Many things make Bernal Heights unique, but a recent spike in muggings and street crime is not one of them. According to the SFPD, a crime wave very similar to what we have witnessed recently in Bernal Heights is also afflicting our comrades in Potrero and Glen Park. There are unconfirmed reports of additional incidents over the weekend.

What does make Bernal Heights unique is the way close-knit Bernal residents rally to protect our neighborhood. There were two ad-hoc community meetings over the weekend, along with many good ideas shared about things all of us can do to make our streets safer — and increase the likelihood that the perps will be caught. Here are the highlights…

The first meeting took place on Saturday evening, and it was focused on immediate security concerns. Neighbor Jean took notes:

Well our impromptu meeting on the freezing library steps last night lasted about an hour and we had about 10 folks show up including myself and husband Jeff.

I collected everyone’s email and phone numbers and read aloud Campos’ response to my email and during the hour or so we were there, we must have seen at least 6 police cruisers go up and down Cortland.

The items that came up were:

– Safehouses on each block (clearly each block would get involved on their own and designate..)

– During this period, encourage folks to be perhaps not so cost efficient, but leave on their front porch lights for lighting up dark streets

– Cut back shrubbery that could hide perps

– Utilize the Good Life bulletin board for updates and announcements – next meetings, safety escort groups etc.

– Encourage all businesses on Cortland to post the orange Crime alert posters from the police dept.

– Bring Ingleside officers to our next meeting

– Invite the Guardian Angels into our hood until the perps are arrested

– Pay for private security vehicle to patrol during high crime time – weeknight evenings etc.

– Have merchants sell plastic whistles, let the Bernal population know that whistles are being implemented and if you hear one, identify where the attack is happening and call the appropriate 911 number

– Lastly, start the safety escort groups immediately. We talked about groups of no less that 4 volunteers, great excuse for dog walking. You can sign up to volunteer and then we meet at Good Life and wait hopefully wait for a few folks headed in the same direction to escort home. Also for the folks, like the female victim herself, that are afraid to walk their dogs at night alone now.

We talked about having another meeting perhaps at Progressive Grounds – earlier in the day, so no one is walking home in the dark!

Another ad-hoc meeting took place on Sunday evening. This turned out to be a larger event. Neighbor Buck wrote-up the minutes:

Kudos to Frankie and Joy for calling the community safety meeting tonight at 730 pm. I counted 48 neighbors in attendance. We used the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (BHNC) because Martha’s was closed.

Frankie ran a great meeting. Folks decided to:

1) all call and e-mail Ingleside SFPD Station Capt.Tim Falvey to express concern, and encourage an active Police response;

2) organize a larger meeting, with a) the Captain (Caroline contacting); b) Sup. David Campos (Aneal); c) Campos to get DPW rep to attend; d) Project SAFE (Leon); and e) booking the Neighborhood Center for the meeting (Buck). BHNC also working to set up a meeting with the Captain. Folks expect to:

3) plan a safety walk like others organized in the past, with DPW, the Supervisor’s Office, and the Police, to get street and stair lights fixed and installed, trees trimmed, etc.

Meanwhile, in a comment posted to Bernalwood on Saturday, D9 Supervisor David Campos weighed in with his appraisal of the situation:

I wanted to thank all the Bernal neighbors who have posted on Bernalwood and have contacted my office about the recent muggings in the neighborhood. We take what has happened very seriously and please know that we are doing everything we can to deal with recent developments. I have communicated with a number of you but wanted to share the following information with this group.

I have been in communication with Captain Falvey and have asked him and our Police Department to dedicate additional resources to the neighborhood. To that end, the Police Department has assigned additional officers to the police station, including units from the City’s Violence Reduction Team. In addition to having more uniformed officers, the Captain has increased the presence of plain clothes officers and is increasing their undercover work. They are also working on a more long-term violence prevention strategy to sustain their efforts.

The Captain informs me that, unfortunately, the increase in muggings is happening City-wide and that many involve attempts to steal iPhones and other smart phones. I encourage you all to visit the Ingleside Station’s website to get more information about recent trends, including some tips on how to increase everyone’s safety.

So our elected officials are paying attention, our police are on the case, and our neighbors are taking measures to safeguard our streets. Apart from all that, what can every Citizen of Bernalwood do to assist? Our readers have contributed some good ideas.

Look for Lurkers. Neighbor Clio writes:

From the descriptions of the attacks, the perps have “come out of nowhere” running toward their victims. My neighbor apparently saw them lurking out of sight behind a tree (he just happened to turn around) – he said it gave him the creeps, but at the time didn’t know about the muggings.

So definitely, if we spot a group of two or three young men who appear to be lurking (as one person saw near the playground just before an attack on someone else) – RAISE THE ALARM!

Spot the Getaway. Neighbor Ted is watching for potential getaway vehicles; a key component of these street crimes. He writes about the area around Crescent, but such vigilance is a good idea for all the side-streets of Bernal:

This is a request to be on the lookout for suspicious vehicles along the Crescent corridor.

Sunday at 5 pm, I was driving up Crescent and turned North on Folsom to head toward Cortland. I saw two men getting into a car on Folsom (and pointed South, toward Crescent). Out of the corner of my eye, it looked like one of them was holding something that could have been a purse. As I drove up Folsom, the car pulled out, suggesting there was a driver already in it, waiting for the men.

At the time, I didn’t think too much about it, but with all the incidents taking place over the past few weeks, I’ve been turning this event over in my mind, and imagining that I had witnessed two armed robbers jumping into a getaway car. Now, I checked the police blotter and couldn’t find any incident happening at that time, so this was probably a big nothing. Still: it occurs to me that it makes total sense for these robbers to have a getaway car waiting near Crescent to they can jump on the 280 or 101 very quickly.

If you live near Crescent, please be on the lookout for suspicious cars . . . for someone just sitting round in the driver’s seat in a car parked on a side street pointed toward Crescent. Call the police to check it out. Get the license plate number, if you can do so in a way that feels safe.

Let There Be Light. Neighbor Kelly says:

It is a small gesture, I know, but I have been leaving my porch light on until about 11pm. My street is actually pretty well light, but I just feel like shining a little more light can only be helpful. Perhaps it will light up the “coming out of nowhere” places or perhaps it will allow someone to be able to better see and identify the license plate. I know, it is small, but perhaps, if everyone in Bernal left their porch lights on in the evening until 10 or 11pm, perhaps it would help…

Bernalwood will continue to provide updates as they become available, and our comment sections are open for Bernal neighbors to exchange information. Stay safe. Work together.

PHOTO: Safety poster on Cortland Avenue, by Steve Rhodes

Every once in a while we are reminded that Bernal Heights — our Little Village in the Big City — is still a part of the big city.

The recent wave of gunpoint muggings continues on the side-streets around central Cortland Avenue. Several people have been robbed and badly shaken up. The crime pattern is consistent. No one has been too seriously hurt.

Last night a Bernal neighbor sent this message:

Tonight my girlfriend was robbed on Andover between Cortland and Ellert.

It seems to have been two of the same perpetrators who robbed the group [earlier this week]. Younger black males dressed in dark clothing (hoodies) with a gun.

She was walking down from the Good Life at about 7:30pm with another pedestrian walking up on the other side of the street across from the library. She was in the most well lit spot of the block. When she reached Ellert the perpetrators seemingly appeared from no where running directly at her. They ran across the street with the gun already out and and told her to “give them everything.” She immediately dropped everything that she had on the ground. Afterward, they said “You have four seconds to run,” at which point she ran as fast as she could into the Good Life to call the police.

During our time speaking with the police apparently two more robberies took place, with one victim being pistol whipped according to the officers.

Just wanted to give the community a heads up and let women know that they need to be walking with friends (preferably male) and that this stick up crew is particularly brazen. From what I could gather from the police these guys really don’t seem to give a fuck and are very dangerous.

Hide ya kids, hide ya wives.

Yesterday, in our previous post on this topic, Bernalwood also received this comment from a reader:

I just got home tonight, hoping that I was playing the odds that the muggers wouldn’t hit Bernal again. I got home alright but ran down to Good Life to pick up some things to find two cop cars and a terrified woman who had just been held up at gun point by four muggers on Bennington (next to GL). It seems these guys are getting braver and braver and staying in the neighborhood.

No one wants to change their lives to accommodate this behavior, but having myself been mugged by four people with a gun not too long ago, I can only say if you can avoid the possibility of ever having to go through that, do everything you can to avoid it.

In their “bravery” they’re going to make a very stupid mistake soon enough. I’m fairly confident with four of them, this can’t go on too much longer.

That’s seems like a wise perspective. Bernalwood has every reason to believe that the SFPD will take an aggressive approach to protecting public safety on the streets of Bernal Heights. This crime pattern will not last.

But for now, prudence is required.

When you are on the street, follow these wise personal safety guidelines. [PDF download]

If you live in South Bernal, watch outside your home. Note any suspicious activity. Write it down. Call the SFPD as required.

Add these SFPD contact numbers to your phone:

• SFPD Cellphone Emergency: 553-8090
• SFPD Non-Emergency 553-0123
• Remember: Dialing 911 from a cellphone connects you with the California Highway Patrol, not the SFPD

Bernalwood will provide additional updates to this post as they become available.

ADDENDUM: Neighbor Darcy adds:

This week there was also a incident near Goat Hill Pizza in Potrero – 3 young man were mugged at gunpoint by three young men.

The officer on the Cortland beat said that multiple victim muggings are unusual. I wonder if these incidents are all related.
Questions that can be asked at a community meeting-
Ask our captain for concise descriptions, vehicle descriptions and when will the meeting be.

I encourage everyone to email David Campos, Captain Falvey and Greg Suhr- We need and deserve a concise plan. In years past Sargent Miller set up an undercover operation and caught a group of thieves that were mugging folks all over 94107 and 94110.

timothy.falvey@sfgov.org
david.campos@sfgov.org
Greg.Suhr@sfgov.org