SFist: Cash Tomato To Give Away Cash, Tomatoes In Dolores Park This Saturday...Just Because

ivealwaysgotmail

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:07:57 -0800

Wow, http://consumerist.com/362689/worst-promotion-ever-causes-riot-in-union-square-as-hipsters-fight-for-cash+wrapped-tomatoes Anyone feel bad that the "lets hand out the flyers to homeless people" approach pretty much turned this promotion into a raging mob of homeless people fighting over tomatoes? Thats just halarious

JBrown

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:01:22 -0800

I smell Dot Bomb 2.0

Suzannetomato

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:22:44 -0800

Police try to stop people giving away free money. Hey guys, I am part of cashtomato.com, see our just released press release. This Saturday 23rd February at 10am, we had planned to hide hundreds of tomatoes with cash attached in Dolores park, a tomato/cash treasure hunt if you will. Yesterday, 21st February we received an email from SFPD telling us that we are unable to do this, that by giving away money within the park we would be breaking the law. Incredible but true. After a conversation with Sgt McDowell and the parks department we discovered it is illegal to hide/give out money in the park, and that to do so we would require a permit, an events permit, even though we do not consider this an event, merely a giving away of fruit and money. We We were informed in no uncertain terms that were we to proceed, we would be subject to arrest, however, the police department could not / would not give us the penal code citing the crime we would be committing. However, apparently and somewhat contradictorily it is NOT illegal to give money away on the streets, so this event will go ahead as planned, now with money being given away around the perimeter of the park, but not, for legal reasons within the park limits. For more information, contact Jason Buzi Email, jason@cashtomato.com Phone: Landline: 415-814-2925 Cell phone: 408-921-2048 See related press items: http://sfist.com/2008/02/20/cash_tomato.php http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2008/02/index.php?page=2 Cashtomato has already given away thousands of dollars in the United Kingdom where they hid tomatoes, with absolutely no police interruption, in around University campuses and at major London landmarks. They also give away free cash to every registered user.

deadbrother

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:36:23 -0800

they did this before on Powell and Sutter downtown. At first they were giving out $5 bills and they switched to $1 bills....plus, the tomatoes aren't real tomatoes. They're little promo cards that look like tomatoes. Which might be worse with all the paper they're wasting.

deadbrother

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:35:17 -0800

dadawa

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:53:08 -0800

Presumably they are going to use invisible elves to hide the tomatoes and cash.

SFNYgirl

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:26:33 -0800

"Hundreds of tomatoes hidden in Dolores Park"? Except for the bushes along Church Street and the bathrooms, this park probably has the fewest hiding places of any park in SF. It's going to be more of a mad-dash smack down than a hunt. Love how they don't say what denomination the cash is: if it's coins, run for safety the next time they mow the lawn...

mpantone

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:40:28 -0800

Do pigs like tomatoes? Maybe we can make this like a truffle hunt. As long as the pigs don't chew up the cash...

jacksevanroo

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:27:56 -0800

Wow, I was going to make a cynical comment, but I think you nailed it, syonsici.

soyonsici

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:03:21 -0800

I can picture it now: A mob of up-too-early crackheads stumble-stalking the tomato hiders as they deploy their wares. The huffy dog-owner, freaking out becasue FiFi nearly took a bite of a potentially-GMO tomato. The just-mugged intern holding back his tears while his assailant strolls down 18th with a messenger bag full of small bills and soon-to-be-trashed produce. If I were on that PR street-team, I'd be praying for rain.

fizzandpop

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:01:39 -0800

Every single video sharing site either has, or will fail, because like, er y'know there's this thing called YouTube. But hey, enjoy this dumb idea while it's still alive and think of all those people who are still owed by other failed video sharing sites that promised them cash.

underachieving

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:00:53 -0800

I hope the cash is waterproof, considering the forecast for Saturday.

Brock Keeling

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:53:55 -0800

no, that was just my air-filled head working its magic. but, god, what a great idea. alas.

xyz123

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:48:09 -0800

So are you trying to throw us off by saying it takes place Sunday in the headline?

mpantone

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:36:44 -0800

Let's protest this event. Tomatoes are obviously not in season, so they are being brought in from far away places, probably sprayed with pesticides, grown in a non-organic, non-sustainably farmed, non-biodynamic environment, and many fossil fuels were burned to deliver these insipid examples of tomatoes (gassed with ethylene) and local growers don't get any of the money. Stop the tomato injustice!