecute and send people to jail; demand that the City and Federal Government improve safety and security in the housing projects; and demand that the City address truancy at all levels from probation to schooling.

Enough is enough. It is time to make sure the criminals know we are not tolerating it any more and our city officials know we are holding them accountable.

Feel free to cc board@nopna.org and our Supervisor, Ross Mirkarimi, mirkarimistaff@sfgov.org if you like.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The Honorable Mayor Gavin Newsom
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
gavin.newsom@sfgov.org

Kamala Harris, District Attorney
Hall of Justice
850 Bryant Street, Room 322
San Francisco, CA 94103
kamala.harris@sfgov.org

Police Chief, Heather Fong
Hall of Justice
850 Bryant Street, Room 322
San Francisco, CA 94103
heather.fong@sfgov.org

----------------------------SAMPLE LETTER-----------------------------------

Dear Mr. Mayor,

I live in the North Panhandle neighborhood and I am taking the time to write you because I am outraged at the level of violent crime in this city.

Violence has grown to epidemic proportions and you need to take action. I implore you to take the following steps to help reduce crime in this beautiful city and help the citizens of San Francisco start to feel safer in our own homes.

1. Equip our police so they can rapidly respond to our calls and patrol our streets (especially late at night). Hold the police accountable for making arrests.

In addition, make sure our probation programs are effective. And that if criminals violate their probation, send them to jail.

2. Demand that our District Attorney prosecute criminals.

It is unacceptable that the murderer of 17-year old Aubrey Abrakasa has not been arrested and prosecuted. It is unacceptable that the person that killed 22 year-old Dante White in Ella Hill Hutch Community Center on April 28th 2006 around 5pm in front of dozens of children was arrested and then released.

Enough is enough. The DA’s office cannot pick and choose the cases they want to take to keep their success record statistics high. Criminals must be prosecuted.

3. We want effective public housing (Housing Authority) security and accountability.

It is unacceptable that people living in public housing are living in fear. It is unacceptable that people are being shot and killed in front of the homes of children. You need to demand that the city and Federal government make public housing environments are safe and secure.

4. Create a system to stop chronic truancy.

We need a system that addresses truancy- at all levels, from our probation system to our unified school districts. We want our kids in schools learning and off the streets drug dealing.

Mr. Newsom, we elected you because we believe you can make this city a better place. But right now, crime in this city is alarming and something needs to be done to change the spiraling trends. We are asking you to step up and demand change. Hold people accountable. Provide resources and create new systems. We live in a beautiful and vibrant city and need to feel safe in our homes and on our streets again.

Sincerely,

----------------------------------------------------------

SOME FACTS YOU CAN USE IN YOUR LETTER

- 17 year old Aubrey Abrakasa was killed at Baker and Grove on Aug. 14, 2006. There is a $100K reward out for information leading to the arrest of his killer. The police have not arrested anyone to date.

- 33 year old Tony McDougal was fatally shot at Baker and Hayes on Feb. 12 2007. He was a known drug dealer and had been repeatedly arrested over the course of his life.

- The Western Additon has had six shootings in less than two months.

• Jamal Smith shot to death on 1100 block of Eddy Street. (1/27)
• 18-year-old kid shot in drive-by 1100 block of Eddy. (2/5)
  
• Anthony Hunter Jr., 24, shot to death on 1200 block of Eddy. (2/11)
  
• 13 year old girl shot at Grove and Laguna. (Feb. 11)
  
• 33 year old Tony McDougal, fatally shot at Hayes and Baker. (2/12)
  
• Unidentified man shot at Haight and Fillmore streets. (Feb. 12)

- The police have told us that the person that killed 22 year-old Dante White in Ella Hill Hutch Community Center on April 28th around 5pm in front of dozens of children, was arrested and then released.

Happy writing and thanks in advance for showing you care.

BASA Collective building permit

NOPNA has received notice that the Bay Area Safe Alternatives Collective (BASA Collective) at Grove & Divisadero has applied for their building permit as required by the City's medical cannabis dispensary regulations passed last year. Their hearing in scheduled for March 1st. A PDF of the permit is available here.

Response to Sunday violence

Those of you who subscribe to the NOPNA yahoo group email list have already seen this, but for those who have not, this is the latest from Leela Gill, NOPNA Prez.:

Hi Everyone,

In an effort to get information out quickly to you, here is the latest update:

First, let me give you some facts about the murder (from Park Station police):

1. The shooting took place on Hayes and Baker (not Grove as originally reported) around 3am.

2. Terry McDougal was a long-time drug dealer. He had cocaine in his car when they found him.

3. The police think the shooting was either drug or gang related.

4. Terry McDougal had a long history of arrests. (And by the way, the police are really frustrated because they had arrested him many times but he kept getting released from prison…more on this topic in another email.)

5. Although we are not certain, I am told he lived on or around the 100 block of Belvedere (the other side of the Panhandle).

6. It is not clear if it was a drive by or if someone got out of a car and then shot him.

7. The police did find casings in the car (which may indicate the person that shot Terry was in closer range than a drive by.)

8. Multiple shots were fired. I was told only one hit Terry.

Points to consider (some of which you probably already know):

1. The police (and other people that are `in the know') think these guys are driving into our neighborhood and doing their transactions (selling drugs, buying drugs, or meeting friends that are involved with gangs) and then driving out. This is not new information to us.

However, what this means is that we need to be more aware of `suspicious cars' in the area. If you think there is a suspicious car on your block, stop and take the time to LOOK at it. Write down the license plate, describe what it looks like (year, make, model), and note what time it is. Take a moment to watch what is going on (but of course, don't make it obvious you are watching and be cautious). Then call the police and report it, 553-0123.

2. If drug dealing is going on in your area, there may be a pattern of behavior. Try to see if you notice a pattern. Again, don't be obvious and remain cautious. Report any `data' you can collect to the police. If you want to remain anonymous, you can call 575-4444 or write a letter with any notes about patterns of behavior and send it in. If you want to send a copy of the letter to NOPNA, use our PO Box as a mailing address (PO Box 591504, SF, CA 94159). We are happy to be a voice for you and your neighbors on the block.

3. Some of you have sent me emails asking that you want to help but want to remain anonymous. We never mention names in our emails and or letters sent from NOPNA to city officials, business people, local leaders etc. In addition, we will not post any information about volunteers anywhere on the internet.

4. I want to emphasize this is not just a NOPNA problem. Crime in this city is at epidemic proportions. There is a larger group of neighborhood associations getting involved to start a grassroots letter writing campaign. Western Addition, Hayes Valley, Haight Ashbury, and even the Mission are experiencing these problems. We are not alone. YOU are not alone.

I also want to reassure you that the police are saturating our area with more cops. This will continue.

Finally, I am quickly learning that this problem is not solved by just adding more police (although clearly that helps us feel safer!). It goes deeper than that. Tomorrow I will send out another message regarding the letter writing campaign NOPNA and our neighboring organizations recommend we all take. I would appreciate you help spreading the word to other neighbors once the email comes out.

Again, feel free to send me an email if you want to dialog further. And remember….

Hard things are put in our way, not to stop us, but to call out our courage and strength. -- Anonymous

Happy Valentines Day,

Leela

Another Baker/Grove shooting...

Damn. Around 2am this morning @ Grove/Baker. Man was shot in his car, died later of the wounds (after driving to Haight/Fillmore).

There's more to the story on SFGate.

A violent San Francisco weekend spilled into Monday morning, when two people were shot, one fatally.

One man was found shot on the sidewalk at Haight and Fillmore streets around 2 a.m., said Northern Station Lt. William Canning.

About 15 minutes later, Canning said, another man was shot in his car at Grove and Baker streets.

The victim then drove to Fillmore and Haight streets -- where police were still on-scene investigating the previous shooting -- and crashed into a bus shelter.

The man was transported to the hospital, where he died from his wounds, Canning said.

Today's shootings came after two people were shot on Sunday in the Western Addition. [more...]

Terrible, tragic, and frightening all at once.