Witnesses at the scene of a collision on the Embarcadero say an altercation led to the driver of a Jeep intentionally running into a scooter rider who was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police say the crash, which happened around 1:08 pm Wednesday at Embarcadero and Broadway, is being investigated as a possible road rage incident, as KRON4 reports.

A Reddit user who came upon the scene shortly after the collision reports that witnesses saw the scooter rider involved in an altercation with the Jeep driver moments before the Jeep allegedly followed the scooter rider into another lane and struck him. The Redditor says witnesses feared the driver was going to kill the rider, as the collision appeared intentional.

The scooter rider was reportedly taken to the hospital by ambulance with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

According to KRON4, a second vehicle was also damaged during the collision, which has not been confirmed by police. There are conflicting reports from witnesses who say the Jeep either struck the nearby Waymo or the car behind it. Based on the photos shared on Reddit, the car behind the Waymo appears to be damaged.

No other information has been released about the incident.

Related: Lake County Man Arrested After Murder of Woman, Road-Rage Shooting Spree

Image: nassoom/Reddit

A standoff with an “armed individual threatening to harm themselves and not complying with officers' commands” at Embarcadero and Brannan streets began just after noon Monday, and much of that area remained blocked off for hours.

We first heard there was some sort of developing police activity near the Embarcadero via a Reddit post at about 12 noon on Monday. By 12:30 pm, the SF Department of Emergency Management had a Twitter update saying “Avoid the area of Embarcadero and Brannan Streets due to Police Activity. Emergency crews are on scene. Expect traffic delays, consider alternate routes, and allow for additional travel time.”

That message, of course, fails to inform us of what this “police activity” is all about. But by 1:07 pm Monday, the SFPD was being a lot more explicit about what was going on.

“Officers are currently at Embarcadero/Brannan regarding an armed individual threatening to harm themselves and not complying with officers' commands,” the SFPD announced just after 1 pm. “Our Hostage/Crisis Negotiation Team is on scene and working for a peaceful resolution.”

NBC Bay Area identifies the suspect simply as “ a woman who is armed and not complying to commands.” KRON4 has some Citizen app video from the scene where officers are closing down streets, but it does not offer many insights to the standoff at hand.

Obviously, Police officers themselves are also still trying to make sense of this situation. If you have any information on this incident, you’re asked to call the SFPD tip line at (415) 575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Related: Man Arrested Following Hours-Long Police Standoff After Barricading Himself Inside Palace Hotel [SFist]

Image via Citizen App

Another piece of public art has come to the Embarcadero this week, with the official unveiling Tuesday of Coralee, a larger-than-life-size mermaid made of metal and other materials, by artist Dana Albany.

Coralee makes her debut today at Pier 1/2, next to the Ferry Building, with KRON4 grabbing a couple snaps. Below you can see the sculpture in another recent installation at Mare Island, and prior to that, at the Chatsworth Estate in England.

The sculpture is made of mixed recycled metals and glass, and was created in 2022 for an exhibit at the Chatsworth Estate titled Radical Horizons: The Art of Burning Man at Chatsworth.

The video below documents the sculpture's creation, which was accomplished with the help of schoolchildren from Spire Junior School in Chesterfield.

Coralee arrives on the Embarcadero as part of a "Waterfront Art Walk" that has been organized by the Port of San Francisco in conjunction with Building 180, the woman-led art agency that also brought the monumental R-Evolution nude female statue by artist Marco Cochrane to the Embarcadero earlier this year. In total, the art walk will feature a dozen sculptures installed between Heron's Head Park — near India Basin and Pier 96 — and Fisherman's Wharf.

"To see large-scale art brings out the artist in each of us," said Shannon Riley, founder of Building 180, speaking to the Chronicle in July. “We’re trying to inspire communities and inspire individuals to be creative.”

All of the pieces are a minimum of 10 feet tall, and some of them have previously been seen at Burning Man.

As KRON4 reports, an unveiling event was scheduled for Tuesday (today) at 1 pm, and artist Dana Albany will be on hand for the event.

Related: That 45-Foot-Tall Nude Woman Statue Is Coming to SF After All, and Will Be at Embarcadero Plaza

In the most decisive move yet to remove the ungodly but marginally beloved Vaillancourt Fountain in Sue Bierman Plaza, the SF Rec and Parks Department has come right out and asked the city to tear that fugly fountain down.

The writing has been on the concrete tubes for more than a year that the Brutalist and currently fenced-off Vaillancourt Fountain next to the Embarcadero may be dismantled and removed. The massive, sculptural fountain was very conspicuously not included in the plans of a proposed $32 million renovation of Embarcadero Plaza that were released in July 2024. There have been some pleas to preserve the fountain over the years, even from the fountain’s 95-year-old sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, but the piece seems to have fewer and fewer supporters who want to see it stay. And, the cost of keeping it is reportedly prohibitive.

On Monday, the highest-profile City Hall figure yet openly called for the fountain to be torn down. The Chronicle reports that SF Rec and Parks Department manager Phil Ginsburg officially requested that Vaillancourt Fountain be removed in a letter to the SF Arts Commission.    

Ginsburg’s request is not surprising, because other Rec and Parks officials already said they'd rather it be removed in previous public meetings. But this came from Phil Ginsburg, the boss at SF Rec and Parks, so it’s a pretty strong shot across the bow.

“We respectfully request the Arts Commission’s consideration and approval to proceed with the formal deaccession of the Vaillancourt Fountain from the Civic Art Collection and its removal from Embarcadero Plaza,” Ginsburg said in his letter to the Arts Commission. “This step is necessary to ensure public safety, uphold responsible stewardship of civic assets, and realize a reimagined Embarcadero Plaza that serves all San Franciscans.”

Regardless of whether you feel the fountain is monstrously ugly, this City Hall debate is being largely motivated by economics. The currently water-less fountain would cost $29 million to fix and make operable again, and the budget for the whole Embarcadero redesign is $32.5 million. Meanwhile, Rec and Parks estimates it will cost just $2.5 million to remove Vaillancourt Fountain.

It is not Phil Ginsburg or Rec and Parks’ decision on whether to remove the fountain. While Rec and Parks technically owns the Sue Bierman Park property, the Arts Commission owns the fountain itself, as a piece of civic artwork. So it is ultimately the decision of the SF Arts Commission on whether the fountain will stay up or be torn down.

That commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 5. But the SF Arts Commission said in a statement to SFist that the matter will be heard by the commission's Visual Arts Committee before going to the full SF Arts Commission.

Note: This post has been updated with a statement from the SF Arts Commission.

Related: Embarcadero Plaza’s Maligned Brutalist Fountain Likely Done For, According to Rec and Parks Official [SFist]

Image:San Francisco, United States - May 28, 2011: The Vaillancourt Fountain at Justin Herman Plaza, designed by Armand Vaillancourt in 1971. (Getty Images)

A once-forgotten 1970 queer film, The Meatrack, has returned to the screen after a partial print was rescued from the trash. The film was directed by Mike Thomas, who ran several local theaters at the time — including the Presidio Theater and North Beach Movie. Often described as a San Francisco take on Midnight Cowboy, the gritty feature follows a bisexual hustler navigating life and love in the city’s underground scene.

Restored by Vinegar Syndrome and distributed by Muscle Distribution, the film captures long-gone landmarks like the Tom Kat Theatre and features local drag legends such as Vicki Marlane. — SFGate

Amy Tan finds truth and solace in birdwatching and journaling

Bay Area native and acclaimed author Amy Tan began nature journaling in 2016 to cope with the stress brought on by escalating social and political tensions. Watching and drawing backyard birds, she discovered profound mysteries and connections in the natural world, inspiring both her art and writing.

Her observations and stories are collected in The Backyard Bird Chronicles, a new book blending nature, memory, and creativity. For Tan, observing the small, intricate behaviors of birds sharpened her understanding of character and morality in fiction, while journaling became a personal act of meaning and emotional truth. — Alta Journal

Bay Area artists paid to advocate for arts community

A new initiative from Vital Arts is paying seven Bay Area artists $1,000 a month for 18 months to collect data from the arts community, host events, and advocate for housing, health care, and fair wages. Formed after the Ghost Ship fire, the nonprofit aims to center artists in policymaking. Application deadline is July 23. — KQED

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Art, beer, and community bring new life to San Jose’s Creekside

San Jose’s Creekside area is finding new life with a vibrant art corridor and spacious beer garden from a local brewery — filling the void left by Google’s scaled-back plans for the neighborhood. The installations celebrate everything from native plants and birds to San Jose’s cultural landmarks and tech heritage.

With food vendors and creative spaces nearby, the neighborhood is reaching its goal of serving as a relaxed gathering spot that blends art, nature, and neighborhood pride. — Bay Area News Group

Steelhead and salmon set to return to Alameda Creek after decades

For the past several decades, steelhead trout and Chinook salmon were blocked from their spawning grounds in Sunol’s Alameda Creek. Now, with help from a small army of biologists and a big dig to reroute a PG&E gas line, the fish are getting their creek back.

The $80 million effort — part infrastructure project, part ecological repair — is racing to finish before migration season. If all goes to plan, salmon could swim freely here for the first time since the 1970s. — Bay Area News Group

Devil’s Slide reimagined as a scenic coastal trail

Just south of SF between Pacifica and Montera, Devil’s Slide is a cliffside trail with stunning ocean views and a dramatic backstory. Once a railroad, then a stretch of Highway 1 notorious for landslides, it was finally converted into a pedestrian and bike path in 2013. The 1.3-mile trail now offers views of whales, dolphins, seals, and nesting seabirds, plus WWII-era bunkers perched above the sea.

Note: As fate would have it, this blurb was written prior to reading about the two recent incidents that occurred in the Devil’s Slide area on Thursday. Enter at your own risk — it is called Devil’s Slide after all. — Secret San Francisco

Pop star Miist finds her voice in Marin

Early in the pandemic, Tiburon resident Miist decided to give songwriting a try when she picked up learning the piano to accompany her soprano singing voice — after persistent nudging from her husband who saw her innate talent. Before she knew it, she was collaborating with Grammy-winning producer Narada Michael Walden, landing Billboard-charting singles, and starring in music videos with millions of views.

Now, with her husband as her full-time manager, she’s using her platform to launch a global kindness movement through music, a podcast, and a new nonprofit dedicated to empathy and connection. — Marin Independent Journal

A taste of Senegal at Embarcadero

Nafy Flatley’s Teranga brings the warmth of Senegalese hospitality to San Francisco’s Embarcadero Center, offering hearty dishes and vibrant drinks inspired by her heritage. What began as a college project blossomed into a thriving restaurant, overcoming early hurdles and pandemic challenges.

With support from SF’s Vacant to Vibrant program, Teranga secured a prime downtown location and continues to grow its loyal customer base. Despite rising import costs and fluctuating foot traffic, Flatley remains optimistic and inspires others to chase their dreams with courage and passion. — The Frisc

Top image: Frameline Film Festival

Previously: Field Notes: Pupusas in the Tenderloin, Trans Quilts, a Band of Librarians, and Award-Winning Beans

Last week: SF is searching for a new Drag Laureate, SoMa's getting the “Four Seasons of bathhouses,” and Rikki's, the Castro's first women's sports bar, is open. This week: Roller disco, drag bingo, Circus Bella, and more.

Week in Review:

Wrapping up the week of June 9–15.

Brown bags no more — open containers are now legal five days a week on Valencia Street. Clay Theater is getting revamped by a local billionaire. The “Four Seasons of bathhouses” is coming to SoMa. Rikki’s, the first women’s sports bar in the Castro—as well the first lesbian bar in decades—is now open for business.

The city is on the hunt for a new Drag Laureate. Facebook suspended and then reinstated author Rebecca Solnit’s Facebook account after she posted an essay about the LA protests. The musical, Co-Founders, which is set in the Bay Area, made its world premiere in SF on Thursday.

Alioto’s is set to be demolished, and the infamous Vaillancourt Fountain at Embarcadero Plaza has been deemed a public hazard. Hopefully the city will let those new renegade benches stay. Dogpatch’s Pier 70 is getting an interesting-looking “multisensory playground” for grown-ups next year.

There were lots of ICE protests this week, leading up to the massive “No Kings” demonstration Saturday. Waymo suspended service in parts of SF and LA during the protests. Two Daily Cal journalists were detained by police and a Chronicle reporter was allegedly shoved to the ground while filming.

MissionLocal is tracking every ICE arrest in San Francisco. The SF and Concord immigration courts abruptly closed Tuesday while cases were still pending. Two Palestinian men with valid visas who were scheduled to speak at various Bay Area interfaith events were denied entry to the US Wednesday.

California Senator Alex Padilla was grabbed, shoved, and forcibly removed Thursday from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s event in LA. Then he went on a media blitz.

Newsom slammed Trump on Tuesday, calling his deployment of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles "authoritarianism.” Meanwhile, Lurie drew criticism for not wanting to poke the bear, but he did threaten to make major arrests during the weekend’s “No Kings” protests.

Nonprofits rallied at City Hall Wednesday, opposing Lurie’s cuts to homeless programs. Lurie announced plans to crack down on RV dwellers.

Santa Clara County plans to use reserve funds to continue offering gender-affirming care to trans residents.

A person was struck by a BART train at North Berkeley station Monday morning, and there were major delays on Wednesday morning. There was a major medical emergency at Hayward Station on Thursday then a second one in or around North Berkeley Station on Friday.

The Week Ahead:

Looking ahead to the week of June 16–22.

Tuesday:

Tuesday Night Roller Disco is a weekly skate party led by D. Miles Jr., featuring themed nights, rotating DJs, and a high-energy atmosphere. Tuesday, June 17, 8p.m. // Church of 8 Wheels, 554 Fillmore St // 18+, $20

Wednesday:

Every first Wednesday at The Faight Collective, unwind with a curated evening of live jazz, funk, and neo-soul from Waters Trio and friends, paired with natural wines from Massanois Imports. A chill neighborhood hangout with good music, good pours, and great vibes. Wednesday, June 18, 7–10p.m. // The Faight Collective, 473A Haight St // $12.50–23

Thursday:

Drag Bingo is a high-energy night of bingo, comedy, and camp, hosted by fabulous drag queens bringing laughs, performances, and prizes with lots of playful audience engagement, free bingo cards, and nonstop entertainment. Thursday, June 19, 7–8:30p.m. // Drag Bingo San Francisco, 358 Ocean Ave // 21+, $30

Friday:

Circus Bella’s “Hoopla” brings a charming one-ring circus experience to Yerba Buena Gardens Festival with acrobats, aerialists, clowns, jugglers, and a live band, blending heart, humor, and classic circus artistry in a modern, open-air performance. The troupe will also be performing two shows at the Gardens on Saturday. Friday, June 20, Noon–1p.m. // Great Lawn, Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission St. between 3rd & 4th Sts // free, all ages

Saturday:

The BASH (Bay Area & Sacramento Short Film Festival) features 22 eclectic local shorts, filmmaker Q&As, audience voting, and challenge film competitions—including monologues and film-in-a-day projects—with trophies and exposure up for grabs. Attendees can also network, pitch projects, and walk the red carpet. Saturday, June 21, 11a.m.–5p.m. // Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, 2 Marina Blvd, Bldg D // $17

The Global Drum Circle offers a meditative and energizing group drumming experience designed to foster connection, self-healing, and joy—no experience required and drums are provided. Led by longtime facilitator David DiLullo, the event emphasizes rhythm as a tool for unity, with participants joining together in spontaneous grooves that shift from soothing to powerful. Saturday June 21, 7:30p.m.–8:45p.m. // 2690 Ocean Ave // Unity Spiritual Center of San Francisco // 18+ $25

Sunday:

Litquake and Lit Camp present a Pride-month author panel spotlighting queer fiction that centers joy, romance, and adventure. Featuring Jonathan Parks-Ramage, Renee Swindle, Edward Underhill, and Shoshana von Blanckensee, with Dominic Lim moderating, the event includes book talk, mingling, and summery drinks—all to celebrate and support queer storytelling. Sunday, June 22, 3–5p.m. // Page Street Co-Working, 297 Page St // $12.50–25

Image: Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

Previously: Last Week, This Week: Queer Caribbean Sounds, KQED Talk, Native Arts Fest, Succulent Expo

The fugly but beloved-to-some Vaillancourt Fountain at Embarcadero Plaza was already on the ropes and uncertain to be kept around, but now the city is fencing it off, as a new architectural report says it's a hazard to the public.

Embarcadero Plaza’s 54-year-old Vaillancourt Fountain already appeared to be on thin ice, after a proposed $30 million renovation of the plaza released last summer did not include the fountain. There was no formal announcement that the some-would-say-appallingly-ugly fountain would be removed, but the fountain was not included in the recent renderings for that redesign, and this has set off some pushback — both from lovers of Brutalist design and from the artist Armand Vaillancourt himself to preserve the fountain.

There’s a new development today that does not bode well for the fountain’s survival. The Chronicle reports that the Vaillancourt Fountain is being fenced off to keep people away, as the city has declared the structure “hazardous.” Per the Chronicle, the installation on the fences was scheduled to start at 7 am Monday morning, and will continue through the week.

The Chronicle obtained the rendering seen above of what the fences will look like, and these are not the huge restrictive fences that were put up 24th Street BART station back when the vending there was out of control. The Chron describes this as “steel mesh security fencing,” which is about 3.5 feet tall, and does not really limit access to the perimeter of the fountain but discourages skateboarding on the fountain's dry pool bed.

Having now gated the thing off, there is clearly an emerging rationale from the city to tear the thing down.

“The fountain isn’t just falling apart — it’s hazardous,” Rec and Parks spokesperson Tamara Aparton told the Chronicle. “The structure is cracked, corroded and missing key supports. Add lead and asbestos to the mix, and it’s a serious safety risk. That’s why we’re fencing it off now, to protect the public while longer term decisions are made.”

“The bottom line is that the fountain is no longer safe to approach or interact with,” she added.

This conclusion comes from a 122-page report from the architectural firm Page & Turnbull on the fountain’s deterioration. Water has not been flowing at the fountain for about a year now, after a pump failure last summer. That report also found that the structure no longer meets seismic safety codes.

The fountain’s designer, 95-year-old Armand Vaillancourt, visited SF last month in hopes of saving it, and claimed it would be cheaper to restore the fountain than to tear it down. But that is not the consensus opinion, as Rec and Parks estimates that restoring the fountain (tearing it down and putting it back together) would cost somewhere between $12 million and $17 million, plus annual maintenance fees of $100,000 each year.

Vaillancourt also claimed that since the structure survived the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, it is therefore proven earthquake-safe. But the Page & Turnbull report does not agree, saying “The structure is likely to yield and deform beyond that deformation already apparent in some of the stress cracking in the concrete.”

That report does not declare that the fountain needs to be torn down. “The fountain does not appear yet to have deteriorated beyond repair,” the assessment says. “Though certain systems and components have, and there may be a variety of approaches to treatment to be explored in future phases that could stabilize and restore it.”  

The decision on whether to keep or remove the fountain will ultimately be made by the SF Arts Commission. That body’s spokesperson commented to the Chronicle, but in vague terms that did not broach the topic of whether the fountain would stay or go.

“The bottom line is that the fountain is no longer safe to approach or interact with," Arts Commission director of communications Coma Te said to the Chron. “The Arts Commission supports Rec and Park’s decision to secure the area as they work to complete planning and design work for the plaza.”

That said, this is not good news for fans of Vaillancourt Fountain. And the fact that the fountain now needs to be fenced off, however slight that fencing is, is certainly ammunition for anyone who wants to see the thing torn down.

Related: 95-Year-Old Artist Behind Often Reviled Embarcadero Plaza Fountain Flies to SF to 'Save' It [SFist]

Image: Another Believer via Wikimedia Commons

Outside Lands promoter Another Planet Entertainment is doing at least one more free concert in downtown SF this summer, as they have once again tapped EDM label Dirtybird Records to throw a one-day free DJ show at the Embarcadero on Saturday, June 14.

When Outside Lands promoter Another Planet Entertainment (APE) got City Hall permission to throw their “weekend after Outside Lands concerts” in Golden Gate Park in 2024, one of the trade-offs they offered was that they’d host some free outdoor concerts downtown to help small businesses in those struggling neighborhoods. And they came through on the deal, with last summer’s glorious Skrillex and Fred Again concert at Civic Center Plaza (which was not free), plus a Portugal.The Man concert and Embarcadero rave hosted by Dirtybird Records (both of which were free).  

And of that Dirtybird Embarcadero dance party, Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office just said in a Friday press release that “Last year's concert in Embarcadero Plaza nearly tripled the foot traffic in the area relative to a typical Sunday, boosting local businesses and supporting the downtown economy.”

And the reason Daniel Lurie is talking about a successful effort by his predecessor London Breed is that his office and the SF Rec and Parks Department just announced another Dirtybird “Back to Baysics” concert at the Embarcadero this year, scheduled for Saturday, June 14, from 1-5 pm.

“We’re excited to be running it back with our partners at Another Planet Entertainment this year with three more free concerts,” Lurie said in that press release. “Last year’s shows brought thousands of people to our downtown, and we’re building on that momentum. Our arts and culture are helping to drive San Francisco’s comeback, and this is a perfect example of that energy."

Above we see the flyer for this event, and… is something missing here? Notably there are no performers announced for this concert. Last year’s announcement made it clear that DJs Sacha Robotti, Moody Jones, and Deron Delgado were spinning, this year’s announcement has no such detail. But last year’s announcement came barely a week before the show, whereas this year’s announcement comes a month and a half before the concert. So this may be understandable.

And given that it’s a free dance party, anyone with a spare molly pill or two laying around would probably circle that calendar date regardless of who’s spinning.  

The show is free, but you’re asked to RSVP in advance.  

Dirtybird Records, of course, is also resurrecting their campout that went on hiatus this summer after a January merger with the weed-focused Mendocino County techno festival Northern Nights.

This is the first such free show announced for summer 2025. But the above tweet from Rec and Parks refers to a “2025 series” of shows, so we can perhaps expect more concert announcements soon.

Related: Dirtybird Campout and Northern Nights Festival Merge for Combined Rave-y Camping Weekend [SFist]

Image: @RecParkSF via Twitter

The Brutalist and not particularly well-liked Villaincourt Fountain at Embarcadero Plaza might be getting demolished and removed, but a gang of enthusiasts, including the designer Villaincourt himself, are on a bender to preserve it.

The local events website Funcheap SF had themselves a viral hit last month with the Facebook post seen below. “Bye concrete fountain! Hello urban oasis with picnic spots, art, and waterfront views!” the post declares, getting 600 reactions and about 80 shares on their announcement that “SF’s new Embarcadero Park is on its way!” This is a reference to the proposed redesign of Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park, and the “Bye concrete fountain!” statement refers to a supposed removal of the striking and some would say appallingly ugly Vaillancourt Fountain that’s been there since 1971.

But Funcheap’s declaration may have been a little premature. There are no formal plans announced yet to remove the fountain. It's just that the architects behind the park’s proposed new design left that fountain out of their renderings, which sure makes you wonder if the fountain’s days are numbered.

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And that’s sounding the alarm for fans of Vaillancourt Fountain, who are rushing to the fountain’s defense, according to the Chronicle. They’ve also started a preserve Embarcadero Plaza and Vaillancourt Fountain website to help make their case.

“The fountain is a striking example of Brutalist architecture. Created by Québécois artist Armand Vaillancourt in 1971, this 40-foot-high fountain is a testament to the transformative vision of the project,” the website says. “Initially conceived to complement the now-demolished Embarcadero Freeway, the fountain has outlived its original context and evolved into a freestanding artistic statement. This resilient monument has survived the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and multiple attempts at removal over its lifetime.”

The water on the fountain, of course, has been shut off for quite some time. And any decision to remove it would be made in public by the SF Rec and Parks Department and the SF Arts Commission.

“There is no final design for the renovation of Embarcadero Plaza that either retains or removes the fountain or the bricks,” Rec and Parks spokesperson Daniel Montes told the Chronicle. “We’re in the early stages of planning and design, working closely with the community and partners to shape the future of the plaza.”

Very interestingly, the fountain’s designer Armand Vaillancourt is still very much alive at age 95, and living in Quebec. And his family says he would come to SF to fight for the fountain’s survival.

“He has always been willing to defend the fate of the fountain,” his son Alexis Vaillancourt told the Chronicle. “This is not the first time that there has been talk about demolishing it, but it is still there after more than 50 years.”  

Related: Mayor Breed Presses Forward With Embarcadero Plaza Revamp on Eve of Election [SFist]

Image: Enoch Lai via Wikimedia Commons

Commentary surrounding the newly installed R-Evolution sculpture on Market Street brings to mind the heated battle over a Marilyn Monroe upskirt statue in Palm Springs. In both cases, many folks have wondered, “Who asked for this?”

As the dust settles from the installation of the new 45-foot-tall statue of a nude woman on Market Street, which is described as “empowering women," more and more people are starting to question, “Who asked for this thing?” While the city claims the massive sculpture will be a huge draw for tourists, opponents wonder whether those tourists will actually spend any significant money downtown. Most importantly, does it justify blocking views of the beloved Ferry Building?

In a recent post, KQED’s Sarah Hotchkiss notes that the statue doesn’t make sense outside the context of the Burningman playa. She also points out the large gender imbalance in public art (PDF) and argues that art isn't inherently feminist just because it depicts a woman:

R-Evolution, in a very old-fashioned way, is not a singular person, but a self-declared symbol of “divine feminine energy” — a giant nude sculpture of a woman made by a man. We should know by now that a depiction of a woman is not inherently feminist.

But when we give our public space over to third-party art agencies and privately funded artwork, maybe all we can expect is out-of-place aesthetics and half-baked messages of representation.

It all brings to mind a brilliant Slate article from last summer detailing the three-year battle over a 26-foot Marilyn Monroe upskirt statue that was installed in a prominent location in downtown Palm Springs in 2021. Some disgruntled residents argued that the statue blocked the iconic view along Museum Way approaching the town's modern art museum, and other opponents said it served as a “monument to misogyny.” Proponents claimed that the statue drew thousands of visitors downtown every month.

Fashion designer Trina Turk and real estate agent Chris Menrad raised funds to file a lawsuit demanding that the city move the statue somewhere less prominent. An agreement was made last July to move the statue to a park adjacent to the museum.

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As SFist commenters have suggested, perhaps Hayes Valley is a better fit for SF's 45-foot lady of steel.

Back in the summer of 2022, 288 specially designed tiles were installed along San Francisco’s Embarcadero seawall, which are now brimming with marine life, including barnacles, mussels, and algae, marking significant progress in the Living Seawall Pilot.

For the past few years, scientists from Tiburon-based Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) have been monitoring the 288 tiles that they installed along three parts of the seawall — the Pier 45 Breakwater, the Agricultural Building Seawall, and the South Beach Harbor East Breakwater, which are designed to help the seawall function as a habitat for marine life.

As reported by SFist back in 2022, this effort is part of the Living Seawall Pilot, a partnership between the Port of San Francisco and SERC to make the seawall more eco-friendly and better prepared for sea level rise. The tiles mimic natural shapes like coral or mangrove roots, offering nooks and surfaces where sea life can grow, hide, and thrive.

Researchers are comparing different textures and tile sizes at a variety of depths to see what works best in the Bay’s unique environment. According to KPIX, early results are promising — these once-bare concrete walls are now brimming with sea life, including barnacles, mussels, oysters, sponges, sea stars, and algae.

The pilot also supports long-term goals. With sea levels projected to rise nearly two feet in the next 30 years, the Bay Area is exploring more sustainable, resilient solutions for protecting infrastructure and ecosystems. These living seawalls cost about $1 million — a fraction of the $425 million bond measure (Proposition A, 2018) passed to upgrade San Francisco’s waterfront.

In addition to supporting  biodiversity, the seawalls could also help guard against erosion and earthquake damage — making them a win for both nature and city planning.

Image: Jared Erondu/Unsplash

Union Square was forced to abandon its plans for placing a 45-foot-tall Burning Man statue of a nude woman there, but the statue has found a different home at the Embarcadero, and will have its unveiling on April 10.

We learned last month that a planned 45-foot-tall statue of a nude woman that was scheduled to be placed in SF’s Union Square in early February had an unfortunate dressing down, as it was determined that the 16,000-pound structure would be too heavy for Union Square’s tiles.

Sculptor Marco Cochrane’s statue called R-Evolution had already appeared at Burning Man 2015, in Petaluma, Miami Beach, and the Las Vegas Strip, and when the Union Square cancellation was announced, there were hopes that the installation could just be moved to the Embarcadero.

And that’s what’s going to happen. The SF Examiner reported in early March that the SF Arts Commission approved putting the statue at Embarcadero Plaza. The above rendering gives you a sense of where it will be at the Embarcadero.

Today the SF Standard has some follow-up reporting that the R-Evolution has its unveiling scheduled for Thursday, April 11. That’s confirmed by a just-published Eventbrite invite, which notes there’s a 5 pm artist's market and a 6:30 set of remarks leading up to the unveiling.  

That April 11 date is unfortunately not a Downtown First Thursdays party, which the original February 6 date would have been. But we are still promised a bar and an artist market, a bunch of DJs from the Opulent Temple crew, and the invite says “The first 200 guests will receive an artist poster.”

The sculptor Marco Cochrane is expected to attend, as is the model for the statue Deja Solis who posed for it while in her mid-20s. She’s now 45.

The statue is scheduled to stay there for six months, though that could be extended to a year. The funding for the statue all came from private sources, largely the Sijbrandij Foundation.

Related: 45-Foot Statue of Nude Woman Not Coming to Union Square After All, But Might End at Embarcadero Plaza [SFist]

Image: Marco Cochrane

A mid-November fatal stabbing on Market Street outside the Embarcadero BART station will not be charged as a murder, as DA Brooke Jenkins says her office cannot prove the suspect wasn’t acting in self-defense.

Sometime around 5:45 am on Wednesday, November 13, SFPD responded to a fatal stabbing at Market and Main streets, outside the Embarcadero BART station, where the suspect escaped and was not immediately found. Then nearly two weeks later, BART Police arrested someone for fare evasion, and that person turned out to be the suspect in this stabbing, 36-year-old Jonathon Wright.

But now KPIX reports that San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’s office will not be charging Wright with murder. That decision came Monday, as the DA’s office does not feel they can prove Wright wasn't acting in self-defense.  

“We are unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect was not acting in self-defense,” Jenkins’s office said in a statement. “It is always our goal to prosecute cases ethically, fairly and impartially.”

A Tuesday morning check of SF County Jail records shows that Wright is no longer in custody, and is presumably now a free man.

The victim in the fatal stabbing still has not been named publicly.

Though as KPIX notes, it is still possible that the DA’s office could bring charges against Wright in the future, should other evidence surface.

Related: Man Found Fatally Stabbed Near Embarcadero BART Station [SFist]

Image: Google Street View

A new French bistro, with a focus on Champagne and small plates, has just debuted at Pier 3 on SF's Embarcadero, from the owner of Sens at Embarcadero Center, and Barcha in SoMa.

We first heard about Bon Delire almost a full year ago, when owner Kais Bouzidi said he would transform the former Hard Water space, with its big, U-shaped central bar, into a French-inspired spot featuring "French tapas" and "lots of bubbles." And now, as of Tuesday the place is open — reservations can be found here, though the website is still under construction.

Bouzidi grew up in Paris and moved to San Francisco in his 20s, and he tells the Chronicle this week that he was "envisioning something" of his own in the Hard Water space from the first time he stepped into it. He says he jumped to take over the space when Charles Phan announced Hard Water's permanent closure in 2022.

Bon Delire, which means "good fun" in French, features a newly French-ified bar — with a new zinc top, naturally — as well as zinc-topped cafe tables around the perimeter, evoking classic Parisian bistros. But by the door you will now find a DJ booth and a shelf of records displayed in niches, and Bouzidi tells the Chronicle that you can expect a soundtrack of American and French music, curated from his own collection.

Rose-hued lighting and paint add to the mood.

The menu from Sens and Barcha chef Vernon Morales will include smaller items like oil-preserved anchovies, tartines, and escargot — served traditionally in snail shells with garlic butter — and entrees including a burger, steak tartare, coq au vin, and steak frites with black peppercorn sauce.

An upcoming brunch menu will feature quiches, a croque madame, and a croque monsieur, and the lunch menu also features sandwiches and salads.

The concise wine list has been curated by Patrick Thillard, co-owner of Polk Gulch wine bar Ora, with a French focus.

The place also has an outdoor patio with about 25 seats for warmer-weather days.

Bon Delire joins a slow but steady collection of new and new-ish spots downtown, including the splashy Bar Sprezzatura, Holbrook House, Alora, and Prelude.

There’s a towering new statue between the Ferry Building and Pier 1 of a nine-foot-tall woman dressed in jogging apparel, and the work “As Sounds Turn to Noise" will be there on loan from a gallery in Los Angeles for the next six months.

It has long been pointed out that there are hardly any statues of women in San Francisco. And there is only one statue of a Black person in the city (sigh, it’s Willie Brown). But KGO reports there is a new statue of a Black woman just installed next to the Ferry Building, and it’s Thomas J Price's new work “As Sounds Turn to Noise."

KGO was there for the installation Tuesday, seen above. The towering bronze statue is nine feet tall, and it’s of a Black woman with braids, wearing a crop top and athletic pants, and staring aloofly into the distance and without much discernible expression. And that may be the point of much of British sculptor Thomas J Price’s work.

“When it comes to public art, who gets to decide who is memorialized? With his larger-than-life sculptures, Thomas J Price makes it possible for everyday people, especially Black men and women who are often not represented in sculptural art, to see themselves reflected,” SF Arts Commission director of cultural affairs Ralph Remington said in a release. “The Arts Commission is thrilled to partner with the Port of San Francisco to bring As Sounds Turn to Noise to our City’s beautiful and iconic waterfront where visitors and locals alike will be able to experience it up close and personal.”

The statue had been up at Los Angeles’ Hauser & Wirth Gallery for the summer of 2023, as part of Price’s exhibit Beyond Measure. All of those statues featured expressionless Black subjects doing mundane things, or nothing at all. The gallery said the exhibit “amplifies the visibility of marginalized bodies and challenges our preconceived attitudes towards power and value.”  

According to the SF Arts Commission, “As Sounds Turn to Noise" will remain on the Embarcadero “through January 2025, with the possibility of an extension.”

Related: Rogue Butterfly Statue Goes Up in Golden Gate Park, But City Hall Swats It Down [SFist]

Image: SF Arts Commission