Gunfire Erupts During Saturday Night Party on Banks Street

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

Several Bernal neighbors heard the crackle of gunfire as a party was taking place on the 200 block of Banks Street, near the intersection with Cortland, during the early hours of Saturday/Sunday morning.

Neighbor Rebecca tells Bernalwood:

Sometime around 1:40am there were dozens of gunshots on what appeared to be the street next to us – Banks. We were all awakened and carefully looked out the window and saw maybe a dozen people running across roofs on Banks street houses, accompanied by lots of shouting.

We called 911 and reported it, and I just called the non-emergency number about an hour later and police did confirm that it was gunfire and that they are searching our neighborhood for anyone involved.

I can see police with flashlights on that street and officers that were looking in a backyard of a Banks street house (between Eugenia/Cortland).

Neighbor AnnMarie adds:

Multiple gunshots fired in the vicinity of Banks and Cortland on Saturday night/Sunday morning around 2 am. I live on the block and was awoken by the shots, and saw many people running down the block trying to get out of the area. To the best of my knowledge one person was injured, not life threatening.

Many, many cars were damaged by bullets (including mine). The police were there shortly after the gunshots, the case number is 170842003 at the Ingleside police station.

Neighbor AnnMarie shared this photo of the bullet hole in her car:

The gunshots can clearly be heard in this security camera footage shared by another Bernal neighbor:

Much of the area was taped off on Sunday morning, with police gathering evidence from shell casings found on the scene and bullet holes in homes and cars.

UPDATE, 17 October: Capt. McFadden from SFPD’s Ingleside Station tells Bernalwood the gunfire was likely gang-related. Read the complete story.

PHOTO: Top, gunshot through a home window. Photo courtesy of Neighbor D.

Tonight! Raise a Glass for First Friday at Heartfelt &

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darcystorm

Neighbor Darcy Lee, proprietor of the fabulous Heartfelt stores on Cortland, is the kind of person who knows how to turn even a rainy day into a cause for celebration. This evening, Friday, Oct. 6 beginning at 6 pm, Neighbor Darcy will hail the arrival of the first Friday of the month by pouring elixir and taking 10% off the price of all the merchandise at Heartfelt &, her clothing store at 409 Cortland. All are invited.

Neighbor Darcy tells Bernalwood:

This Friday I am sharing my current favorite bubbly with you at our wee storefront Heartfelt &.

We are doing it each first Friday of the month so get used to smiling and toasting with us all the while trying on clothes and listening to ooooos or nahs. This is going to be fun.

PHOTO: Darcy Lee during a rainstorm, 2015, by Telstar Logistics.

Giant Candy Corn Ushers In Arrival of Autumn

/ Todd_Lappin / 29 Comments

The crazier things are in the world, the more important it becomes to appreciate simple pleasures close to home.

So thanks to Neighbor Kristy from Treat Street for calling our attention to fact that the mysterious Color Sprites of Bernal Hill celebrated the arrival of October by decorating the big rock on the north slope to look like a giant candy corn . Neighbor Kristy writes:

The dogs are Ichi at the bottom and Dion on top, with my friend Julie holding Dion up. We hike bernal every Monday and always love seeing the rock color change based on seasons. The candy corn rock cheered me up with the sad news happening

Amen.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Neighbor Kristy.

Saturday: Learn to Paint Your Own Bernal Hill Landscape with BHNC

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Are you ready to discover your inner Bob Ross? This Saturday, Sept. 30, the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (BHNC) will become a painting studio as part of a fundraiser that will help pay for next month’s Fiesta on the Hill.

Ailed Quijano Paningbatan-Swan, BHNC’s director of community engagement, says:

So excited to announce Paint on the Hill at BHNC! All proceeds for this family fun fundraising event goes to this years Fiesta on the Hill!

You are invited to our first ever Paint Day at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (515 Cortland). To focus on community-building as well as provide a space for neighbors to get to know each other, we’re holding this great event in partnership with local merchants.

This will be one of many series that we will be partnering with various groups and merchants in Bernal.

A few months ago we did a family spaghetti feed in partnership with Emmys Spaghetti Shack and the library – that event sold out in a few days.This time we’re partnering with Barebottle Brewery to present a day of painting, wine, good eats, and great-tasting beer.

There will also be a painting activity for kids (12 and under). All materials canvas, brushes, paint etc are included in purchased tickets for adults and kids.

Tickets are limited, so buy yours soon!

Also, save the date: Ailed tells Bernalwood that the 2017 edition of Fiesta on the Hill is set to happen on Sunday, October 22.

Shotwell Neighbors Exasperated by Public Pooping Guy

/ Todd_Lappin / 59 Comments

There’s a public toilet nearby, but this man prefers to poop on Shotwell Street. (Photo: A neighbor)

Bernal neighbors who live along Shotwell near Cesar Chavez are frustrated with a bearded man who frequently poops on the southwest corner of their street.

A Shotwell neighbor writes:

Alas, we have a consistent public pooper at the corner of Shotwell and Cesar Chavez.

He poops fully waist-down naked in the same spot about three or so times a week, leaving behind a big giant mess about a half block from the preschool.. Urgh.

We ask Bernalwood readers to call the police if they see him. That isn’t generally my approach, but it’s gotten out of hand, and I have tried to ask him to stop on many occasions.

UPDATE Sept 25, 7 pm: In response to some of the comments on this post, the Bernal neighbor who shared the photo of the man provides some additional context:

I knew that the post was going to get some controversy and agree with many of the folks who posted that calling the police is mostly NOT the right response when it comes to homelessness. But I also agree that there aren’t a lot of good responses.

I have watched small kids walk past this guy when he is doing his doo – and very very exposed. I have talked to him – he is both very mentally ill but also well enough to make clear to me that he is making a point by doing what he is doing and is fully aware of his actions.

The school down the street have complained very regularly and to no avail. I will also be trying to reach out to the Nav Center and have tried to reach out to St. Anthony’s – so far, of no avail.

Is citing him going to do anything? Possibly not, but something has to be tried and maybe, just maybe, a citation might be a disincentive – I honestly don’t know but have been at a loss.

If I had a good answer to these kinds of problems, and I wish I did, I would have [SF Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing director] Jeff Kozitsky’s job.. But alas, it is, as one reader points out, a federal problem that trickles down to a city problem that trickles down to the challenges we see in SF and most major cities these days.

Eat! Drink! Celebrate! It’s Old Devil Moon’s First Anniversary

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

This week, the fabulous Old Devil Moon at 3472 Mission (near Cortland) will celebrate its first anniversary. Hooray!  Congrats!

The big first-anniversary bash happens this Saturday, Sept. 23, but Old Devil Moon has a series of events lined up for this week. Co-owner Chris Cohen wants to tell you all about them:

Old Devil Moon is one year-old, and we want to invite our Bernal neighbors  to join the celebration.  We couldn’t do what we do without your support.

We’re having a anniversary event on Saturday, Sept. 23 from noon to 2AM featuring an insane list of rare and special beer. We’re also releasing permanent updated food and cocktail menus to ring in year two.

ODM is rolling out an updated food menu. We’re retaining established hits such as the Fried Gulf Shrimp, Oyster Rockefeller, Fried Chicken, and Roast Beef Po Boys. New dishes include: Fried Pickle Spears made with Paulie’s Pickling ODM pickles; a Louisiana Hot Link Po Boy; a BBQ Beef Sando; a super juicy ODM Cheeseburger made with two ¼ lb patties; & Devil’s Pups, hush puppies topped with powdered sugar, Ghirardelli chocolate, & whipped cream.

We’re also rolling out an updated cocktail menu that keeps old favorites but adds lots of new options including: the Devil’s Daiquiri, a rhum agricole daiquiri with Averna; the Bitter Mai Tai, made with Campari and Jamaican rum; a classic Boulevardier on draft; the Spirit Raiser, our tequila-based take on a Corpse Reviver; The Moon Also Rises, our mezcal-based take on a The Sun Also Rises; plus a few others. Our cocktails will remain in the $8-11 range they’ve always been in.

At the anniversary party we’ll also be grilling 1/4 lb Coney Dogs on the back patio until 4PM (with our newly updated food menu going into effect from 6PM to midnight). Live music will be provided by local bluesman Derek Fairchild starting at 7PM. We’ll have new ODM tees available featuring a ouija board inspired design.

After all that, we’re also doing an Oktoberfest + Sloppy Seconds event from Thursday Sept. 28 through Saturday Sept. 30. The “Sloppy Seconds” refers to the fact that we’ll be tapping all the remaining kegs of awesome beer on tap from our 1 Year Anniversary event, so folks who missed that event will get a second shot at trying a bunch of them (with 20 special kegs on for the anniversary, undoubtedly most will be pouring a few days later). We’ll also be pouring a bunch of German lagers and doing special Bratwurst Po Boys.

PHOTO: Old Devil Moon, courtesy of Brett Walker

See the Film Adaptation of Neighbor Clane Hayward’s Childhood Memoir

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Still from Lane 1974, a film adaptation of Neighbor Clane’s memoir.

Neighbor Clane Hayward is a Bernal resident on Gates Street who wrote a memoir called “The Hypocrisy of Disco.” The book chronicles her chaotic childhood spent growing up with hippie parents while shuffling between communes in Northern California.

Neighbor Clane’s book was recently adapted into a film called Lane 1974, and the film will premiere on October 9 at the Alamo Drafthouse on Mission  Street as part of the 2017 Litquake Festival.

Neighbor Clane told Bernalwood what it was like to have her book transformed into a film:

Seeing The Hypocrisy of Disco adapted for film and then becoming a whole new story as Lane 1974 has been SUCH a trip.

When SJ Chiro, the director, first got in touch with me, I told her that I always saw the book as a film. In my mind, the first page, in which a group of feral hippie kids jump off a porch, was set in slow motion like in Goodfellas.

To see it now in film after SJ put years of work into it, as an entirely new story, is — I can’t even find the right words — stellar. The stories are different. They’re both dark and visceral. The movie has its own pacing and the book has its own unique vernacular.

But where the book is a tale of a disintegrating center, the movie is the story of a girl who is forced to become her own center. The young actress, Sophia Mitri Schloss, is brilliant, speaking volumes with her face alone.

The best part about the movie is how truly good it is, despite being made with baling wire, luck, chewing gum, donations, and fervent prayers. The best part about my book is that it’s available at our Bernal branch library!

Alas, the debut screening for Lane 1974, at 7 pm on Oct. 9 is already sold out.. But you can still buy tickets for the 10 pm screening, right here. That’s also expected to sell out, so you’re advised to hurry. Hurry!

Bonus! Here’s the trailer for the film:

Wednesday: An Oral History About Swedish-Americans in Bernal Heights

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From left: Bill Cassidy; The Swedish Lutheran Emanuel Church at Cortland and Folsom, as seen in the1920s; Melvin Anderson. (Photos: Bernal History Project)

On Wednesday evening, Sept. 20, the Bernal History Project hosts a special presentation, courtesy of Bill Cassidy, a lifelong resident of northeastern Bernal Heights and a remarkable source of information about our neighborhood.

Thirty years ago, Bill filmed a series of interviews that evolved into an oral history project. He sought out people who had been born and raised on the hill and asked them to share their stories. “When they died, this would all be gone,” he says. “And then the history’s gone, too.” Bill wanted to show younger and newer residents of Bernal what life had been like.

His interviews have rarely been seen publicly since they were recorded; he is kindly sharing these with us for the first time. His work has helped inspire the Bernal History Project’s own research and oral history recordings.

This month’s meeting will feature around 40 minutes of Bill’s 1987 interview with Melvin Anderson (1911-2003).

Melvin’s parents, Alfred and Tilda, came to the United States from Sweden in the 1880s and moved to Brewster and Costa Streets before the start of the 20th century. Melvin goes into depth about his remembrances of growing up on the hill. (A cousin was Jack Anderson, the Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter.)

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. sharp on Wednesday, Sept. 20 in the downstairs meeting room at the Bernal branch library (500 Cortland at Anderson); turn left at the bottom of the stairs. As always, it’s free, kid-friendly, and open to all.

Mystery Solved: Glittery “Dream” Sign Is a New Art Installation

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments


Last week, a few befuddled Bernalwood readers shared news that a new sign was installed in Alemanistan, on an exposed slope in southeast Bernal Heights, right next to the big billboard that overlooks the 101/280 “Spaghetti Bowl” interchange and the Alemany Farmer’s Market.

The sign sits just below the intersection of Bradford and Jarboe, and it spells out “DREAM” in glamorous, glittery silver letters.

Neighbor Lupe wrote, “I’m curious because the installation of this new sign, art, billboard… whatever it is, was clearly a very expensive endeavor, and it was professionally installed. A team of men dug holes for cement piers, assembled the sign itself, and used a huge boom to lift the sign from Peralta onto the hill!”

Neighbor Samir shared this photo of the installation, with the boom lift in operation:

DREAM sign installation, as photographed by Neighbor Samir

Neigbor Donna also noticed the installation, which she said reminded her of “letters à la the Hollywood sign.”

(Which is to say, it’s also – cough! cough! – à la the Bernalwood sign.)

Thus intrigued, we mobilized the Bernalwood Investigates™ News Team over the weekend.  Here’s what we learned:

The basic facts check out just as described; There really is a glamorous, glittery new “DREAM” sign overlooking the Spaghetti Bowl, and it was clearly built to last, with a sturdy steel frame embedded in concrete foundations.

Fortuitously, while were on the scene Bernalwood interviewed a neighbor who had spoken with the installation crew. The neighbor said he’d been told the new sign was authorized by the San Francisco Department of Public Works, while the sign itself was built under the auspices of a local arts organization.

With that tip in hand, Bernalwood Investigates™ rushed back to the newsroom. A few minutes of searching on the BernalWeb revealed that the sign was designed by artist Ana Teresa Fernández, with support from the fabulous Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA).

Even better, we also learned that an unveiling ceremony for the piece will happen this Friday, Sept. 22, from 11 am – 1 pm at the Alemany Farmer’s Market.

Here’s the project overview, as detailed in YBCA’s media release:

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) announced today the upcoming unveiling of DREAM, a public art installation by visual artist Ana Teresa Fernández, commissioned by YBCA and co-sponsored by San Francisco Public Works. Facing San Francisco’s Excelsior District, the sculpture will serve as a public expression of YBCA’s ongoing partnership with the area. Composed of ten-foot-high block letters spelling out the word DREAM, the shimmering sculpture will be situated on the hill above the Alemany Food Market and will be seen by commuters going to and from San Francisco at the Highway 101-Highway 280 merge.
A public unveiling of the sculpture will be held on Friday, September 22, 2017, 11 am–1 pm at the Alemany Farmer’s Market, located at 100 Alemany Blvd. The event will feature performances by students from Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and Bessie Carmichael Elementary, where YBCA has provided civically engaged arts education programs since 2015. […]
Two years in the making, the DREAM sculpture is located less than a mile from Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and will be installed near the intersection of the unimproved streets of Jarboe and Peralta. The sculpture, spelling out the word DREAM, is attached to a support system on the south side of Bernal Heights facing Bayshore Blvd. its facade consists of metallic disks that create a visual effect of three-dimensional shimmering water.
Explains artist Ana Teresa Fernández, “At Bayshore hill, and beneath two heavily transited freeway overpasses, sits an industrial building whose bottom half is entirely upholstered by graffiti tags that spell out the word DREAM. This graffiti is a creative epitaph to one of the best-known and most beloved graffiti writers and peace fighters from the Bay Area, Mike “Dream” Francisco of Oakland, who was killed in the year 2000. I was inspired to take the text and create a three-dimensional version higher up on the hill, like the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. Instead of casting your hopes on fame or notoriety, this would be a sign to compel individuals—not just the widely mixed-race population that inhabits and transits through this area, but all individuals who come across it—to start identifying their goals and aspirations, from a place of consciousness and awareness, and to begin the process of pursuing them.”

 

Saturday Eve: Sing Along With Disney’s “Moana” in Precita Park

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The mythical island of Motonui is a loooooong way from Bernal Heights, but you can go there during a free screening of Disney’s “Moana” in Precita Park on Saturday evening.

Neighbor Dan works for California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), and he tells Bernalwood there’s a sing-along film screening of Moana happening:

Yes, it’s that time of the year again—Movies in the Park.

California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) will again host the annual family movie night in Precita Park.

“Moana” will be shown on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Precita Park, at 7 pm

The first 250 attendees will receive a special goodie bag (one per family).

Kids are invited to dress in costume and join the movie fun. Grab your picnic blanket, pack some snacks and join us for a family night of fun!

Visit our website for more details.

IMAGE: Photo illustration by Bernalwood

Ambitious Turtle Seeks Adventure Beyond College Hill Reservoir

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

Why did the turtle cross the road?

To seek life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, obviously.

Neighbor Darryl shared this video of a very determined turtle that has been spotted several times emigrating from the College Hill Reservoir near Holly Park.  Neighbor Darryl says:

This little guy escaped from his Holly Park Refuge on Tuesday. Turns out this is the third time he’s flown the coop or the pond or whatever.

Neighbor Darryl also captured the turtle’s bold flight to freedom in this insanely dramatic video:

CPMC To Keep Inpatient Nursing Beds In San Francisco After St. Luke’s Facility Closes

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This article was reported and written by Sara Gaiser from Hoodline.

Bowing to pressure from city officials and family members, California Pacific Medical Center yesterday announced it will continue to care for patients in its sub-acute nursing unit even after the planned closure of the old St. Luke’s Hospital building at 3555 Cesar Chavez in the Mission, where it’s now based.

The announcement marks a sharp turnaround for hospital officials, who until now had said they had no space for the sub-acute unit, which provides long-term care for medically fragile patients who require around-the-clock nursing but are well enough to be discharged from the hospital.

The hospital’s plans to shut down 39 skilled nursing beds and 40 sub-acute beds at St. Luke’s by the end of October produced an outcry when they were announced in June because it would have left the city with no sub-acute beds.

Construction is currently underway for a new120-bed, 215,000 square foot hospital facility on the St. Luke’s campus. The closure of the sub-acute unit was part of a planned transition into the new building, which is expected to open in 2018.  When the transition is complete, CPMC plans to tear down the legacy hospital tower that currently stands at 3555 Cesar Chavez. St.  The new building is not slated to include sub-acute care beds.

Family members of patients testified at a hearing sponsored by D11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai and D9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen in July that they were struggling to find beds in the Bay Area. Some feared patients could be moved as far as Sacramento or Southern California.

“After several meetings with our patients and their families, and after consulting with city leaders, we have decided to provide continued care to these patients within the CPMC organization here in San Francisco,” said CPMC CEO Warren Browner.

“We hope that this solution will give families peace of mind, knowing that their loved ones will continue to receive the highest quality care here in the city, where they can easily visit and support them.”

The unit closure was part of a planned transition into a new 120-bed, 215,000 square foot campus for St. Luke’s expected to open in 2018, and had been approved by state health officials. CPMC is also building a new 274-bed facility at Van Ness Avenue and Geary.

“I think CPMC came to the right decision to accommodate these patients and their needs,” Safai said. “It’s hard to argue that when you’re building 400 new beds of hospital space that you can’t shift things around.”

The announcement does not solve the city’s larger problems, however, as it only covers existing patients and does not provide any new sub-acute beds.

“There is still a gaping hole in our healthcare system in San Francisco and that’s the complete lack of sub-acute care beds into the future,” as well as a shortage in the number of skilled nursing beds, Ronen said.

A city task force released a report in February of 2016 that found the aging population, the high cost of doing business in the city and low reimbursement rates, especially for Medi-Cal, have created a shortage of sub-acute and skilled nursing beds.

The report made recommendations including exploring new funding, incentives and land use policies for care providers, looking at public-private partnerships and working to transfer some patients to more community-based care in their homes.

A hearing scheduled for the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday to examine the proposed closure will look at these wider issues, Ronen said.

IMAGE: St. Luke’s Hospital at 3555 Cesar Chavez, via Google Maps

SFPD Begins Foot Patrols in Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

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Officers from the San Francisco Police Department have started foot patrols in Bernal Heights, says Capt. Joseph McFadden from SFPD’s Ingleside Station.

Via Neighbor Sarah, Bernal’s valiant volunteer crime correspondent, Bernalwood has learned that two officers have been permanently assigned to the new foot patrols, which began last weekend.

The Bernal foot patrols will be conducted by Officer Al Chan and Officer Kevin Endo, and Capt. McFadden encourages Bernal neighbors to get to know the officers. “Please stop them and say hello,” he says.

McFadden says new foot patrols will mainly focus on Cortland Avenue, but the officers can walk around the area if there are problems elsewhere.  Recently, neighbors have reported seeing SFPD foot patrols on Bernal Hill as well.

Capt. McFadden says he plans to add more foot patrol officers in Bernal Heights as more personnel are assigned to Ingelside Station.

PHOTO: Sara Bassett