August 27, 2007
SFist Photo: Nimbies Kill Off the Panhandle Bandshell
You finally did it. You Nimbies! You blew it up! Ah, darn you! Gosh darn you all to Heck! Saturday, in the park, we think it was the 24th of August.
Well, it's coming down. San Francisco's mostly harmless Panhandle Bandshell (aka Band Shell) faces mandatory termination with extreme prejudice in September. Wait a second, doesn't everybody, including brewmasters, tree huggers, laughing squid, the Boing Boing and Flickr-ers love this thing? Sure, but that doesn't seem to matter.
Find out why after the jump.
[Update: What's that, commenters? Strong opposition from just one particular Commissioner out of seven is the problem? We don't know how to figure this out, as the Commission seems to vote on the shell unanimously. (About a quarter of the way down, search for "panhandle".)]
Well the cause is a a very tiny but noisy percentage of the residents. Basically.
First, read peoples' comments here and then come back to us.
Now, how much is the shell being actually used? Perhaps not as much in real life as you might expect after looking at the schedule on the official website, but lots of people were enjoying it as it was designed to be enjoyed, particularly on the weekends.
What about all the noise it was supposed to create? That worry didn't materialize, because the ambient din of all the traffic surrounding the shell is so relatively loud. People need to get close to hear anything from the performers.
Vagrancy? We'd call that a pre-existing issue. The nearby half million dollar bathroom acts as more of a magnet than the bandshell.
Obviously, neighbors' concerns should be addressed. And a deal is a deal - the authorization approved earlier this year called for this dismantling in September. But the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Non?
Go ahead, knock on peoples' doors in the neighborhood and ask them if they want the shell to come down. Almost of them will say no. Do the cops want it to come down? No.
Are there some issues or incidents that we don't know about? Or is this another example of the death of fun, the "assault of the NIMBY"? Mmmmm.
"The Finch Mob, in partnership with REBAR art collective and Christopher Guillard of CMG Landscape Architecture, are constructing this project as part of the ScrapEden SF Program, through a generous grant from the SF Department of the Environment, and the Black Rock Arts Foundation. We are proud to have the support of the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association, the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council, the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association, the Neighborhood Parks Council, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and Mayor Gavin Newsom (read his letter of support).
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I heard from a reliable source that it was a single voter from rec and parks that killed it. Neighbors and neighborhood associations were in favor of extending.
I live 2 blocks from the Bandshell, near Grove and Clayton, and I love it! The Bandshell has provided wonderful, local entertainment to families and adults alike. While I'm sad they don't allow drumming in the Bandshell (or anywhere else in the Panhandle, for that matter), I think it's a great venue that supports environmental education and (mostly) quality arts entertainment within an outdoor community setting.
I'm delighted that they don't allow drumming, but bummed that the bandshell is coming down. Some very very angry people in PROSF made sure that this bit of fun didn't last one minute longer than was initially scheduled.
man, if these people want bland, why don't they drop their cash in some faceless walnut creek housing subdivision?
seriously. what is it about SF that you actually like, people? there's good restaurants in the burbs too, you know.
What a bummer. I live directly across the street from the bandshell, I work from home so I'm around a lot, and I've had nothing but positive experiences with it. I rarely go to watch performers on the stage but it's nice to look out the window or walk my dog in the park and see the positive way that it's brought the neighborhood together. Hopefully we'll see it return next summer.
I don't know if this is relevant or not, but the other day I went for a walk in the panhandle and saw a police cruiser driving through the park, and stopping to talk to the various burnt-out denizens in sleeping bags (at 1 PM, mind you).
Later I walked back through the park - from Baker to Masonic, and I did not see one bum! Not one! I walked a total of THREE F*CKING BLOCKS through the panhandle and - FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS - did not see a single 'homeless' person.
I saw a group of guys and gals playing frisbee, some local residents pitching their tent (getting ready for BM no doubt), two old ladies walking on the path, a kid throwing a ball for a dog. I looked across Masonic and saw kids playing basketball. Trees, sunshine, grass.
I almost cried - seriously!
I thank the cops, the neighbors, and the fates for giving me that one brief half hour of what most people take for granted, but which is rare as a 6+ earthquake around here!
Hey, again. Took the same walk today. 5 homeless people, 2 shopping carts, 1 open container of vodka. At noon. A slow day, I know, but things look like they're getting back to "normal."
Bibibibibibibibi.