SFist

Oakland Murder #99

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-25T09:26:46-08:00

According to BCN/KTVU, a fatal shooting was reported to Oakland police at 2:48 this morning. The victim, 31-year-old man, was found in the1900 block of 85th Avenue, near Birch Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene, making this Oakland's 99th homicide.

Day Around the Bay

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-24T17:00:02-08:00

Headlines don't get more exciting than this! SFPD officers plan on making your Muni ride a safe one. [Examiner]
SFGreasecycle wants your Thanksgiving turkey grease. [SF Sewers Blog]
More on the SF Nob Hill pizzeria employee stabbed to death. [CBS 5]
Google uses ad space to explain offensive monkey-Michelle Obama image. [SFGate]
Concord grounds amusing dinosaur. Boo hiss. [Claycord]
Calling all DIY types: check out these ten easy steps to silk curtains. [Fog City Sparkle]
Co-relation between good spelling and grammar and hatred of Critical Mass? [Appeal]

What's Going On Here, Market Street?

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-24T14:44:36-08:00

Photo by Jim Herd/SFCitizen

It's getting painted today. Finally.

SF Murder #44

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-24T12:49:14-08:00

Sutter and Leavenworth played host to San Francisco's 44th murder of 2009 this moring. "[T]he incident took place in the wee hours when witnesses watched a woman end a 'dispute' by stabbing someone else," SF Weekly reports. "The alleged killer was later detained by police." No word yet as to the sex and identity of the victim.

Gavin Newsom's Mariah Carey-like Interview Demand

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-24T11:55:00-08:00

The (and, in all seriousness, we really do hate to say this, because he is, after all, our city's mayor) downward spiral of Gavin Newsom continues. Phil Bronstein goes for broke today when he ripped Newsom a new one. Rightfully so. See, in what was supposed to be an interview with FOX affiliate KTVU, Newsom demanded that the interviewer stick to the subject of Muni, the city's public transit system he rarely, if ever, rides. Bronstein says:

The latest news of self-inflicted wounds: A friend of mine connected to KTVU tells me Gavin had wanted to go on Channel 2 this morning to talk about MUNI, but only on the condition he not be asked about anything else. Even George Bush subjected himself to Helen Thomas' pounding once in a while as part of the often contentious press-politician compact.
The station wisely declined the mayor's silly demand. Who's the loser? Once more, Gavin holds himself hostage.

This comes on the heels of Newsom's disastrous interview with CBS 5's Hank Plante, a $500 million SF budget snafu, and Willie Brown explaining to Newsom, "You have no idea what it is to really have the press go after you ... Wait until they really catch you."

Gulp.

Still, we feel for the guy, our mayor of San Francisco, our fresh-faced leader. Will he be able to pullout of this free fall? We sure hope so.

Parents Petition Caltrain to Reduce Train Speed In Palo Alto

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-24T10:21:38-08:00

After four students at Gunn High School committed suicide "at or near the same Caltrain crossing in Palo Alto," a group of area parents have asked Caltrain to reduce the speed of trains to a staggeringly slow 5 miles per hour.

ABC 7 reports that area parents want to see train speeds reduced to between West Meadow Drive and Charleston Road, the area where the teens died via train impact. (Every week in the U.S., 7 people die by jumping in front of trains according to a recent study.) So much so, in fact, they've concocted a petition:

The Palo Alto community has been devastated by the tragic loss of lives on the Caltrain tracks. We now have a suicide hot spot in the section of the tracks at West Meadow and Charleston. We need time as a community to come together and address the underlying problem of teen depression. It is well documented that direct action must be taken at a suicide hot spot to deter further attempts.
We ask Caltrain to implement a schedule, effective immediately, of slowing all trains from West Meadow to Charleston to a speed of 5 MPH in order to prevent further suicides on the tracks in this area.

In preparing this request our research has turned up a number of facts that support this measure.

1. They will not go elsewhere. Research has shown that individuals bent on suicide at a hot spot will not simply move further down the tracks. See links.
2. If you restrict access to the ‘means’ you will reduce the number of incidents. It has been proven that even a small impediment at a suicide hot spot reduces the number of incidents at that spot. This is why we are also watching the tracks. We believe that this vigilance, in combination with slower trains will reduce the number of incidents and perhaps stop them.
3. In the case of a suicide hot spot the threshold for the individuals who may be considering suicide is lowered. This is especially true for teens . This means the existence of the hot spot and access to it is increasing the number of incidents.
4. Although teen suicide has many possible causes and there are many preventive measures we may take as a community, slowing the trains is a short term solution.

Although a train at 5mph may be no less deadly, we believe it will be less attractive while giving us the chance to clear the tracks and giving the driver time to stop... [read the rest of the petition here.]

Seeing as how the Bay Area is always in desperate need of decent, on-time public transportation, this simply cannot happen. (Any foamers out there want to calculate the delay time with a speed reduction of 5 MPH? Give us your figures in the comments.) But what say you, readers?

Motorcyclist Killed In Broadway Tunnel

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-24T09:19:45-08:00

image: Enoch Lai

A man riding a motorcycle crashed and died inside the Broadway tunnel last night, resulting in the tunnel's closure for more than two hours.

CBS 5/BCN reports, "A man was traveling west inside the tunnel when the crash happened at about 7:55 p.m., police said, and the tunnel remained closed in both directions until around 10 p.m."

The cyclist has yet to be identified. Reports go on to suggest that, though wearing a helmet, the victim was speeding before the crash.

Day Around the Bay

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-23T17:00:06-08:00

image by Käthe Köllwitz

Any donation made online to the San Francisco Food Bank through Wednesday, November 25th will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000. [SF Food Bank]
Do you want to live in a Twitter CEO's old SOMA digs? Because we sure do. Sigh. [Curbed]
Michael Chiarello teaches you how to brine your holiday meat. [CHOW]
SF chefs talk turkey. [7x7]
Dude, medical marijuana for teens? [NYT]
Original Joe's loses suit against Uptown Joe's. [Appeal]
Newsom to quit politics for wine? [WSJ]

Police Need Your Help In Solving BART Shooting Involving Teen Girl

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-23T15:40:54-08:00

Speaking of BART, police are asking for the public's help involving the shooting of a teen girl over the weekend.

The incident in question, which happened at around 10:20 p.m. on Saturday, goes like this: an 18-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl were walking up stairs from the Coliseum/Oakland Airport Station to the Snell Street parking lot in Oakland. En route, the duo were "confronted by two males who were wearing hoods that obscured their faces." The hooded suspects then demanded money from the two victims. After the 18-year-old man said "they had no money or valuables," one of the suspects shot the girl in the leg.

The hooded men then took off. The girl was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

"The only witnesses we have to this crime are the two victims,” said BART Police Patrol Bureau Commander Daniel Hartwig. “Any help the public can provide will be greatly appreciated. If you observed or heard anything related to this crime, please call the BART Police Department on our toll-free number: 877-679-7000.”

Asm. Tom Ammiano On Glass Breaking BART Cop

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-23T14:30:10-08:00

After this weekend's headline-churning incident featuring a BART cop protecting passengers from unruly, drunk Michael Joseph Gibson, 37 -- the twist being that the officer accidentally (?) broke a pane of glass during the arrest at the West Oakland Station -- Assemblymember Tom Ammiano released the following statement:

The video of this arrest reinforces what all of us have known since the Oscar Grant tragedy earlier this year; that BART lacks adequate training and accountability for its police department. While BART’s management has at least learned the value of responding to these incidents quickly, the lesson that needs to be learned is that BART and its police department have a long way to go to restore trust with the community. The first step towards that goal is ensuring that BART has a safe, professional police department.
I look forward to working with BART in the upcoming legislative session to implement civilian oversight and other much-needed reforms for their police department.

Related: the officer, who has yet to be identified, was placed on paid "industrial leave," according to SFGate, "meaning he is unable to perform his duties because of injuries." The officer, if you recall, was hurt during the arrest.

Don't Dump Unwanted Stuff On City Sidewalks

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-23T13:30:58-08:00

Call Sunset Scavenger if you see one of these. Immediately.

Uh oh.

Did you know that you could face a steep, steep fine if you dump your old furniture on the city sidewalks? We didn't. And we've tossed everything from post-party cheap vodka to lamps to CDs to couches on the sidewalks of SF. (All of which were immediately picked up by passersby, thank you very much.) See, SF Examiner reports that "the Department of Public Works recently put out a friendly reminder on Twitter warning that residents face fines between $200 and $1,000 for such 'illegal dumping.'"

While "illegal dumping" is as common as to any urban area as is a corner liquor store or subway system, "an average of 24 tons of refuse left on the streets and in vacant lots is hauled away daily," costing the city $2 million annually.

Yikes.

Instead of leaving your crap on the streets, you can donate your unloved items to Goodwill or Salvation Army, have Sunset Scavenger or Golden Gate Recycling and Disposal get rid of them for free, or use Community Clean Team program, "which offers annual free drop off of bulky items, composting and recycling materials."

Oakland, Full of Crime

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-23T12:32:49-08:00

CQ Press released their annual list of the hottest crime cities in the U.S. And the Bay Area scored in the top 20. Twice!

Coming in behind Camden, NJ, and St. Louis, MO -- who won first and second place, respectively -- Oakland ranks third when it comes to crime. Contending cities were judged on reports of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and auto theft (in cities with more than 75,000 residents.)

According to SFGate, Oakland jumped up a few spots this year, "ranking 4th in 2007 and 5th in 2008." Most staggering, however, is that Oakland never even placed in the top 20 between 1998 and 2004.

The city of Richmond, the Bay Area town that played host to a gang rape on a high school campus during a homecoming dance, came in at #14. To view the list in its entirety, go here (.pdf!).

Photo du Jour 513

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-23T12:08:23-08:00

"One wet mushroom" by Darwin Bell.

Daisy Does the 49ers: Green Bay Tops SF

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-23T11:30:41-08:00

Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver tumbles to the ground after making a reception and being hit by a San Francisco 49ers defender during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers defeated the 49ers 30-24. (AP Photo/Shawano Leader, Cory Dellenbach)

by Daisy Barringer

There are two things in this world that give me anxiety: Missing kickoff and running out of wine. The former is the cause of year-round, wake up in a full-blown panic, nightmares. The latter… well, let’s be honest; I never let that happen. Seriously though, some people dream about being back at high school completely naked, I dream about being late to 49ers games or missing them completely. I know. Sounds awful, right? And yet my stingy doctor at Kaiser refuses to give me a prescription for Klonopin and instead recommends yoga. Oh, San Francisco. Always living up to your reputation…

So, when I missed kickoff this Sunday because I spent fifteen minutes driving in circles looking for parking, I knew my day was off to a bad start. (Aside: here’s the thing about looking for parking that kills me. You have ZERO control over the situation. You’re completely at the mercy of other human beings. It is the most frustrating thing in the world. And yes, I get that I should be in therapy. And I would be. If I thought that then someone would give me drugs.)

Anyway, back to the issue at hand which is not my desire to have a mild drug habit, but rather, the lack of parking combined with the fact that I showed up to a cash-only bar without 1. Cash or 2. My debit card. At this point, a mere three paragraphs in with hardly a mention of yesterday’s game, you can probably see where the post is going, so I’ll do us both a favor and get it over with.

The 49ers lost to the Green Bay Packers, 30-24. And in case you missed the game, let me tell you, the score does not reflect the poor performance of the Niners. We were trailing 23-3 at the end of the first half (Alex Smith went 3-7 passing for 5 yards; I know, Five Whole Yards!) and Aaron Rodgers had 274 yards and two touchdowns. Sure, Alex Smith brought us back in the second half, but… blah blah blah blah I am so over it. We suck.

What it comes down to is this: The 49ers are incapable of playing four quarters of football. Our defense, which at the beginning of the season made me believe there was a God after all, just isn’t showing up. We needed a defensive stop in the fourth quarter, but we didn’t get it and the Packers ran down the last six minutes on the clock for the win. (Side note: a team actually doing something “for the win” is the only time that phrase is ever acceptable. The internet may tell you otherwise, but the internet is wrong.)

But it’s not just our defense’s fault, No Sir-ee Bob! (Apparently, for the previous sentence, the role of Daisy was played by a geriatric?) Our offensive play calling is circus-esque and our offensive line makes me want to kick unicorns in the face. Even better: whenever our special teams are on the field, all I pray for is that we manage to hold onto the ball. We just aren’t a playoff team, and yes, it feels ridiculous to even make such a statement considering we lost five out of last six games, but there are still people who believe we have a chance.

But let me break it down for you: The only way the 49ers have a chance to make it to the playoffs is if somehow the minor concussion Kurt Warner sustained in yesterday’s game against the Rams ends up knocking him out for the rest of the season. He’s claiming he’ll be “just fine” for next week, but a girl can dream… Because the only QB I hate more than Brett Favre is, you got it, Kurt Warner. (Don’t even get me started on his wife.)

And yes, the fact that it is almost impossible for us to make the playoffs kills me. But what kills me even more is losing to Green Bay. I hate Green Bay. I hated them when Brett Favre with his cheesy “good ol’ boy” personality was their QB (though I did kind of respect the Vicodin addiction). And I hate the fact that the 49ers have lost our last eight games against them.

And I really hate the pudgy Packers’ fan from the bar yesterday with a voice that could shatter glass and a dedication to shoveling food into her mouth second only to when Kimberly Drummond scarfed down an entire sheet cake in the infamous “Different Strokes” bulimia episode.

What was most amazing about her constant and unwavering intake of food was the fact that she simultaneously never stopped talking. Whether she was summarizing her drink consumption: “First, I had a Bloody Mary. Then a mimosa. Then another Bloody Mary. Then a mimosa. And now I’m having a Miller Lite!” talking about her amazing fashion sense: “What I really need are some green Packers converse and an Aaron Rodgers jersey,” or drawing maps of Wisconsin in the air: “See, right here is Sheboygan.” (Points to air) “And this is Appleton…” (Points to another spot in the air) “And then this is Green Bay!” (Pokes excitedly at yet another random spot in the air), this very reason chubby-chasers exist was committed to filling every second of the game with her grating one-way conversation and hideous squeal of a laugh.

There was one redeeming moment though…

After yet another Packer touchdown and the ensuing cliché Green Bay celebration, she turned to her friends and said, “That’s called The Lambeau Leap. It’s all about adulation. They grab you, hit you on the head, and spill beer all over you.”

Which is exactly what I then did to her. I mean, she’s the one who called it adulation. Her words. Not mine.

Next Week: SAN FRANCISCO over Jacksonville.

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Video from Last Night's Vigil in the Castro for Jorge Mercado, Gay Teen Slain in Puerto Rico

Jay Barmann — 2009-11-23T11:00:39-08:00

19-year-old Puerto Rican teenager Jorge Mercado was stabbed, dismembered and beheaded last week by 25-year-old Juan Martinez Matos, and Matos has since confessed to the crime using the gay panic defense. Matos was allegedly out looking for women in an area known for prostitution, and he met Mercado, who was there dressed in drag. Upon discovering that Mercado was a man, Matos stabbed him, and proceeded to dismember the body in a rage.

Gay activists have been furious that the Puerto Rican government did not immediately charge Matos with a hate crime. Puerto Rico has had a hate crime law on the books since 2002, however the law has not once been applied to a case involving sexual orientation. Last night there were vigils across the country to pay respect to the memory of Mercado, and to protest hate crimes against LGBT people in general. Supervisor David Campos led the Castro gathering. (Watch above.) After the jump, a recent photo of Jorge Mercado.

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