Neighbor Tucker witnessed a rather spectacular spectacle early this morning:
Well that was crazy. A car was on fire at the corner of Eugenia and Coleridge this morning. The SFFD arrived in no time, and had the fire out almost immediately. Great outcome for everyone but the car!
PHOTO: Neighbor Tucker
During tonight’s tense community meeting at Leonard Flynn Elementary School, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr released new details about Friday night’s officer-involved shooting death of Bernal Neighbor Alejandro Nieto.
Here’s the coverage from the Examiner:
Alejandro Nieto was shot and killed by police Friday night after being asked to show his hands but instead drawing a Taser that was mistaken for a gun, Police Chief Greg Suhr told a volatile crowd Tuesday night.
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“He did not have a gun, he had a Taser just like this,” said Suhr, pointing to a photo of a black-and-yellow Taser beside him in a packed hall at Leonard Flynn Elementary School.Amid shouts of “I hope you die, [cops]” from the crowd, Suhr gave a quick but detailed retelling of Nieto’s death, explaining first that the 28-year-old was not legally allowed to own a gun because of mental health issues.
Suhr began by reading the log of the 911 caller reporting a man with a black handgun on his hip in Bernal Heights Park at 7:11 p.m. Friday.
Soon afterward, police arrived and, from a distance of about 75 feet, located Nieto, a San Francisco resident.
“They asked him to show his hands,” Suhr said. Instead, Nieto told police to show their hands and pointed at them. When officers saw a red laser light emanating from what was later identified as a Taser, Suhr said, they thought a gun was pointing at them and opened fire in “defense of their own lives.”
When some in the crowd wondered aloud why Nieto had reportedly been hit 14 times, Suhr responded by saying, “We do not know at this point in time how many times Mr. Nieto was hit.”
Suhr also displayed the image of the weapons shown above. The taser recovered from Alejandro Nieto is on the left. On the right is a handgun, shown for comparison.
Your Bernalwood editor was in attendance at the meeting, and I can confirm that those are the facts as presented by SFPD Chief Suhr. You may make of them what you will.
After Suhr’s presentation, members of the public were invited to address the audience. There was grieving for Alejandro Nieto — and other victims of officer-involved shootings. There were questions raised about police training, and the proportional use of force. There were questions raised about the racial underpinnings of police conduct. There were comments that identified gentrification and real estate development as the animating force behind the violence that took Neighbor Alejandro Nieto’s life. You may also make of that what you will.
None of it, however, will undo this tragedy or bring Alejandro Nieto back to the neighborhood and the community he loved.
UPDATE: Vivian Ho from the Chronicle has a very thorough write-up about the meeting last night and the questions that hover over the investigation into what happened on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Bernalwood readers are conducting a robust and constructive discussion of the incident and its aftermath in the comments.
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics
There is still much to learn about what happened to Neighbor Alejandro Nieto, the 28 year-old man who was shot and killed by SFPD officers on Bernal Hill Friday night. But there are some things we already know: Alejandro’s death was a tragedy, and the grief his family and friends feel right now runs very deep.
These photos were taken yesterday during the memorial vigil for Neighbor Alejandro that took place on the spot where he died. (You can read more about the vigil at MissionLocal, The Examiner and ABC7)
According to some neighbors who attended, the incident has also unleashed a wave of anger directed not just at the circumstances surrounding Alejandro’s death, and the SFPD, but also at the socio-economic changes taking place in Bernal Heights, and an entire generation of new Bernal neighbors who have moved here in recent years.
This is a raw and sensitive moment. It is also an opportunity for us to properly honor the memory of Neighbor Alejandro Nieto by coming together to support our neighbors who are in pain, to ensure that all the facts surrounding this incident are revealed, and to strengthen the bonds that unite us as a neighborhood.
Finally, a reminder: The SFPD “Town Hall” meeting about this incident happens tonight at 6 pm at Leonard Flynn School on Cesar Chavez and Harrison, near Precita Park.
VIGIL PHOTOS: Courtesy of a Bernal neighbor
The man killed on Bernal Hill during a confrontation with the SFPD on Friday has been identified as Alejandro Nieto, 28, of San Francisco.
Vivian Ho at the SF Chronicle reports:
Police officials said the officers were investigating reports of a man with a gun in Bernal Heights Park when they encountered Nieto on a paved pedestrian path on the north slope of the park.
Nieto appeared to draw a weapon, and at least two officers began firing at him, said police Deputy Chief Lyn Tomioka. Some witnesses and friends of Nieto believe he had a stun gun.
Tomioka said she didn’t know if Nieto had exchanged fire with the officers, but said a weapon was discovered close to his body. Police have not said what the weapon was.
Residents and park goers reported seeing a man, possibly with a holstered weapon, behaving strangely on the hill just prior to the shooting.
One witness, Isaac McGowan, said his wife may have seen the man as she ran up the hill just before the shooting.
“Two guys walking toward her warned her that he was wearing a holstered gun,” McGowan said. “She looked again and he was air boxing. She ran down the hill away from him and warned everyone walking up.”
Another witness, who declined to give his name, said he was walking his dog in the park just after 7 p.m. when the dog came upon a man eating potato chips. The dog got excited, scaring the man, who jumped up on a bench and stared acting erratically.
According to the witness, the man pulled out a pistol-type stun gun and pointed it at the dog, leading the witness to call the dog back and yell at the man.
The man then stated “flexing,” yelling profanities and threatening him, the witness said. The witness said he quickly left the area, went home and called police.
Possessing Tasers and other stun guns is legal in California, with the exception of convicted felons, drug addicts and people who have misused the devices in the past.
Friends of Nieto say he had experience with stun guns but did not own handgun.
Nieto, known as Alex to his friends, was known as a nonviolent and compassionate young man who worked to better his community, whether through volunteer work or through his Buddhism, said his friend Jonathan Bonato, 53.
Bonato met Nieto in 2008, and worked with him and the Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai International on setting up the Victory Over Violence exhibit in the Bayview neighborhood.
Nieto once worked at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, fighting for youth and against social injustice in the area where he spent much of his life, Bonato said.
“He was an encouragement and inspiration to me,” Bonato said. “I just never in my wildest imagination connected the story on Friday with Alex.”
Bonato said Nieto also held a security job for some time. Nieto also studied criminal justice at City College.
Bonato said the officers’ actions that night have Nieto’s friends “definitely concerned.” They will be holding a vigil at the spot where he died at 5 p.m. Monday night.
UPDATE: Captain Tim Falvey from Ingleside Station has accounted plans to hold a community meeting tomorrow, Tuesday evening, to discuss the incident:
The will be a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 6:00 PM at Leonard R. Flynn Elementary School, 3125 Cesar Chavez. The meeting will be to discuss the officer involved shooting of Friday, March 21, 2014 at Bernal Heights Park.
IMAGE: KTVU screen grab, Friday night.
A man wearing a gun in a holster was shot and killed by San Francisco police in Bernal Heights Park on Friday night. The Chronicle has the story:
Officers responding to calls about a man with a gun approached him on a paved pedestrian path on the north slope of the park about 7:10 p.m., said police Deputy Chief Lyn Tomioka.
The man appeared to draw his gun as the officers approached, Tomioka said. The officers, fearing for their lives, opened fire.
The man was declared dead at the scene.
Tomioka said she did not know if the man had exchanged fire with the officers, but she said his gun was discovered close to his body. She also could not say how many officers discharged their weapons, but that it was more than one.
Neighbor Isaac’s wife was jogging up the hill shortly before it happened. He reported via Twitter:
Tweaky dude wearing a holstered gun at Bernal Hills Park just engaged police in a gunfight. Wife saw the dude, got away quick #bernalheights
— Isaac McGowan (@ikemcg) March 22, 2014
@Mags_Caldwell Yes, on the hill. Some good people warned her not to get closer. Thank goodness.
— Isaac McGowan (@ikemcg) March 22, 2014
Your Eastern Bureau didn’t hear the shots over on Peralta, but we wanted to post a link to the coverage and provide a place for neighbors to discuss the unfortunate events.
UPDATE: Local CBS, NBC and ABC affiliates have their reports up now.
UPDATE: Neighbor Regina sends this picture of police tape at her house:
PHOTO: Andria Borba, KPIX 5
As you read this now, your Bernalwood editor is embedded with the Bernal Dads Racing team at Sonoma Raceway, in preparation for the 24 Hours of LeMons race that is set to take place this weekend.
The Bernal Dads have arrived here to field their brand-new crapcan race car, a 1987 Alfa Romeo Milano acquired on the cheap from the estate of a deceased gentleman in Marin.
Entering an Italian car in a grueling endurance race that places a premium on reliability and spare parts availability suggests a serious lack of good judgement; a perception confirmed by their unholy decision to transform the Alfa Romeo Milano into a V6-powered bag of eponymous cookies:
On the positive side, the roof-mounted cookie may help increase aerodynamic stability at speed.
The interior demonstrates a similar commitment to precision engineering and fine Italian craftsmanship:
Wish the Bernal Dads luck on the track. They’re driving a fuel-injected cookie in a 17 hour, wheel-to-wheel road race, so they’re going to need it.
UPDATE: It raced! Eventually! And it looked delicious:
PHOTOS: Bernal Dads Racing
Neighbor David reports from Cortlandia:
Looks like another Bernal business is packing up shop — this time the Spice Hound of 331 Cortland (I initially read their notice as saying that all of 331 was closing… nearly had a heart attack).
This closure seems to add to a recent spate of businesses on Cortland shuttering for good, which strikes me as particularly odd given that Bernal is now the “hottest neighborhood in America.” But I suppose the good news is that none of these spaces are likely to stay empty for long.
PHOTO: Jason Yashinshky
Brian Hollinger snapped this stunner on Bernal Hill last night, just as the sun was going down:
@Bernalwood one of those #doublerainbow moments up here.
As part of his ongoing video series about Bernal Heights personalities, Neighbor Steve Sisler points his camera at Neighbor Darcy Lee, the glamorous proprietor of Heartfelt on Cortland:
Serving the residents of Bernal Heights for over 22 years, Heartfelt is a treasured neighborhood gem. Reminiscent of an old-fashioned variety store with a modern twist, proprietor – Miss Darcy Lee has created a place where delight meets whimsy at the intersection of happy.
It’s true. Heartfelt is a gem, and not only does David Byrne love to shop there… why, Bernalwood’s very own Cub Reporter does too. Just like us!
Roll video…
Neighbor Robb writes from the scene of the crime:
We were out of town this past weekend and my brother in law came over to feed the cat. Our previously un-met neighbor Jose told him that SFPD had just arrested a package thief on our front steps.
When we got back, I went over and spoke with Jose’s mom in her poor English and my poor spanish and then spoke with Jose last night. Story goes like this:
SFPD cruiser was rolling down Eugenia and noticed a suspicious looking black male on our steps. They stopped, got out of the cruiser, and walked up behind the guy. He turned around with several packages in his hands, and was promptly cornered and arrested by the two officers. Jose walked by moments later and chatted with the arresting officer, who was a friend of Jose’s brother, who is also SFPD.
Long story short, according to Jose the guy was from elsewhere in the city and came to Bernal specifically to steal packages. Apparently he and others case houses that are previously known to have deliveries left out.
Dude apparently also had outstanding warrants, two strikes, and the judge apparently deemed this a felony, so he’s probably not going to be stealing packages from my steps for a while.
And I was able to meet Jose and his mom, two neighbors I hadn’t met..
I also returned those two mostly empty boxes to their rightful owners.. One four doors down, one four blocks away.
Tonight, several of Bernal’s most distinguished junior street poets will be in Bayview for a spoken word performance. Neighbor Maya Sussman provides the preview:
I’m an Elsie Street native and current resident. I work at Performing Arts Workshop, a 49-year-old arts education nonprofit that provides performing arts classes at schools and community centers around the Bay Area.
On Thursday, March 20th, some of our students from Bernal’s Paul Revere K-8 School will be performing their original spoken word pieces at the 3rd on Third community arts and culture celebration in the Bayview.
What: Beats of the Bayview: FREE live spoken word and Afro-Peruvian dance performances, featuring young artists from Dr. Charles Drew College Preparatory Academy and Paul Revere K-8 School
When: Thursday, March 20th, 2014, 5:30-8pm
Where: 3rd Street, between McKinnon and Palou, San Francisco, CA 94124
Contact: For more information, visit our Facebook event page.
Yesterday, realtor Eileen Bermingham posted an article about the geographic subregions that exist in Bernal Heights:
Bernal Heights has many distinct areas within its neighborhood. From the hip enclave of Precita Park to the winding streets on the East Slope, the price of real estate literally varies depending upon which part of Bernal you’re in. So it’s important to lean heavily on sales in your particular part of the neighborhood when you’re accurately trying to determine property values in Bernal.
To help buyers and sellers with that task, I’ve deconstructed Bernal Heights into seven unofficial microhoods, complete with their respective price averages and low/high prices, as well as recent sales volume.
In this way, we are introduced to the comparative charms (and average home prices) of such areas as “The North West Slope,” and “Precita Park,” and “South of Cortland.” Unfortunately, it made us feel so… commodified. Ew.
That said, the idea that Bernal Heights consists of several distinct microhoods actually makes a lot of sense. After all, Bernal is a neighborhood defined by its topography — Remember, our last name is “Heights!” — so there’s an intuitive logic to the notion that different parts of the hill have very different subcultures and identities. Yet we are far more than our cost per-square-foot; we are a federation of nooks and crannies shaped by timeless geological features, historical quirks, and neighborly idiosyncrasies.
So please allow us to propose this homegrown draft guide to the Subdistricts of Bernal Heights, produced in collaboration with Burrito Justice, chief spokesblogger for the La Lenguan separatists. To wit, and roughly clockwise from the map shown above:
Precitaville – With the Mission as a front yard, Precita Park as the living room, and Bernal Hill as a backyard playground, Precitaville is perhaps the most cosmopolitan part of Bernal Heights. Perhaps.
Santana Rancho – Carlos Santana used to live here; Janis Joplin used to party here. The steep slopes and meandering streets of Bernal’s northeast corner have made it a secret haven for generations of local artists, musicians, and eccentrics.
The Sutrito Canine Republic – Located atop Bernal Hill in a public park, The Sutrito Canine Republic is patrolled by packs of very happy dogs who frolic off-leash and worship the microwave antenna array mounted atop Sutrito Tower.
The Hill People of Powhattan – With their homes clustered around Powhattan Avenue in the high-altitude reaches of Bernal Hill’s southeastern quarter, the Hill People of Powhattan are easy to recognize: Just look for their massive, hill-toned calves and slightly elevated demeanor.
Alemanistan – Dry, rocky, and sun-baked, Alemanistan retains a wild, untamed feel. Perched in the shadow of the Spaghetti Bowl, at the crossroads of two major highways, this is Bernal’s frontier borderland.
Cortlandia – The heart of Bernal’s historic commercial district has now become the ideal setting for a contemporary situation comedy about bourgoise-bohemian urban culture in the early years of the 21st century. Which is funny, except that it’s also rather lovely, and we are very lucky to have it. The residents of Cortlandia are justifiably quite proud of this.
Baja Cortlandia – Perhched just south and slightly below Cortland Avenue, Baja Cortlandia is scrappy place of haphazard hills, multigenerational residents, and intense, superhyperlocal pride.
The Crescent – This area of Bernal Heights is anchored by both Crescent Street and the Islamic Center and Mosque on the corner of Andover. So many Crescents.
St. Mary’s Park – Developed during the 1920s on the site of the former St Mary’s College campus, this self-contained, bell-shaped enclave feels like a little slice of the Sunset District, right in our own corner of Bernal Heights.
Lost Tribe of College Hill – Separated from the Bernal heartland by Mission Street, yet isolated by freeways from Glen Park, College Hill’s de facto independence is symbolized by a recent redistricting that saw the area transferred to Supervisor Scott Wiener’s District 8.
Holly Park – This ancient district of Bernal Heights is home to one of San Francisco’s oldest parks and a covered reservoir that has long been the setting for much local scandal and drama.
Foggy Vista – Rising above Mission Street on Bernal’s west slope, the groovy people who live here enjoy a commanding view of Nature’s own lava lamp: the massive banks of fog that cascade over Twin Peaks. Residents eagerly await construction of the Esmeralda Funicular to facilitate transit to and from the bustling Mission Street corridor.
La Lengua Autonomous Zone – This territory has been an integral part of the Dominion of Bernalwood since the 19th century, but today the uppity people of La Lengua enjoy limited autonomy under the terms of the 2010 Proclamation to the Vassals of La Lengua.
The Principality of Chicken John – Though located within the territorial boundaries of Bernal Heights, Chicken John’s warehouse residential complex and bus depot on Cesar Chavez functions as a world unto itself. Operating under its own sovereign codes, aesthetics, and social norms, and with it’s own 4.5 star rating on Yelp, The Principality of Chicken John is, in effect, Bernal’s version of the Vatican.
Serpentinia – Named after a long-gone street that used to mirror Precita on the northern side of Army/Cesar Chavez, Serpentinia is today defined by the major thoroughfare that now slices through its center. After decades of indifference and neglect, recent infrastructure upgrades on Chavez may bring new cultural vitality to this region.
So there you have it. Neighborly comments, suggestions, rants, and proposed revisions are most welcome, with an eye toward future iteration of this map.
REVISION NOTE: March 20: Based on comments provided by Bernal neighbors, the former “Outer Cortlandia” was renamed “Baja Bernal,” and then renamed again to “Baja Cortlandia.” The map has also been updated to include this change.
If the whole Prius scene is starting to seem a little passé, and the Tesla thing is a little too rich, and the Mazda5 minivan still feels a little emasculating (even with the manual transmission), have no fear! Someone in Bernal Heights is selling a vehicle on Craigslist that could be the perfect solution both for your transportation needs and your identity issues:
If you’re looking for a nice tidy truck for your commute down to Cupertino, this ain’t the truck for you, in fact do yourself a favor and just stop reading now, I don’t want you to hurt yourself.
If you’re looking for a truck to hang fake balls off the rear bumper, this ain’t the truck for you, instead, you’re gonna need a real pair of big ass balls to drive this bad boy. In fact to even be considered for to own this truck, you need to be able to prove that someone, somewhere has described you as a “Manbeast”. Now I know some people might think that’s a sexist thing to say, so let me also say that this steel monster will also appeal to a special kind of woman, and the girl who shows up in this truck is gonna bring in the kind of cowpoke who’s good with a rope (as they say).
“That sounds harsh” you say, and I warned you to stop reading this, but here we are. This truck was built in San Jose, by certified badasses and it’s stamped out of metal so thick that these wussy new aluminum trucks will crumble like beer cans if you park too close. This machine is powered by a 390 big block V8, I said BIG BLOCK MOTHERFUCKER! This truck is smog exempt, but it has never been hot rodded, it goes along just fine.
It has twin I-beams with fresh king pins up front and a Dana 60 in the back (with 3.54 gears!). It’s running a set of recent oversize tires on wide steel rims and it has power disk brakes. You can carry full sized sheets of plywood or sheetrock or more than one man-sized motorcycle in the back with the tailgate up. It also has a class 3 hitch so you can pull a trailer too. Being the camper special model it features the handy bedside treasure chest.
You want a place to plug in your laptop? I thought I told you to get lost! There’s plenty of room in the cab for you, your lady friend, your hound dog and your lever gun, but you’ll be listening to AM radio (and thank god it’s almost baseball season!) and if you want air, just pop the vents or roll down the windows and quit your bitching.
This truck has spent its life in noble service in the San Francisco Bay area and runs and drives great, it’s wearing its original paint, with some minor dents, dings and paint chips, almost too shiny to call “patina”. There’s no rust other than some surface rust in the bed and hither and yon and the frame and body mounts are straight and level. It ain’t no Prius, it gets milage in the low two digits and it holds almost 50 gallons of gas in two tanks. I have extensive receipts from the previous (second) owner who had the engine and transmission rebuilt, the carburetor replaced and the front end rebuilt and many other things.
Does it have issues? Are you kidding me? If you’re still reading this you know that you’ll need to know your way around tool box for a vehicle this old, but not very often. The only slight issues are a non-functioning fuel gauge and a bit of leakage from the power steering pump and the transmission.
I’m only selling it because I need cash to fight an eviction, I want $2,200 but I’m open to offers that aren’t too absurd or degrading.
Hat Tip: Neighbor Samantha
Bernalwood 