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Posts Tagged ‘homeless’

New Rec and Park Department Director Phil Ginsburg Goes on Dawn Patrol in GGP

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

New Recreation and Park Department Director Phil Ginsburg probably beat you out of bed yesterday morning, based upon this account written up in his new SF Rec and Park Blog. (Phil went to UC Hastings College of Law, so he’s just another blogging lawyer that you don’t know is a lawyer, like Richmond District Police Captain Corriea and his Richmond District Police Community Relations Forum, for one.)

Read “Day 21: A Visit Through GGP at Dawn” to learn about Golden Gate Park’s overnight camping rules and how the Park Rangers enforce them.

You know people are camping in GGP when you see all those empty propane bottles strewn about:

And check it:

“I’m told there are actually underground websites that inform people on how and where to camp illegally in Golden Gate Park.”

Did not know that.

Anyway, check out the blog if you want to see Phil’s impressions of this and that.

Tags: administration, blog, campers, crime, dawn, department, department sfgov, director, ginsberg, ginsbur, golden gate park, government, hastings, homeless, morning, park, patrol, phil, police, rangers, rec and park, recreation and park, San Francisco, SFPD, UC
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The BART S.W.A.T. Team Makes a Bust in San Francisco’s Civic Center

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

This is just a routine bust from yesterday in the Civic Center. But can you see Officer Lennan’s golden S.W.A.T. badge?

Didn’t know that BART’s SWAT team (cue music) walked around without their assault rifles. Thusly:

Click to expand

“SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics)“

“The BART Police Department maintains several specialized units to deal with the variety of needs which may arise within the BART system. One of these units is the SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) Team.

The department’s SWAT Team was established to deal with situations within the BART system which require equipment, techniques and training which are beyond the norms for most police officers.

Personnel assigned to the SWAT Team and assigned personnel have other full-time assignments within the department. Personnel are selected from applicants based on a range of criteria including: physical fitness, firearms proficiency, and supervisory recommendations. Members of the team receive specialized training from several sources including local F.B.I. courses and joint training with other local teams. Personnel on BART’s SWAT Team have developed proficiency with a number of specialized weapons and with techniques designed to increase their efficiency and safety in dealing with situations unique to underground transit systems.

Team members train on scenarios which include situations on-board trains within tunnels, on elevated trackways, or in stations. In addition to situations unique to the BART system, the department’s SWAT Team is also utilized to make “high-risk entries” pursuant to warrants obtained by the department. When crimes occur within the BART system which lead to the issuance of arrest or search warrants, an evaluation is done to determine if the service of the warrant will present a risk to officers or the public. In cases where there is a high potential for violence, the SWAT Team is utilized for the initial entry.

The use of the specially trained team members decreases the likelihood for resistance and enhances the safety of police personnel, occupants of the residence and the surrounding community.

The department’s Hostage Negotiation Team works in conjunction with the SWAT team.”

If I ever get busted by the BART police, I hope it’s the SWAT team that does it…

Tags: (BART), 8th, arrest, aussalt, badge, bay area, Bay Area Rapid Transit, bust, california, cane, civic center, county, detention, east bay, eights, gold, handgun, homeless, hyde, lennan, market, officer, p. lennan, police, rifle, s.w.a.t., San Francisco, special weapons and tactics, special weeapons and tactics, Station, street, swat, television, train, transit, TV
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Bank of America Says “No Overnight Camping” in Front of San Francisco ATMs

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

This is the scene on San Francisco’s Market Street near Union Square – can you see the sign going, “NO OVERNIGHT CAMPING“?

Click to expand.

That’s the way San Francisco property owners do things using Municipal Police Code Section 25. A sign like this tells the cops that the person hanging out on private property hasn’t been given permission.

Distribution of “No Trespassing” Signs July 2008: The Community Guides distributed the “No Trespassing” signs to merchants,building security/concierge, and street-level businesses. The signs request enforcementof the Municipal Police Code Section 25 to all the street level businesses.After signing the forms, the merchants, street-level tenants and property representatives displayed the notices on the windows of their business and other visible places, they do not give anyone permission to sleep, lie, or in any way remain in their doorway. These notices help SFPD and Community Guides address issues of sleepers and campers inside ofdoorways. The notice expires every six months

See? This one is similar:

NO TRESPASSING REQUEST FOR ENFORCEMENT OF MUNICIPAL POLICE CODE SECTION 25 San Francisco Municipal Police Code Section 25 provides that no person shall willfully rema.in upon any private property or business premises after being notified to leave by the owner, lessee, or other person in charge . Notice may be oral or in the form of a written notice posted in a conspicuous place. A violation of Section 25 is an infraction. A second violation within 24 hours (Section 26) is a misdemeanor. To the San Francisco Police Department: I hereby request that the San Francisco Police Department enforce the above Municipal Police Code Sections on my beha-If and in my absence. I have given no person(s) permission to sleep, lie, or in any way remain within my doorway located at (private property) while my business is closed. _- I further state that I will notify the San Francisco Police Department in writing within 24 hours if I do give a person(s) permission to sleep, lie, or in any way remain within said doorway, providing the Police Department with the person(s) name. I agree to post a copy of this notice in a location where it will be visible to all persons within said area. I understand that this letter of request expires six months after the below-signed date. Signature of owner or agent Date: Address 2 copies: Owner AGENT TO POST JULY THRU DECEMBER YEAR.

Tags: $25, 785, 785 market, atm, automated teller machine, bank, bank of america, california, campers, camping, code, department, district 6, homeless, infraction, market, misedemeanor, municipal, Municipal Police Code Section 25, night, no, notice, overnight, panhandling, police, private, property, public, San Francisco, section, Section 25, section 26, SFPD, sign, sleeping, soma, south of market area, street, trespasser, trespassing
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A Huge Turnout for San Francisco’s Biennial Homeless Count 2009

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

Hundreds of volunteers reported to the Department of Public Health at 101 Grove for tonight’s Federally-required homeless count.

Click to expand.

Read all about at the San Francisco Local Homeless Coordinating Board.

Thanks to everyone who turned out, including Deavid Beall, who has a short report on his SF Street Angel Blog.

Tags: 2009, Biennial, count, department of health, homeless, Local Homeless Coordinating Board, San Francisco
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San Francisco Needs YOUR Help with its 2009 Homeless Count on January 27th

Friday, January 16th, 2009

What are YOU doing the night of Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 starting at 8:00 PM? Why don’t you help out the City with the Homeless Count? It’s a well-organized process.

“Those interested in volunteering can contact Homelesscournt@sfgov.org or call (415) 558-2346. Further information about the Homeless Count is available at www.sfgov.org/lhcb.”

This is what it looked like a few years back. And here’s some info on how these counts have changed over the years. And here’s the end result of all your labour. More deets are below.

See you there!

MAYOR NEWSOM ANNOUNCES 2009 HOMELESS COUNT

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Mayor Newsom and the City’s Human Services Agency (HSA) have announced plans to conduct San Francisco’s bi-annual city-wide homeless count on Tuesday, January 27, 2009, from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. As in past years, hundreds of volunteers will fan across San Francisco counting people living on its streets.

The City’s goal is to cover the entire geographic area of the City and County of San Francisco. On the same night, the City will also conduct a census of homeless persons living in shelters and other city sponsored programs to help establish a more comprehensive accounting of the extent of
homelessness in San Francisco.

“Having an accurate count of our homeless community is essential in determining the effectiveness of our homeless outreach efforts,” said Mayor Newsom. “We’ve got a long way to go toward ending chronic homelessness in San Francisco, but this count will help us to continue in the right direction.”

According to Trent Rhorer, Executive Director of the Human Services Agency, “The count helps us as we refine our plans to address homelessness in our City, and analyze the effectiveness of current programs.”

The street homeless count, which is required of all cities and counties receiving federal homeless assistance funding, is conducted once every two years. San Francisco’s last homeless count conducted in January of 2007 revealed that the City’s point-in-time homeless population numbered 6,377.

To achieve the count, planners have divided the City into 150 counting routes. Volunteer counters will travel the routes by foot or by car, noting all homeless persons observed on tally sheets. The Human Services Agency is leading the effort with vital collaboration by the San Francisco Police Department, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Public Works, and the Recreation and Park Department. Numerous non-profit agencies have participated in community meetings to help plan the count and will encourage their staff to participate in the count as volunteers.

The organizers of this year’s Homeless Count still need volunteers to help count homeless persons and to perform administrative and clerical tasks on the night of the count. Those interested in volunteering can contact Homelesscount@sfgov.org or call (415) 558-2346. Further information about Homeless Count is available at www.sfgov.org/lhcb.

Tags: 2009, bi-annual, count, gavin newsom, homeless, homeless count, January 27, Mayor, San Francisco, street
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What Happened to the Fences at Strybing Arboretum?

Monday, December 1st, 2008

This is the scene at the western end of popular San Francisco Botanical Gardens at Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park. Officially, we only have the Main Gate and the Friend Gate for people to get in, but these days there are a few areas of squashed cyclone fence that function as open gates.

From an area near the Children’s Garden. Click to expand:

Should “Thou Shalt Not Enter But Through Designated Entrances” be added to the Ten Commandments of Strybing?

Of course it could be that recent pruning has revealed fence holes that have been there a while, and it would be impossible to keep determined people out of the gardens at night anyway. But a solid foundation would seem to be called for here when repairs are made.

The people at the Botanical Gardens have a great 2009 shaping up anyway it looks like, with the “Echoes of Darwin” watercolor exhibit starting up next year. See details below. It’s all a part of Strybing’s involvement with mysterious Evolve2009, which is also sponsored by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, and the California Academy of Sciences.

You’ll find out more about Evolve 2009 once they get the website at EvolveAlready.com (how cheeky!) fully operational. Here’s a preview:

Five Misconceptions about Evolution

Evolution is a Fact and a Theory

God and Evolution: Can you accept both?

(Nothing controversial or anything!)

Here are the details of the watercolor show, and check out the December 2008 schedule for Strybing after the jump.

See you there! Keep a lookout for the geese, and the foxes, and the quail, and the…

CALENDAR LISTING – ART EXHIBITS/GALLERIES:
What: “Echoes of Darwin” an exhibition of watercolors by the San Francisco Botanical Garden Masterclass Artists

When: The exhibit is open to the public January 2 through March 31, 2009
Library Hours: 10am-4pm, Open Daily

           Artists’ Reception celebrating Darwin’s 200th Birthday:
             5-7pm, Thursday, February 12, 2009

Where: Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture
               San Francisco Botanical Garden At Strybing Arboretum
               Golden Gate Park
                9th Avenue at Lincoln Way, San Francisco

(more…)

Tags: arboretum, botanical gardens, chain link, cyclone, darwin, evolution, evolve 2009, evolve2009, fence, golden gate park, homeless, hurricane, San Francisco, San Francisco Botanical Gardens at Strybing arboretum, strybing
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