People

RIP: Bernal Neighbor Carla Jean Johnson

/ Todd_Lappin / 8 Comments
ripcarlajean

Photo by Anna Kuperberg

Neighbor Carla Jean Johnson passed away earlier this month. Darcy Lee from Heartfelt knew her well, and tells us why it was such a big loss:

We lost a hero in Bernal. Carla Jean Johnson was an advocate for the homeless, for buildings being safely built in her city, for LBGT rights, the list goes on and on. She was a helper a true caring neighbor who would consult with you on whatever she was knowledgeable about, and that list also goes on and on.

I have asked her about building codes, dog behavior, when our house was moved onto Bernal, how to search the history of Heartfelt’s building….. she was a wealth of information and caring.

My favorite memory of Carla is from long ago, when Heartfelt still sold helium balloons. She would ask if I would open early to blow up balloons for her perfect vintage red truck for the Pride Parade. It was quiet on Cortland and her truck would shine as we tied on the balloons, a palatable excitement that has more meaning today than I even want to think about.

She knew so much and cared even more. A strong woman, an amazing partner to Anna, and in turn, Anna, your journey with your wife is an inspiration that is all about love. Carla Jean you are a true example of how one person can make a difference. My tears for you are big ones, you were a star to me.

Carla previously led the City’s Office on Disability, and Mayor Ed Lee also issued a statement on her passing:

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Carla Johnson, a dedicated City employee for over 27 years and a champion for disability rights in our City.

She has significantly helped to improve the quality of life our residents. In the last six years, she has led the Mayor’s Office on Disability and served as our City’s overall Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator. Her leadership has been instrumental in expanding the scope of the Mayor’s Office of Disability to become a strategic partner in all major San Francisco initiatives that impact the disability community, including ensuring accessibility in public housing and private establishments, digital communications, software applications, and public events and celebrations, and advocating for pedestrian safety and homeless service delivery.

With a generous heart, kindest demeanor and a life dedicated to public service, compassion and community, her legacy will continue to live on in our City.”

For those who wish to honor her memory and legacy, donations can be made to the Bayview Opera House for two purposes: to commission a public artwork that celebrates the values of equity to be placed on the building’s grounds or to support youth programming. Donations can be made online at bvoh.org, click on “Fund a Dream” or via check made payable to Bayview Opera House, Inc., 4702 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94124.

PHOTO: via Anna Kuperberg on Facebook

Anna, Maker of Piroshkis on Cortland, Celebrates New American Citizenship

/ Todd_Lappin / 8 Comments

citizenanna2

Hooray! Anna Tvelova is the founder and proprietor of the certifiably delicious Anda’s Pirsoshki shop at 331 Cortland, and her piroshkis taste so authentically amazing in part because Anna originally hails from Russia.  This week, however, she also became a naturalized American citizen, and she’s thrilled about it.

To celebrate her new status, Anna engaged in a hallowed naturalization ritual that dates back to the earliest days of George Washington and the Founding Fathers: A hilltop Zumba line dance.

Anna tells Bernalwood:

Had blast dancing Zumba On Bernal Hill this weekend with SF Jay!  Because I love Zumba, I love Bernal, and my piroshki shop out here. This event was created in support of Bernie Sanders, and it’s my first act as a brand new citizen.

Congratulations, Citizen Anna!

Put on your powdered wig, sharpen your quill pen, and join Citizen Anna as she celebrates her new status by shaking her naturalized American groove thang atop Bernal Hill:

PHOTO: Citizen Anna at her naturalization ceremony, courtesy of Citizen Anna

Bernal Neighbor Named Director of City’s New Homelessness Office

/ Todd_Lappin / 12 Comments

kositsky

While Bernal residents keep an eye on efforts to address the homeless encampment underneath the Cesar Chavez/101 interchange, one Bernal Heights neighbor will soon be paying particularly close attention: Yesterday, neighbor Jeff Kositsky of Precitaville was introduced as the first director of the City’s new Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

Heather Knight from the San Francisco Chronicle covered Neighbor Jeff’s appointment:

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s plan for a new department of homelessness — an idea bandied about at City Hall for at least 14 years — is taking shape, with a budget of at least $160 million, nearly 200 workers and a new director, who was announced Wednesday.

He’s Jeff Kositsky, a well-known figure in the city’s homeless service system. Since 2013, he has worked as executive director of Hamilton Family Center, which provides emergency shelter and other services to homeless families. He led the Community Housing Partnership, which manages housing for 1,300 formerly homeless adults, for nine years before that.

“The city has all of these amazing programs that are really world-class,” Kositsky said. “To be able to bring all of those under the same department under a unified strategy to help really amplify Mayor Lee’s vision for addressing homelessness in San Francisco is an honor and an amazing opportunity.”

In his new role, Neighbor Jeff will oversee a department with 110 employees and an annual budget of more than $160 million. His top priorities in the big new job will include opening more Navigation Centers to provide interim shelter for the homeless and deploying a new information system to improve management and coordination of homeless cases and services. The new Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing will launch on July 1.

PHOTO: Neighbor Jeff Kositsky photographed by Connor Radnovich for The San Francisco Chronicle

RIP Charles Gatewood, Underground Photographer and Bernal Neighbor

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments
Charles Gatewood (1942-2016)

Charles Gatewood (1942-2016)

Photographer Charles Gatewood passed away last week at age 74. He was a longtime resident of Mirabel Street.

Neighbor Charles built his career photographing rock music celebrities, but later in his career he took an interest in alternative culture and sexuality. Even if you never knew him, you probably know some of his work. This was the first photo Charles Gatewood ever published, in 1966:

gatewood.dylan

“Dylan With Sunglasses and Cigarette,” by Charles Gatewood

Writing for BoingBoing, former Bernal neighbor David Pescovitz summarized Charles Gatewood’s legacy:

Charles Gatewood, a pioneering photographer of the underground for nearly 50 years, died today from injuries sustained in a fall from his third-floor balcony. He was 74.

From documenting the Beats and the dark alleys of 1970s Mardi Gras to extreme body modification practitioners and sexual fetishists, Charles lived his life as a curious, open-minded photographic anthropologist at the fringes of culture.

I first encountered Charles’s work in the 1980s through the groundbreaking RE/Search book Modern Primitives and a grainy VHS dub of the documentary “Dances Sacred and Profane” about his quest for individuals “breaking the bounds of convention.” We first met in 1993 and I always looked forward to the terrific stories of his travels through the interzones that he happily shared with me. Charles was warm, generous, witty, and very grounded.

Tattoo Mike, by Charles Gatewood

Tattoo Mike, by Charles Gatewood

Neighbor Charles was close friends with Bernal Neighbor Annie Sprinkle, and she shared these thoughts about him:

Charles Gatewood was my close friend, photography mentor and sometimes collaborator since 1977. He was enormously talented, an influential photographer, and he lived his life on his own terms. A lot of folks in the body art, music, poetry, sex worker communities are sad today as he passed away, and also enormously grateful for the treasure trove of images he made of so many of us, which thank goodness are housed safely archived at UC Berkeley.

He was a sweet bad ass. Also fun to photograph. He made some of the best photos of me ever. Most too explicit for Facebook.

Its been an honor to be part of the last chapter of his life. He was in ICU for over two weeks, and I got to visit him, be part of the love fest surrounding him, and go to add my opinions at the three “ethics committee meetings” about his care. Finally the medical team took him off life support so that he could leave his broken body and find some peace.

A public ‘memorial celebration’ is being planned for the Center For Sex & Culture in about two months, to give folks time to travel. There might also be something in New York City if someone takes the lead. Details to come. Charles’ sister Betty lost her last family member and only brother. She donated his cornea to help someone see better. What a lucky person to get Charles Gatewoods cornea! Charles wanted to be cremated. All is well and as it should be now. Needless to say, I’m very sad, as well as relieved he is out of pain. He was an important person in my life to whom I shall always be grateful.

Big love to all those who are sad to see Charles go. See you at the memorial, and eventually at the big UC Berkeley Gatewood archive presentation one day, for a grand reunion. Stardust to stardust…

Sigh.

Here’s a (NSFW) video of Neighbor Charles giving a tour of his own archive in 2012, including a cameo of some photos he took of Neighbor Annie Sprinkle:

Autistic Boy, Missing From Concord, Found by Bernal Neighbor Alice Caruthers

/ Todd_Lappin / 9 Comments

alicemontage

An autistic 11 year-old boy who went missing from his home in Concord, California was found near the Alemany housing project in Bernal Heights last Friday after Bernal neighbor Alice Caruthers noticed that the boy looked lost.

ABC-7 carried the story:

Zachary Jordan-Smith, an 11-year-old boy with autism, walked out of class on Friday and hopped a BART train to San Francisco. He’s now been safely reunited with his family because of one woman’s instincts. […]

He was found in the 900 block of Ellsworth in San Francisco in front of a head start school.

Somehow he squeezed through a fence at Holbrook and took a path to the North Concord BART station, which is nearby, and managed to get on BART train without money.

Fortunately, he was found safe.

“A sigh of relief. An absolute sigh of relief. Words cannot describe it. We were just so nervous and all of a sudden, such relief,” his father, Chris, said.

“I want to go get my son,” his mother, Christine, added.

That’s exactly what the Jordan-Smith family did. They got in the car and drove to Concord, bound for San Francisco.

Jordan-Smith was found next to I-280 by a woman who held him there for police, and the first officer on the scene happened to be a family friend.

There were hugs and happiness all around.

“I said, ‘Lord, give me favor right now. Clear this freeway so I can get this kid.’ I said, ‘Are you lost?’ and he said, ‘Yes I’m lost.’ I said, ‘Where do you live?’ and he mentioned a street I’ve never heard of. He mentioned Concord and I said, ‘Concord, how did you get here?’ He said, “BART,’ so I said, ‘Oh, so you’re missing. I’m going to get you safe and I promise you I’m going to get you to your parents,” San Francisco resident Alice Caruthers said.

Wow. Neighbor Matt shared this detail:

My daughter’s schoolmate saw the boy running somewhat erratically down Andover and across Cortland.

Previously she and a classmate were on the J Church going outbound and had seen the boy get off on Church St. So somehow he managed to get from BART to Muni and ended up on Andover above Cortland.

What a story!

Indeed.

Of course, anyone who knows Neighbor Alice will tell you that her role in this Good Samaritan tale should come as no surprise: Alice Caruthers is also president of the Alemany housing project residents association and she’s served on the board at the Alemany Farm. And now, on top of all that, she’s also a superhero.

Here’s the ABC-7 video report:

PHOTO: Montage by the San Francisco Police Department

Aerial Love Story: Watch as Bernal Neighbor Proposes to Sweetie on Bernal Hill

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

aeriallove

Yesterday, Neighbor Tim proposed to Renee atop Bernal Hill. She said Yes!

HURRAH! Congratulations!!!

This being 2016, the proposal was documented from above by Bernalwood pal and ace aerial videographer Eddie Codel. Eddie says:

Long time Bernal resident Tim Lang proposed to his girlfriend Renee Carano yesterday atop Bernal Hill, on what was probably the warmest day of the year. The special moment was captured by drone, of course!

The video is lovely, sweet and deep, in a way that only an aerial camera could convey. Kleenex Alert: You may experience feelings. Watch:

Hail to the Chief! Meet the New President of Mission-Bernal Merchants Association

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

presidenteden

It’s presidential campaign season, but (hooray!) here’s one story that doesn’t involve Donald Trump.

Neighbor Eden Stein from Secession Art & Design is now the president of the Mission-Bernal Merchants Association, the merchant group organized along the Bernal/La Lengua’s Mission Street corridor.

Neighbor Eden now presides over the proud territories that once belonged to the “South of Army-Mission Merchants Association” in days of yore, but she brings a thoroughly contemporary approach to the office. President Eden writes:

Wearing my heart on my sleeve and being locally-minded are part of my approach to life. I live and work passionately everyday being the owner and curator of Secession Art & Design. I often get asked “what is your art?” Secession is my art, and the 60+ independent makers are my muses. Outside my doors is my community.

I am honored to announce that I am now President of the Mission Bernal Merchant Association. This leadership role is a way for me to help our neighborhood have a strong voice that will benefit merchants and residents. I look forward to collaborating with local business and government to help unite and transform our neighborhood into a destination that supports our local community.

See you in the neighborhood soon!
XO Eden

RIP Robert Nygard, a Familiar Character on Cortland Avenue

/ Todd_Lappin / 14 Comments

robertnygard

We’re sad to report that Robert Nygard has passed away. Neighbor Robert was a familiar face on Cortland Avenue, but he died last weekend after he was struck by a car near Mission and 29th streets, a few days short of his 61st birthday.

Valerie Reichert, manager at the Bernal Heights Library, recalls:

Robert was part of the neighborhood’s old guard, and those of us working on Cortland chatted with him daily. When I came to work, Robert was always sitting with his coffee on the Neighborhood Center bench. He would shout across the street “Hey Lady! “and then give me the weather report.

Robert used the library pretty much every day and was a favorite with the staff. He was a teller of tall tales (which I fell for lock stock and barrel), convincing me last year it was his 80th birthday, when in fact he had added 20 years in order to ice the cake. Mr. Robert Nygard was definitely part of our Bernal landscape.

Neighbor Stacie from Little Bee Baking adds:

Robert was one of the older guys who hung out most every day at the Neighborhood Center or the library, and he came in to my shop regularly for ice cream. He also used to play the blues on his guitar outside the Neighborhood Center while I was getting my shop ready to open. (He was always really proud that he taught himself to play the guitar!) It’s just weird not seeing him after having seen him almost everyday for the past two-plus years.

PHOTO: Robert Nygard at the opening day for Little Bee Baking. Photo courtesy of Stacie Pierce.

Neighbor Jeanne Carstensen Reports on the Refugee Crisis on Lesbos

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

carstensenlesbos

Journalist Jeanne Carstensen just returned home to Mullen Ave. in Bernal Heights, but not long ago she was on the Greek island of Lesbos, reporting on the Middle Eastern refugee crisis. A sample of the experiences she had there:

IMG_3449
Asas doesn’t have enough money to pay the smugglers and worries how he will be able to work in Turkey, where Syrians have no legal status. Nour checks his cell phone frequently looking for a message from his contact. He shows me the life jacket under the table. He had expected to take a bus to the boat the night before but the hook up was called off due to iffy weather. Now he doesn’t know for sure when he will leave.

Yet they both insist on inviting me to tea. This detail — of hospitality offered in a moment of extremis — sticks with me. I had gone to the Basmane neighborhood with some trepidation. After all, it’s the center of human trafficking, as it’s called, the business of moving people illegally across borders. Looking around me I wondered who was who, who was a trafficker, or a middleman, or a refugee. But when I sat down to interview Asas and Nour and others with my microphone held close to their faces I quickly felt at ease.

I offered to pay for the tea but they would not accept. And when beggars came by our table, the refugees reached into their pockets for coins. No one was turned down.

In this video filmed on Lesbos, Neighbor Jeanne explains how the refugee situation there has unfolded:

Hat Tip: Neighbor Mark

PHOTO:  Scene at the Sindad Cafe in Lesbos, by Jeanne Carstensen

Saturday: You’re Invited to the Bernal Mosque and Islamic Center’s First-Ever Open House

/ dfyoung / 6 Comments

mosqueexterior

Ask and ye shall receive! Thanks to the the amazing response we received for Bernalwood’s interview with Zishan Safdar about South Bernal’s Mosque and Islamic Center, the mosque is holding an open house for the Bernal community this Saturday, November 14.

Zishan extends the invitation:

This is going to be ICSF’s first open-house event since it was founded in 1959. Better late than never, right?

We’re all super-excited and hope you are, too! During the event, there will be background history about the mosque, the events that go on there, Q&A, and most importantly, some mouth-watering snacks.

We look forward to seeing all of you at the event on Saturday, November 14th, 2015.

EVERYONE is welcome! 🙂

The open house will go from 12pm to 2pm at the mosque on the corner of Crescent and Andover. If you plan to attend (and you should!), please RSVP to ZishanSafdar@gmail.com. Full details below:

islamicinvite

His Highness Emperor Norton Is Getting Married!!

/ Todd_Lappin / 11 Comments
nortonwed1

The Royal Couple

Hear ye! Hear ye!

His imperial highness, Emperor Norton I (aka Bernal neighbor Joseph Amster), will marry his beloved this weekend, with all the pomp and ceremony their exalted stature demands. Bernalwood received the proclamation:

A Royal Wedding, San Francisco Style

You may have seen them around town: Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, and the Countess Lola Montez of Lansfeld, either giving walking tours or a presence at civic events like the annual 1906 earthquake commemoration. What is less known are the people behind the personalities.

Joseph Amster and Rick Shelton are a couple of seven years, and are getting married on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Congregation Sherith Israel.

Avid historians, this Bernal Heights-based couple launched Time Machine Tours in 2011, giving historical tours of San Francisco as beloved characters from the city’s past.

“Many people know us as simply the Emperor and the Countess, but we have lives outside of those roles,” said Amster. “Our friends and family have asked if we are getting married in character, but we decided this special day should be about us.”

nortonwecd2

BIG, big Bernal congratulations to Neighbors Joseph and Rick!

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Emperor Norton

Bernal Neighbor Brilliantly Trolls Tech Industry, Tech-Haters, Media, Chickens, and Us

/ Todd_Lappin / 11 Comments

Qoopy

For the last few days, Neighbor Andi Plantenberg on fashionable Samoset Street has generated a lot of buzz and a few headlines by creating a pitch-perfect website for Qoopy, a luxury day care service for chickens.

Operating in Brooklyn, Portland, and (of course) Bernal Heights, Qoopy promises that “when you travel, we give your chickens the royal treatment.” But only if you can get to the top of the waitlist.

Naturally, this has been was greeted with howls of shock and zeitgeist-encapsulating derision. For example:

Some saw it as a clear sign of late-stage urban bourgeois affluenza:

Bernalwood heard about Qoopy earlier in the week, and with Bernal featured so prominently, we decided to reach out for more information.  Neighbor Andi sent this reply:

One of the most common questions we get is “Is Qoopy real — or is this some kind of affectionate satire of the world we live in?”

I’m not a shaman. I’m not qualified to answer questions like that.

I do see that today’s urbanites long for a return to the simplicity and immediacy of raising their own food. This new generation has its own answers to questions like “What should I do with my chicken once her egg-laying days are done?” And even, “When I go to work, will my chicken miss me?”

On the other hand, the tech industry is racing to provide services that cater to urbanites’ every whim. I can have my dirty skivvies picked up with a tap of my smartphone.

Qoopy’s biggest innovation has not been our hand-crafted chicken curriculum, but our willingness to ask the question “Is the innovation economy solving the right problems?”

Truth be told, even after receiving this response, Bernalwood remained unsure if Qoopy was real, or satire, or both.

After all, experience has taught us that proper chicken care is a legitimate need in Bernal Heights, and besides; the idea of creating a satirical thing that nevertheless operates as a real thing is … errrrrrrrrr … uummmmm … well, suffice to say, we don’t find this hard to imagine either, because Bernalwood has been doing exactly that for almost five years.

We were candid about our ongoing confusion in the conversation with Neighbor Andi, and she was gracious enough to provide a less ambiguous reply:

Last Thursday evening, my husband Alan Peters and I were joking around like we normally do, and the notion of a Chicken Daycare for Urban Hipsters came up. We laughed and I said “I’m just going to launch it tomorrow’. I made a landing page, came up with a company name and a domain. And posted to facebook. The goal was to entertain myself.

That was Friday. Qoopy had a handful of up-votes on Product Hunt by Monday afternoon. By Tuesday mid-day I had thousands of hits, a few serious inquiries (all from Brooklyn) and a playful VC inquiry.

I think the reason it went viral was that it seemed like a joke, but could conceivably be true (Wait– maybe this *is* real”). The innovation economy is making services like this left and right, hence my earlier blurb.

So it began as a fun couple hours on friday, but has tapped on something larger. Qoopy has started some healthy and entertaining dialog.

Yeah yeah, sure sure. Seriously though… how do we get to the top of the waiting list?

IMAGE: Qoopy.co

Esmeralda Slide Park, Now Beautifully Renovated, Nominated for SF Beautiful Award

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

esp.signJPG

Neighbor Joan Carson, one of the valiant ringleaders who helped organize the glamtastic renovation of the Esmeralda Slides and Mini-Park, shares this update on the new sign over the park, and some (well-deserved) recognition it’s receiving around town:

There’s a new sign over the Esmeralda Slide Park, designed by Nancy Windesheim and constructed by me. The sign is prominently displayed on the trellis above our planter box, with the new plantings installed by volunteers on August 15, the second workday we had.

Most of all, we want to tell everyone who reads Bernalwood that we are one of the many esteemed nominees for a 2015 SFBeautification award.  San Francisco Beautiful is a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the livability and beautification of San Francisco. For 44 years, they have been recognizing people and places who contribute to the City’s livability and beautification.

The nominees are showcased on the SF Beautiful’s Facebook page. We’re there, and if you’re excited like we are, please “like” us.

Everyone who dedicated themselves to making this rebuild happen should feel very proud. There are a number of projects that happened this year in the City that are really special, and we can find ourselves amongst them.

Whether we win an award on Sept. 17 or not, the recognition of being a nominee in the company of all the other special projects nominated, puts us in the best of company!

Citizens of Bernalwood, you know what to do: Please help stuff the ballot box by adding your Likes and gushy comments right here.

PHOTO: Neighbor Joan