August 2, 2006
Castro Halloween Update: Donna Sachet Speaks
When last we fretted over matters Halloweenish, Bevan Dufty was the only major community leader to take a stand regarding the annual event that most observers agree can get just a wee bit calamitous. Some folks want it cancelled, some folks wouldn't have it any other way, and still other folks want to improve it. But as DC1974 smartly fretted, "My thinking is that [an enclosed party and a strong police presence] would probably not be in the spirit of San Francisco. And so in that way of thinking, if it can't be the ideal then it should be eliminated." Yikes.
We know how Devan feels, of course ("if you kids don't settle down RIGHT THIS MINUTE then so help me God I will ground you into the next zip code"), but won't somebody think of the drag queens? Over the last few years, Donna Sachet's been the public face of the Castro Hallowen, Pride events, and liquor advertisements -- who better to consult? Donna's thoughts appear after the jump.
Ms. Sachet responded to our request for a statement:
"As a resident of the Castro, I am concerned about the safety of residents and property protection and I applaud Supervisor Dufty for stepping up 3 years ago to investigate what could be done. Over the past 3 years, a more visible and organized police presence has grown, safety lanes have been added, and manned entry gates have requested a donation. In addition, a slick advertising campaign (of which I have been a part) has made the attempt to sell the event to the City at large as a fun, but safe, neighborhood celebration where all are welcome, but are encouraged to respect the district and its residents."
Whew! Being a celebrated queen is hard work! It isn't all glitter and glamor, fashion and fame. To be sure, Castro Halloween has become an increasingly organized event, with tickets and cops and men dressed as nuns maintaining order. Of course, that doesn't make the mess and the violence any more palatable. Donna continued:
"Having said all that, I attended the recent Town Hall which Bevan convened and was made all the more aware of the strength of convictions on various sides of the issue. I can see the benefit of creating a more City wide event in a less residential neighborhood, say the Embarcadero, where New Year's Eve has been successfully relocated from Union Square. It will still take several years to build such an event, not to mention money and manpower, and I think that the Castro Halloween will continue to occur. In the meantime, I don't want to lose sight of the value of a festive celebration in a neighborhood known for its creativity and party attitude. Crime cannot be tolerated, but visitors should be welcomed. This is not an issue that can be solved quickly."
So, to sum up: "It's complicated. I'm not sure what we should do yet." Which we think is a pretty honest and fair assesment of a controversial topic that's got a lot of people pretty thoroughly worked up.
We've been asking ourselves, these past few days, if you love this awesome city (and we do, without any of our usual irony, LOVE San Francisco) how can you say "no" to any part of it, from its generous parties and freedom to its occasional parochialness and sense of entitlement? They're all pieces of the place we're pleased to call home.
Parties interested in finding out more about Ms. Sachet are in luck: she helpfully volunteers the following information in her emails, so go nuts:
See Donna every week on Comcast's OUT Spoken, channel 11, Mon. 6:30, Tues.
9, Wed. 7, Fri. 7:30PM.
Read Donna every other week in the Bay Area Reporter, also on line at www.ebar.com
Enjoy Donna every Sunday at noon & 3PM, Sunday's A Drag brunch shows at
Harry Denton's Starlight Room, 395-8595.
Wear Donna with your own t-shirt available on the website!
Order your DVD of the 2006 Pride Parade KRON broadcast co-anchored by Donna
Sachet. Send $25 to SF Pride DVD, c/o KRON-TV, 1001 Van Ness, SF, CA
94109.
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That woman is a fucking idiot, as are her sidekicks: Dufty and the aging, melty-faced Tim Gaskin.
That (wo)man is just a fucking idiot, as are her sidekicks: Dufty and the aging, melty-faced Tim Gaskin.
Although SFist's normal comment policy would easily permit us to delete the above comments, I'd like to keep them here as encouragement for everyone to be civil, tolerant, and productive with their remarks. And also as a reminder that it's not necessary to repeatedly hump the "Post" button.
Even more importantly: for crying out loud, if you're going to make an assertion, give us some examples. (That is to say, show, don't tell.) And if you're too embarassed by your own comment to provide a real email address, that probably means that it's a comment that doesn't need to be made.
Thanks to anon/anonsf for demonstrating multiple examples of How We'd Rather Commenters Not Behave.
I'm not sure why people are acting all surprised. When you consider just how much people are paying for their homes, esp. in the Castro, the sad reality is that someone paying off a 1 million + mortgage is going to be a lot more protective of their property than someone who did not make such an investment.
The real way to solve a situation like this is to make the community come up with their own solution and not just wait for The City to do it for them. I'm all for fun and outdoor events, and the like, but it's one thing to have an open accessible fun event, and another to have anarchy fueled by posers from out of town. Surely there's enough brainpower in Our City to find a solution that doesn't involve banning stuff or canceling Christmas. Or Halloween. Whatever.
Interesting that everyone has forgotten that after Dufty made Hallowe'en an official city event, it was declared a success by Dufty and his supporters.
Now the crowds will show up anyway, but without the firelanes and organization.
you're really going to leave that comment about me being aging, melty-faced? Really? To ward off other people from doing the same. That is a deterrent?