Today's Examiner somewhat sensationally announces that "Sunset District neighbors say they are paying the price for out-of-control weekend bonfires at Ocean Beach, complaining that the rowdy parties have spilled out onto local streets and caused dozens of car break-ins and numerous acts of vandalism." Blame for this issue has been placed on the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the branch of the National Park Service responsible for Ocean Beach.

As we are a resident of exactly the area in question, we're left scratching our heads at this. Sure, we understand that bonfires on the beach are governed under specific rules that are frequently violated, but how does this corelate with crime in the area? Like, folks come out for the weenies and stay for the tagging?

A lot of sketchy stuff goes on in the Sunset, no doubt. We can't count the number of times we've seen a person walking down the street, trying car handles as he goes. Was this guy on the way to a beach bonfire and he decided to multitask?

Oh! How about the roving bands of folks tagging (does it still count as "tagging" if it's just kind of a scrawl?) local residences? We've seen them running from the scene of a fresh crime plenty of times, but we've never noticed them toting coolers or trays of cold cuts for a late night ocean picnic.

And then there are just the loud groups of drunk folks staggering up the street providing us with Yvesdropping moments. Hey, at least they're not driving.

In fact, very few of them are driving -- because we've noticed that most of these folks seem to live around here! Sure, it's possible that they just spend a lot of time in the area, (perhaps preparing for bonfires later in the evening) but we've seen these folks entering their homes. Which are in the neighborhood.

The assumption that these crimes are being committed by outsiders is a pleasant one, but it's not one that makes sense to most people who have walked the streets of the Sunset after dark. If residents truly want to make strides to combat local crime, we need to open our eyes to the possibility that it's being committed by inhabitants of the area, not Ocean Beach revelers gone Clockwork Orange.

The GGNRA (which patrols the beach) is a convenient target for blame, but the real enforcement responsibility lies with the SFPD, which is responsible for the streets and property in the neighborhood. The Examiner piece states that the SFPD and GGNRA met last month to work out an enforcement plan, and we hope that at least part of this conversation entertained the notion that many of the vandals are residents of the area.

The Taraval Station of the SFPD (which protects the Sunset), information on anonymous tip lines if you see a crime being committed and feel unsafe in reporting it directly, and when you should call 911.