These people were all taking photos of the SFPD cop sitting inside the prowler.
Homeless dude was camera left on the sidewalk packing up his gear:
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Perhaps they’re part of an “improvement “ association and they’re getting shots for their newsletter?
That’s all I can think of…
I suppose the DPT called the tow trucks out here, where Sutter and Sansome start, because some people accumulated five or more parking citations.
And you can’t put a Denver Boot on a motosickle, I figure.
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Oh well.
Tow them away, boys. MUNI needs its money…
This incident in the East Bay a few years back…
…has been made into a movie called Bad Ass:
But the new news is that you can watch this flick for free now via the NetFlix.
It’s just released. See?
“This movie is: Exciting”
(But, sorry streamer-only NetFlix people, right now you can only have them mail you the DVD or the Blu-Ray – you can’t just stream this to your device.)
And no, I don’t think Vietnam Tom Bruso, or anyone else on the bus that day…
…will get a dime out of Bad Ass.
That’s Tinseltown for you…
[UPDATE: And, you know, I guess I hadn't considered the one-way streets. Particularly inbound, they can get you there fast if you're up for lights timed at 20-something MPH. I've seen people on Oak and Golden Gate inbound, but, due to geography most likely, I haven't seen that many using the outbound analogs Fell and Turk. See footnote.]
Well here we go. This shot from United 931 shows, in high relief, why you’re better off talking McAllister Street, Bike Route 20, to downtown from the Panhandle and vice versa.
You see Alamo Square inside the red box on the lower left? It’s the summit of Alamo Heights, sitting there in the sunlight jutting in from the left.
The vaunted Wiggle bike path takes you from the Panhandle through Lower Haight and then behind the Church Street Safeway to Market Street and beyond. Your preferred alternative has you leaving the end of the Golden Gate Park Panhandle by taking Baker north to Fulton to Divisadero up to McAllister. That’s the pass over Alamo Heights – it’s the intersection of McAllister and Divis. Then it’s all the way downhill to Market.
You’re going between the camel humps, between Alamo Square and Kaiser Heights (seen in the sunlight on the left side).
Now it’t true that Route 20, aka the Snickerdoodle, does have you climbing up, outbound, 20 more feet vertically, net, than the Wiggle (and also inbound – there’s one block of Divis that’s uphill a bit) and it’s also true that Route 20 has a couple steeper blocks betwixt Fillmore and Pierce in the Western Addition.
But, Route 20:
Is a third of a mile shorter
Is faster*
Has better pavement
Has you waiting less time staring at red lights (which is nice when compared to the Wiggle’s concomitant Market Street section with the Octavia Boulevard obstacle, which has traffic signals biased for car drivers heading north-south using Octavia)
Avoids hated Octavia Street / Boulevard entirely (cause Octavia simply doesn’t exist as a road in the McAllister area – it’s like you have a permanent green light)
Has less traffic
Has fewer peds to deal with
Has fewer cyclists to deal with (cause, you know, especially in the Lower Haight area, you just don’t know what those cyclists are going to do)
Is, due to the factors cited above, safer
Avoids the ridonculas behind-the-Safeway-to-inbound-Market puzzle that makes no sense (that I can see – I don’t know how to get across Market at Duboce legally without getting off and walking in the crosswalk)
Has zero cops sitting around handing out tickets (because you’re avoiding Fell and Scott, and Duboce and Steiner, and Haight and Pierce, and all the other places the SFPD hangs out during those periodic stop sign and red light enforcement actions)
Has Gallery 1269 to look at (optionally)
So, I don’t care, go whichever way you want. I’m just saying the Wiggle is the wrong way to get the Panhandle (and Beyond) from Downtown.
And vice versa.
*I suppose that jinking over to Oak and taking it all the way (almost) to Market might be faster still, although you’d have to decide which side of the street to go on. (The left side has more room, but there’s no longer a dashed line to keep left lane traffic out of your way. The wait at Octavia Boulevard might slow you a bit, however.
Oh, and there’s Golden Gate Avenue as well, inbound…
Here’s the news about today’s homicide from Mike Aldax:
“Police Chief Greg Suhr came to the crime scene. He will hold a community meeting about the incident Tuesday at the Richmond Recreation Center at 251 18th Ave. The meeting is set for [October 4th, 2011 at] 6:30 p.m.“
This is the now-standard community meeting that’s been promised for each and every SFPD officer-involved shooting.
And, per Eric Mar‘s office, our District One Supervisor will be on hand to ask and answer questions.
[UPDATE, October 4th, 2011
"Dear Neighbors,
Please join me in attending a Police Community meeting tonight. Yesterday morning at 7:30am, Richmond Station officers responded to a call of a stabbing on the 600 block of Funston Street. Officers encountered a wounded victim outside the home and was told the suspect was still inside. As they entered the home they found an elderly woman with life threatening injuries and began to render aid. The suspect, armed with two knives charged at the officers and an Officer Involved Shooting occurred. The incident is being investigated. Both the elderly woman and the suspect died from their injuries.
A community meeting will be held tonight, October 4, 2011, and Police Chief Greg Suhr will address concerns and answer questions about the incident. The meeting will be held at the Richmond Rec Center located at 251 18th Avenue, between California and Clement Sts at 6:30pm on Tuesday, October 4, 2011.
Regards,
Eric Mar
Supervisor Richmond District
Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org
415-554-7410"]
And see what the SFPD has to say, below.
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“Officer Involved Shooting at the 600 blk of Funston Ave.
11-107
Posted Date: 10/3/2011
On October 3, 2011 at approximately 7:18 a.m., San Francisco Police responded to a call of a stabbing at the 600 block of Funston Ave. Officers and paramedics arrived on the scene and discovered a 78 year old Chinese male victim in front of the residence bleeding profusely. The victim suffered a stab wound to his hand and forearm.
Officers and paramedics immediately rendered medical aid in attempt to control the bleeding. The officers continued up the stairway where they found a 78 year old Chinese female victim with what the officers believed to be life threatening stab wounds to the body. As officers were trying to pull the victim to safety and get medical treatment for the female victim, they were confronted by a 44 year old Chinese male suspect.
The suspect had two knives as he advanced towards the officers. One officer used an Extended Range Impact Weapon (ERIW) in an effort to subdue the suspect. The ERIW proved to be ineffective. A cover officer discharged his firearm on the advancing suspect and stopped the deadly threat. Officers continued to search the house for additional suspects and victims and found a 50 year old Chinese female hiding in the back of the house inside a locked bedroom, she was uninjured.
All victims and suspect are related. The suspect was the son of both 78 year old victims, and the uninjured female found by officers at the scene, was the sister of the suspect.
At approximately, 9:39 a.m. the suspect was pronounced dead at the hospital. The 78 year old female victim was also pronounced dead a few minutes later at the hospital at 9:41 a.m
This is an active ongoing police investigation by the San Francisco Police Department’s Homicide Detail, Internal Affairs Division, District Attorney’s Office, and the Office of Citizens Complaints.
There will be a community meeting pertaining to the officer involved shooting tomorrow, October 4, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. Location will be at the Richmond Recreational Center at 251 18th Ave between Clement and California.”
Here’s the scene this AM at 636 Funston Avenue, where an officer-involved shooting just occurred.
Somebody was dragging somebody or something, as you can see:
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Is Chief Suhr going to call for a community meeting with District One Supervisor Eric Mar? (Apparently, it’s his policy* to do that kind of thing after each SFPD officer-involved shooting, whether it’s needed or not.)
*You know who could use that policy? The BART Police, that’s who.**
** The worst police you’ll encounter in the 415:
1. Training
2. Pay
It’s been a while since this event, so what the Hell.
Snipers (or observers, whatever) might not think anybody notices them, but it’s not true.
Spotting the threads in the buttons on the shirt sleeves of the snipers from across the street and five stories down:
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Most people notice them, actually.
Don’t you think it’s time for you to join WillieBrownGavinNewsomEdLee’s somewhat corrupt “City Family?”
Sure, why not?
You’ll get to share beer (or rather, steal beer or rather, actually, IRL, pour out beer) with San Francisco’s lovely citizens:
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And after a while you’ll get to show potential recruits the intricacies of law enforcement.
Thusly:
Now, I’m not saying that this application process is easy, not at all.*
But I am saying that this might be for you:
“Northern Station Newsletter
Captain Ann Mannix
August 25, 2011 #11-36
Captain’s Comments
Finally, we are going to start actively hiring new police officers, starting the application process tomorrow. If interested please log onto www.jobaps.sf and create an applicant account which then allows you to apply for the position of entry level police officer. For further information on the position go to www.sfpdcareers.com. On-line applications will be accepted for one week or until we receive 2500 applications. If you have any interest I would encourage you to apply.”
So, watcha waiting watcha waiting watcha waiting for?
*Like, just try to get the those links to work – that’ll be a test of how motivated you are. Figure it out, find a way to apply before they get 2500 aps.
An update:
“Update on Officer Involved Shooting: GSR found on suspect’s hand
11-075a
Posted Date: 7/19/2011
As stated by Chief Suhr during Monday’s press conference, information pertaining to the investigation of the officer involved shooting that occurred on Saturday, July 16, 2011 would be released as it becomes available.
Results from the analysis of evidence collected from the hands of Kenneth Harding revealed that GSR (gunshot residue) was present on Harding’s right hand. The presence of gunshot residue on Harding’s right hand supports statements from witnesses that Harding held the gun in his right hand as he fired at the police officers.
The presence of GSR on an individual’s hands indicates that either: the individual fired a gun, the individual was in close proximity to a gun as it was discharged or that the individual touched a gun or other object with GSR on its surface and particles were transferred to his/her hands.
No GSR was detected on Harding’s left hand.”
