This video was created by CAMEO, a microfunding organization that supports small business development. Yet along the way it delivers a tidy little history of how the modern-day Cortlandia that we all know and love came to be.
What Kind of Art Belongs on the Back of the Bernal Library?
It’s been a long road, but the new artwork on the front of the Bernal Heights Branch Library is more or less complete, and it looks rather spiffy. Next up comes the planning for the art that will go on the back of the library, facing the playground.
The library task force has chosen Johanna Poethig to create the playground-side artwork. Johanna has a long history with community-focused public art, and she is seeking input from Bernal neighbors via a survey (linked below). The Bernal Library Art Project tells us:
Phase II of the Bernal Library Art Project has begun and we need you! Bernal is a neighborhood that embraces and nurtures many communities: families that have lived on the hill for generations and those that arrived last week; artists; children; seniors; multiple ethnicities; many races; LGBT; a range of incomes and lifestyles. But we all have this in common – we live in Bernal.
The Bernal Library Art Project Task Force (BLAP) and Phase II artist Johanna Poethig have created this survey as part of a wide community outreach effort to gather the thoughts and feelings of Bernal residents to inform the artwork that will be designed and installed on the playground wall of the Bernal Library. The survey is being distributed electronically, made available on paper in the library and at Heartfelt, and directly given to groups such as children and seniors who meet regularly in a Bernal location. Community meetings open to everyone will also be scheduled, probably in March.
The survey will be available through the end of February. Results will be communicated back electronically, posted in the library and other venues where possible, and presented at the community meetings. Thank you for participating in this project; please click on the link to start the survey.
Simone and Haley: A Bernal Heights Love Story
This video about a glamorous pair of lovers was shot and edited in Bernal Heights, and it is all kinds of awesome:
Simone and Haley, both artists, met and fell in love in San Francisco. When they’re not making art about their own passionate love story (which they do quite often), they make films about other people.
Save the date and watch your mailboxes, people… I’m sure we’re all invited.
Clever Workers Spare Locked Bike During Curb Construction
Neighbor @luna_c snapped this shot today on the corner of Stoneman and Folsom, where a curb reconstruction project is underway. The bike was locked, but it was also spared… in the name of Progress and Improvement. Nicely done!
Newspaper Article Reveals Bernalwood’s Secret Weapon
In an article that appears on the dead-tree pages of today’s San Francisco Chronicle, reporter Caleb Garling writes about the inspiration and economics behind several “hyperlocal” San Francisco neighborhood blogs, including Bernalwood.
Along the way, he also reveals the secret weapon that enables Bernalwood to provide our coverage of Bernal Heights: You!
Todd Lappin, who runs Bernalwood, has occasional unpaid contributors but writes most of the posts about Bernal Heights himself. As with other blog editors, though, he notes that most of his stories are sourced from helpful neighbors.
“I’ve never told everyone (in Bernal Heights) that they’re the reporters, but they are,” he says.
An example: In late January, the Queen’s Nails Gallery caught on fire. Lappin says that within an hour, neighbors had sent him photos of damage inside the gallery, photos of emergency workers outside the gallery and first-person accounts of the events – all making for a pretty complete and informative post about the fire.
“And I hadn’t left my house,” he laughs. “That’s pretty consistent. I act more like an editor and curator and packager. … (The residents) step up.”
It’s true, of course. And I’m very grateful for it. Bernalwood depends on our vigilant neighbor-reporters to keep you up to date about what’s happening on the streets of Bernal Heights.
That’s why we always always always appreciate your tips, comments, timely insights, and awesome photographs. Keep them coming! The Bernalwood Action News Team is ready to roll; just drop a line and send your photos directly to the Editor’s Lounge at bernalwood *at* gmail *dot* com or tweet us @bernalwood.
PHOTO: Base image by Adrian Mendoza
An Update on Recent Mugging Arrests and Crime-Reduction Efforts in Bernal Heights
Last week Neighbor Sarah attended a meeting with Captain Falvey from the SFPD’s Ingleside Station. The meeting was an opportunity to gather updates on the robberies and arrests that took place in Bernal Heights recently, and discuss safety initiatives that Bernal neighbors can undertake. Neighbor’s Sarah’s (typically excellent) notes contain two parts – an update and a list of action items – so please read all the way through.
UPDATE ON ROBBERIES & ARRESTS
For the two adult suspects in the January 29 mugging incident, bail has been set at $400K and $500K, respectively, which Captain Falvey said was high for robberies.
If you were a victim of these robberies and haven’t been informed of the hearing date/time/location for the juvenile involved, you can call Delia Montiel in Victim Services at 753-4418. She can only speak to victims, but victims are allowed to spread the word and bring as many “support people” as they want to the hearing. I am looking into the hearing dates for the adults.
SFPD’s central Criminal Investigation Unit is working on these and other robberies because the robberies occurred across police districts. Stations are sending in robberies they think are connected. In this case, Ingleside sent over seven robberies they think are connected to the Bocana one. Taraval sent several others, and Bayview is likely to have done so as well.
SFPD is reaching out to other robbery victims to see if any more robberies can be linked to these or other recently arrested suspects.
There was also an arrest for a robbery in Alemany the Saturday before the Bocana robbery. They are looking to see whether that suspect can be tied to any of the robberies on nearby city streets earlier in the month.
Ingleside has brought in the Violence Reduction Team and also deployed its own plainclothes units. These groups drive around in unmarked cars and observe the neighborhood. They can conduct “field interviews” and write up cards that can be useful later if a robbery does occur. If the person they are interviewing is on probation or parole and has a search condition, the police can search him/her.
There have been no robberies in Bernal since the Bocana arrests (knock on wood), thanks to effective police action and community engagement/support. But we should not become complacent. Accordingly, please see some action items and initiatives in progress below.
Some people have asked why it isn’t easier for the police to apprehend people involved in the robbery and resale of electronics since this activity is known to be concentrated at 7th/Market. Captain Falvey said the police DO set up undercover buys, but the people involved in these rings are not stupid. They divide up the transaction into small pieces – so, for instance, the guy with the money buying up electronics is not actually out on 7th and Market. The Mid-Market foot beat is always on the lookout, and periodically they are able to bust the person who’s buying up the stolen goods.
ACTION ITEMS
What can Bernal Heights do to encourage vigorous prosecution of these robbery suspects?
1. NOW: Write a letter to DA Gascon. The Community Police Advisory Board, the BHNC, and other groups should all do this. Key points: we are following case closely; we want suspects to get a fair trial; this was very serious, violent crime that these suspects brought into our neighborhoods.
2. IF CONVICTED: Write a letter to presiding judge from same groups. Key points: these crimes were violent; we encourage stiff sentences.
QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH THE CAPTAIN. Establish quarterly Bernal Heights meeting schedule with the Ingleside captain. All groups and residents should be encouraged to attend so that we do not only meet in small groups with captain or in large groups at times of crisis. Ailed from BHNC and Sarah to work on getting this started. [Editor’s Note: Bernalwood will promote these meetings when they are scheduled]
LARGE COMMUNITY FORUM WITH CHIEF AND CAPTAIN. Neighbor Darcy is following up with Chief Suhr and Captain Falvey on dates – possibly end of Feb./beginning of March — for a discussion about crime-fighting strategy. Date and venue TBD.
HOT SPOT WALK. Schedule “hot spot” walk between now and large community forum, to identify crime-reduction improvements that can be made in Bernal Heights; include DPW, Supervisors’ staff, SFPD, others. Ailed at the BHNC is leading the charge – likely to be one evening the week of Feb. 18. If you have a “hot spot” (problem area in neighborhood) in mind and haven’t done so already, PLEASE fill out this hot spot form. Paper copies are also available at the BHNC. Please return them by Feb. 13! (Tomorrow!)
SAFETY WALK. Schedule Precita area safety walk/education campaign. Ailed is working on this and will send out a notice asking for volunteers.
REGULAR MONTHLY INGLESIDE STATION COMMUNITY MEETING. The next one is on Feb. 19 at 7pm in the community room at the station, 1 Sgt. John V. Young Ln. inside Balboa Park.
Other ideas mentioned were a monthly newsletter or update from captain to distribute on BernalSafe, and engaging the tech-savvy Bernal community to come up with other solutions to enhance safety – e.g., bSafe app.
PHOTO: via Telstar Logistics
Who Really Created the Fabulous Labyrinth on Bernal Hill?
You’ve seen it. You love it. Maybe you’ve even walked it. The stone labyrinth in the old quarry site on the southwest corner of Bernal Hill is a charming neighborhood treasure. It tends to morph over time, but the Bernal Labyrinth is always well-maintained — even if no one knows who does all the morphing and maintaining.
Yet who created the Bernal Labyrinth in the first place? That’s suddenly become a topical question, because an article in the San Francisco Examiner last Monday told a rather distressing tale about how the labyrinth allegedly got its start:
It turns out the locally respected labyrinth in Bernal Heights is the brainchild of a man accused of stalking a woman, according to authorities.
Self-proclaimed artist Cesar Lopez, 34, of San Francisco is charged with one felony count of stalking in connection with a December incident in which he allegedly invited a woman to the labyrinth on Bernal Heights Boulevard in order to conduct a “cleansing ceremony.”
When they met 10 years ago, prosecutors said, Lopez agreed to tutor the girl in Spanish at the Mission Branch Library and she reportedly agreed to teach him English.
About two years later, the girl reportedly wanted to sever the relationship when Lopez became romantically interested. But Lopez allegedly carried on a one-sided relationship for the next eight years, sending letters and creating a rambling blog in order to communicate with her, prosecutors said.
He also apparently built the labyrinth near the woman’s home using stones from Bernal Hill. At one point, prosecutors said, he sent the woman a picture of a labyrinth “in the obvious image of her face” — it even included her glasses. He has since taken down that labyrinth.
But one design remains, and it is revered by neighbors.
According to labyrinthlocator.com, the Bernal Heights piece was built anonymously in August 2008.
“We don’t know who started it,” the website says, “but people are keeping it up and walking it daily.”
Yuck. Gross. Ewwwww. The Examiner story (and this similar piece from KPIX-TV) tells us that our lovely Bernal Labyrinth was in fact built by a Cesar Lopez, a sleazeball who used it as bait to seduce ladies. But should we believe them?
Fortunately, we have reason to think this untrue. Indeed, your Bernalwood Action News Investigative Team is convinced that Cesar Lopez did not, in fact, create the Bernal Labyrinth.
Instead, our evidence indicates the original labyrinth was created by Mr. Lars Howlett, a former Bernal neighbor. A committed labyrinth devotee, Lars is a Veriditas Certified Labyrinth Facilitator (???!), who has even self-published a book on the subject. In other words: Impeccable credentials.
Coincidentally (for those of you who believe in coincidence), Lars posted about the Bernal Labyrinth on the very same day that the Examiner’s article about Cesar Lopes first appeared.
Lars’s post was intercepted by analysts from the Bernalwood Office of Neighborhood Signals Intelligence, and a dialog with him was initiated. He told us:
I created it on May 10th, 2008, first as a three circuit classical design. I call it the Orphan Labyrinth because I soon moved away from San Francisco and ever since it has taken on a life of its own!
Even better, he had a photo of the Bernal/Orphan Labyrinth taken on May 10, 2008 — three months before Cesar Lopez claimed to have created it — which shows what the labyrinth looked like as a wee little baby:
Bernalwood asked Former Neighbor Lars to tell us more about the making of the Bernal/Orphan Labyrinth:
One afternoon on May 10th, 2008, I found a scattered circle of rocks near the overlook at Bernal Heights where I was taking pictures. In half an hour I arranged a simple labyrinth and climbed up to photograph the first person to encounter it. I left for the summer and moved that fall to Half Moon Bay. A year later I returned and was surprised to find the path had grown twice its size!
I visit when I can and, if need be, provide some loving care, but mostly this labyrinth continues to leads a life of its own. I have documented it’s evolution through photography and have come to know it as the ‘Orphan Labyrinth.’
Almost five years later, the labyrinth continues to grow and evolve. There have been deviated paths to a peace sign and a heart created by others. I have walked the path with Lauren Artress (also a Bernal Heights community member) who brought the Chartres labyrinth to Grace Cathedral. I became a certified labyrinth facilitator studying with her in France and am now the apprentice to master builder, Robert Ferre.
I continue to design, build and walk labyrinths including my most recent project, the Labyrinth of Wisdom at Sofia University in Palo Alto. Other installations are temporary, such as the Literal Labyrinth made of books I created this summer at City Hall for the San Francisco Poetry Festival.
People use labyrinths for walking meditation, prayer, problem solving, healing, and finding peace. The Orphan Labyrinth at Bernal Heights is the oldest surviving labyrinth that I’ve built. I’m happy that the community has cared for it and helped it along the way.
All the best,
Lars
When you weigh all the data, Lars Howlett has a pretty compelling claim on the creation of the labyrinth — unlike the hapless Cesar Lopez, who enjoys a fantasy life so rich that it earned him an arrest and criminal trial.
So with that, we will leave you with two videos: Lars Howlett made this first one; a video about creating and walking a labyrinth on a beach in Marin:
… and Bernalwood created the second; it shows our intrepid Cub Reporter finding enlightenment in the labyrinth Lars originally created on Bernal Hill:
PHOTOS: Top, The Bernal/Orphan Labyrinth in December 2012, by Dr. Lapin; below, by Telstar Logistics in December 2010. All other photos by Lars Howlett.
Tonight: Bernal Author Holds New Book Party (and You’re Invited)
It’s harvest season for authors in Bernal Heights, with lots of fresh, locally-grown books shipping to markets from coast to coast. Neighbor Blaine tells us she a new book out too, and she’s having a little event tonight to celebrate. Bonus: You’re invited!
Like Neighbor Nathanael, I, too, have a book. 🙂 It’s called On Being a Bachelor: Thoughts on Dating, Mating and Relating, and although it’s not quite as Bernal-y as his, it’s very well-suited for Valentine’s Day. It’s a collection of my best and funniest newspaper columns from a weekly in Atlanta, where my now-husband, Neighbor Chris (whom I met while writing those columns) lived before we were Bernal-bound. Here’s a link and some more info.
This Friday marks my West Coast literary debut (!) with a signing at Jurlique Spa, on Fillmore Street, with free wine and snacks. Details below:
What: Wine Tasting and Book Signing: On Being a Bachelor: Thoughts on Dating, Mating and Relating, by San Francisco-based author and journalist Blane Bachelor
Where: Jurlique Spa, 2136 Fillmore St., at Sacramento
When: Fri., Feb. 8, 2013; 6-8 p.m.
Etc: Complimentary wine and bites provided
Bernal Hill Looks Rakishly Handsome at Sunrise
Michael D. lives around Twin Peaks, so he has a terrific view of… us! He took this photo at sunrise yesterday, as Bernal Hill was just waking up.
Thank you Michael!
Crime Alert: Beware of Thieves Masquerading as PG&E
The red phone in the Bernalwood newsroom went ring-a-ding-ding this morning as we received a high-priority crime alert from Capt. Tim Falvey from the San Francisco Police Ingleside Station:
Yesterday, there was a burglary/theft from a building on Nebraska at Cortland. A subject, posing as a PG&E employee, entered a home to “check the meter”. He let himself out when he was done and the resident’s laptop computer was missing. Per PG&E, the meters in the area of the theft digitally upload which eliminates the need for home visits. Please post this information on Bernalwood Blog and remind residents that if they are not expecting an employee from a utility company, don’t let them in without first calling the utility company to verify that an employee is in the area. Also, they don’t have to open the door, they can speak through the door. If someone tries to enter their home “checking meters” and leaves while the resident is calling PG&E, they should call the police.
Thanks,
Captain Tim Falvey
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: Bernalwood
Chinese Massage Awning Leaves Bernal Neighbor Perplexed
Neighbor Lev wonders about a new business on Cortland:
I’m puzzled by the awkward, somewhat self-undermining slogan of the new Chinese massage parlor on Cortland:
Traditional Chinese Massage
We use only Chinese massage and energy to heal, not medicine.What manner of non-medical healing does traditional Chinese massage bring about? Is medicine now something to be feared or avoided? Perhaps a medical doctor could open up shop next door under the complementary slogan: “We use only Western medicine and money to heal, not massage.”
Moreover, what kind of energy is involved? Is it adequately green and renewable?
Inquiring Bernal minds want to know.
PHOTO: Neighbor Lev
Abandoned Bernal Hill Chair Revealed as Fashionable Photo Shoot Prop
A few months ago, Bernalwood pondered an abandoned chair that was left atop Bernal Hill. At the time, we wondered if the chair was illegally dumped trash, or a clever in situ art installation. Soon after, Bernal’s Neighbor Frank saw the chair in use for a photo shoot:
The furniture is still there, and apparently attracting other artists. This photographer and model told me that they did not carry the chair there. The model hoped that the chair didn’t have bedbugs. The ottoman and two footstools were moved to the west. I didn’t see the black chair.
Now we learn the “model” in the chair was actually singer Thao Nguyen. Glamorousness! And how do we know that? Because we recognized the chair, and the view, in the picture spotted on the NPR website that also adorns the top of this post. (PRO TIP: Try to read this excerpt in your best Robert Siegel voice:)
Quirky but cutting, playful but forceful, controlled but ragged, Thao Nguyen is one of the most commanding and distinctive young singers around. She infuses everything around her with electricity and mischievous boldness, from her live-wire concerts to the way her songs gallop and clamor, picking up intensity as they go along. With her band The Get Down Stay Down, Nguyen is about to release her third album — We the Common, out Feb. 5 — and it’s full of tense, clattering folk-rock.
SFist tells us that Thao Nguyen was in the City yesterday to do a free concert at Amoeba Records. No word, however, on the current whereabouts of the now-famous chair.
Red Hill Books Asks: “Hey Neighbor, Is This Your Sideboard?”
Did you loan a lovely wooden sideboard to Red Hill Books many many moons ago? If so, they would like to return it to you:
We are in the thick of renovations here at Red Hill and have run into an issue. There is a beautiful sideboard that sat behind the counter here for the better part of ten years. Our owner remembers a neighbor generously lending it to us, but cannot recall which of our wonderful community members. Would you mind posting the attached photograph with a plea for the owner to come by the store? Because space is limited, we can really only manage to keep the fixture for a week, at which point it is up for grabs!
Bernalwood 