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Between a skyrocketing homicide rate, brutal and incompetent police, moves to completely redevelop the last community stronghold in The City, the shutdown of a school named after a famous local civil rights leader and disproportionate incarceration rates, black people just can't seem to get a break in San Francisco.
Oh, sure, if you're a rich, womanizing Democratic party machine hack (or went out with one), or are willing to do illegal electioneering on The City's dime for a certain mayoral candidate who just loves black people when there are cameras around, you'll do fine. But if you're African-American and have the temerity to prowl a Pacific Heights park menacing passing birds with your camera, watch out! A friend of SFist sends us this report, after the jump.
There's an amazing sound artist/instrument builder named Kitundu (www.kitundu.com), who is working with the Kronos Quartet. He is one of the gentlest souls I have ever come across. One of his many, many, many talents (incl knitting, being a turntablist, etc etc etc) is photography. One of his great loves is photographing birds, which he does extraordinarily well. He sometimes goes to Alta Vista park in Pacific Heights to photograph. Apparently there are some amazing hawks there and other birds that you wouldn't think live in San Francisco proper.Not once, but twice people have called the cops on him. He is a 30-something black man who sits around for hours photographing birds. He is not bothering anyone, yet yesterday a man with two dogs pulled out his cell phone within earshot and called the cops, saying there's a strange black man here in a brown jacket and you should take him away. When Walter (his full name is Walter Kitundu; he usually goes by Kitundu) said, what's the issue, talk to me, the guy just ran off with his dogs saying, the cops'll take care of you.
And we thought San Francisco liberals were just covert racists! So Kitundu created a flyer (pictured, click for text and larger size) to assure the neighborhood crackers that he's not a threat to their health or safety (though, if spotted by a realtor, maybe their property values).
Sorry we're using such harsh language here, but this is the kind of behavior that reminds us why we hate racists, the rich and rich racists. There's an especially hot place in hell for such people; a place where there are no parking garages in Golden Gate Park, downtown commercial property is assessed at full market value, there's no Plumpjack wine or Plumpjack restaurants to drink it in, and Matt Gonzalez won the election.
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That hummingbird shot is killer. What a talent!
This post is some bullshit, Jackson. Just because two rediculous live-life-in-fear, probably older, residents thought the guy was acting suspicious is no reason to go on some race-card rant, folding in *totally* unrelated subjects such as Willie Brown, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and, *the new DeYoung garage* WTF?!?!?. What street corner crack were you smoking?!
If I wanted to read this baseless, reactionary, alarmist rhetoric, I would seek it at Bay Guardian online.
However, I do really like the artist's reaction to it. His flier is quite funny and he is obviously a talented photographer. This guy, unlike you, at least knows how to laugh off a couple idiots who fear suspicious behavior that, as it turns out, is just a guy stalking a great photo. Plus, how do you know that these fearful randoms were so-called "rich"??
Please scale back on this kind of complete CRAP. I normally like your posts a lot!
thanks.
That's right, Jackson. Everyone who lives in my neighborhood is stinking rich and racist (and being rich on its own is just as evil as being racist). And it's always wise to judge groups of people based on the behavior of a few assholes. It works out so well for everyone.
I'm sorry that some of my neighbors are racist tools. But I bet you have some in your neighborhood, too.
Whatever you all think of Jackson's tone or tactics, if you dispute his message, I bet you've never had a frank discussion about race with anyone - certainly not with someone who isn't white. And you've surely never sat helplessly, listening to a friend break your heart recounting a situation he walks into so often it - almost - doesn't hurt him anymore; you've not heard similar stories from several friends who do not know one another.
What does it cost you to show some compassion, to try to empathize? You have nothing to lose but your misconceptions.
Sad and disturbing but is anyone honestly surprised? The surprise is that anyone would think racism doesn't exist in the rarified Bay Area air. As a woman of color, give me the overt racism of other areas that we like to look down upon rather than the hidden-behind-a-smile-and-a-bleeding-heart racism of SF/Berkeley. At least then, I know where I stand.
Thank you, Jackson. Does it matter how many of the people in the neighborhood call the cops on Kitundu just because he is black? If other people in the neighborhood want him left in peace to photograph birds, maybe they should call upon the reported one or two ladies who are harassing this artist and ask them to stop. That seems more useful that railing at the man who reports this situation.
Wasn't it also a black man who was questioned by the FBI and Homeland Security in Seattle because he went to the government locks to take pictures of boats for a college class?
Now it seems to be a crime not only to drive while black, but to photograph while black.
AMEN Jackson! I am not a black man but i don't need to be one to understand and know of the shit that happens on a day to day basis. it's good to hear that some folks here don't consider themselves richie racists, but it's downright refreshing to hear someone call out covert racism/classism in city that's tolerant of diversity until it shows up in their neighborhood.
Aplogies for the lack of html tages here. A colleague showed me this blog. It's a bummer to read that this happened to Walter who is an artist in residence at the Exploratorium (and one we all kind-of revere because he is such a creative polymath.) It's not surprising though. Nor is it surprising that Walter dealt with it with his usual genius brand of humorous, elegant eloquence.
Walter's experience reminds me of something that happened to another artist that worked with us before, Guillermo Gomez Pena. If I am remembering the story correctly (and this was in the early 90's) a couple of days after he received a MacArthur genius award, Guillermo was walking in a park in near his residence in San Diego with his nine year old very blond son.
Guillermo, who is known for his performances about about raceism, bigotry, Mexico, the border and whocreates personas that are amalgams of Mexican steritypes, has long dark hair and is dark skinned. Apparently someone saw him in the park with his son, assumed the pail child was being kidnapped and called the cops. Guilermo was arrested and taken to jail. I think the boy was quite traumatized by the whole thing.
It created a pretty big media story Macarther Genius arrested because of bigotry and a scandal for the San Diego police. The act made Guilermos point for him as well or better than his performances had--which he had done that same year at the Smithsonian.
Anyhow Walter Kutndu is brilliant and I hope he'll get one of those Macarthurs some day he should. He is also one of the most accessable artists I know, which is why its so disheartening to read how he was treated and yet so great to watch and learn how he dealt with it. You should see the instruments he builds which are a hybrid of strings and turntables.
Thank you Jackson for keeping Gavin in his place. Where for art thou Matt?
When I first got the email with this story, it took me a couple of days to think of how I would approach it, especially since it really pissed me off and played into my perception of the direction The City is taking. It's taken a couple more to think of how I could address some of the comments.
This is a case where I chose to make jokes to keep from crying. For a good idea of what informs my style here, check out an episode or twelve of The Boondocks on the Cartoon Network -- which is the most engaging political and cultural commentary to be found on television, in my opinion. For historical reference, refer to Lenny Bruce, Paul Mooney and Rudy Ray Moore.
I just took a look at the census data, and from 2000 to 2004, San Francisco has lost an estimated 13,000 African-American residents, or nearly 25% of the total black population. In 1970, they made up nearly 14% of the population -- which has dropped significantly ever since (coincidently with the redevelopment of the Fillmore, down the hill from Alta Plaza), and as of 2000, that was down to 7.8% and a census estimate for 2004 is 6.5%.
And while I'm sure there are families that are struggling to get by, here are some numbers from San Francisco County Census Tract #132, which borders Alta Plaza to the north and extendeds four blocks north, east and west: 93% are employed in sales and management (none are in the armed forces), with an unemployment rate of 0.6%. The median family income is over $200,000, and only 118 people out of nearly 4,000 are under the poverty line. 58 out of 4,436 identified as being at least part African-American.
Even if San Francisco's political and financial elite isn't actively trying to force black people out of town, they're certainly doing nothing to stem the tide. And either trough intention or ommission, the result is the same. The two incidents didn't happen in an anecdotal vacuum -- these people are someone's neighbor, or brother, or friend.
I understand that this is just one example and that I used it as a rhetorical tool to address the larger issue. It's certainly not the only overt racism I've witnessed or been told about in The City. Most of the black friends and colleagues whom I've lived and worked with since moving here have already left or are seriously considering it.
In general, the middle class is being pushed out of San Francisco, to the detriment of all diversity -- economic, ethnic, racial, etc. It was Willie Brown who suggested that if you weren't well off, you should probably move out. He's also on record as being passed up by cabbies, so the knife still cuts both ways.
It'll be interesting to see what happens in the years following the 3rd Street light rail completion and the Hunter Point redevelopment progress. Based on all available evidence and past experience, you'd have to be blind or willfully ignornant not to realize that it will probably bleed the neighborhood dry of African-American homeowners, affordable rental properties and blue collar jobs.
So excuse me for wondering if these two racists are such exceptional cases after all, especially amongst the people with the power to shape city policy and economics.