Castro Halloween Cancellation Update!
We've been closely following this strange attempt by Bevan & Friends to put a stop to Halloween parties in the Castro -- including private house parties. Check out the coverage of Bevan's Wednesday meeting on our Party-Party friends' site; party member Adam reports that the meeting was populated mostly by businesspeople, not residents, and that the primary complains were that revelers relieved themselves in locations other than restrooms, that hate crimes were possible (the evidence presented for this argument was that there were gay bashings at 2006's Pride), that house parties were too unruly and should be discouraged, and that the event wasn't gay enough. Yes that's right, people actually said that. Castro Halloween should be cancelled because there are too many straight people attending. Whereas gays, as we know, are all so terribly well-behaved. Next item on the agenda: cancelling the Fourth of July because someone saw some foreigners standing near an American flag.
Alix Rosenthal is running against Bevan this year for supervisorship of District 8, and we asked her to comment on this strange state of affairs. She replied to us that she opposed cancelling the parties: "First, I think that 'cancelling' the event will not work to dissuade people from coming there. Efforts to move it to Civic Center have failed in the past."
After the jump: more Alix! Plus, more pithy remarks from us, and we pose a query to you, the reader.
Alix continued, "I view Halloween in the Castro as a celebration of our wonderful, predominantly gay neighborhood. It is a gathering that has happened for decades, with or without official involvement. It is one of the events that has helped make the Castro what it is today - a creative and colorful place. It is a shame that a small number of outsiders have turned it into an outlet for destructive behavior. I have spoken with residents who fear a 'backlash' against the Castro if the City attempts to cancel Halloween, in the form of even more violence against residents. ... If we hold a substitute event, and stretch our emergency services too thin on Halloween night, it could be disastrous."
So, what does she propose to stem what violence and messiness does occur during the Halloween parties? "Capt. John Goldberg said [at Wednesday's meeting] that crowds get dangerous when no entertainment or direction is provided. ... If we provide adequate entertainment, or if we change it into a parade like the Village Halloween in New York, it will keep troublemakers distracted, or at least it will keep them from developing a following. ... We need to end the party at a specific time, probably midnight or 2am. Ways to end the party are street sweepers, stadium lights, mellow music from the stages."
She also recommends that it be a ticketed event. "I suggest a relatively low cost ($10-$15), but definitely a higher cost for those not in costume. At the meeting yesterday, everyone agreed that the troublemakers at Halloween in the Castro are the spectators, not the folks in costume. ... Also -- and this is very important -- the neighborhood residents and merchants should receive an ample supply of free tickets."
We find ourselves torn on this topic -- yeah, it sucks that people are peeing outside of the portapotties, and it's utterly bizarre and terrible that there are fights every year. Castro Halloween really isn't even our cup of tea; our idea of a good time is sitting down with a book and some chamber music, possibly while wearing an ascot, and we've been avoiding the yearly melee since we last attended in 2002.
But.
An awful lot of people seem to place an awful lot of importance on these parties. Like, thousands of people. And the same arguments have been employed to try to shut down Pride, and Dore Alley, and movie night in Delores Park, and jazz fests, and there's something about the whole "I don't mind people having fun, as long as they do it somewhere else" argument that makes us feel like we're listening to Bert on Sesame Street. Surely, there must be a way to Have a Safe, Clean Halloween. Hey, that rhymes! Looks like we just found ourselves a slogan.
SFist readers: what are your suggestions for making Halloween Safe & Clean?