Misguided and borderline xenophobic Mission residents, fooling themselves and others into the grand illusion that they're caring and creative ilk, recently NIMBY'd out all over their new surroundings. Again. This time it had to do with the superbly-titled Gunz & Bunz sandwich shop on 24th and Folsom. The name, derived from a popular fast-food chain in Beirut called Buns and Guns, offended a smattering of full-diaper neighbors scared about violence. Neighbors who threatened the owner to change the sign, or else. Neighbors who never bothered to ask the owner about the name.
Mission NIMBYs Force Fun Deli to Change Name
Afternoon Palate Cleanser: Dregs One Takes On Gentrification
Speaking of Mission Mission, they bring our attention to "SF native and hip hop artist" Dregs One's new series called The Wake Up Report. His first episode concerns the incurable force known as gentrification.
Board of Supervisors Approves Hunters Point Redevelopment Plan
As expected, the S.F. Board of Supervisors voted to approve the massive Hunters Point redevelopment project on Tuesday. "After years of debate," SF Appeal reports, "the Board of Supervisors gave first approval to a bevy of legislation that would allow Lennar Corporation...
Housing Group Occupies Mission T-Mobile Building
A smattering of folks partially responsible for Mission gentrification made an attempt to chip away at its glossy veneer on Monday. Last night at around 5 p.m., according to Mission Local, a "group of housing activists occupied the vacant second floor of a building on the corner of 20th and Mission Streets Monday night and said they don’t plan to leave unless they are forced out."
Wall Street Journal On Temescal
"Oakland's answer to San Francisco's Mission District," Temescal is, arguably, one of Oakland's finest neighborhoods. As Curbed noted earlier today, the WSJ review is downright intriguing, not to mention highly informative, when praising (or criticizing) the O-town hood as the latest home to yuppie/hipster hybrids.
Punk-Drag Party Charlie Horse Killed By Neighbor Noise Complaints
The expanding War on Fun has taken another life, ladies and germs. Marke B. over at the SFBG reports that punk-politico drag queen Anna Conda has decided to call it quits on her weekly Friday party Charlie Horse at the Cinch after complaining Polk Street neighbors brought the bar before the Entertainment Commission. Rather than "take a break" and try to tone down the often raucous drag night (where it was likely the noisy smoking porch out back and the spillover out front that brought the complaints) Anna has decided to put a bullet in the head of this five-year-old party and pursue other ventures.
SF Sex Club To Hopefully Re-Open Soon
Power Exchange, the 13-year-old sex club formerly located at 72 Otis that shutdown last year due to financial difficulties, wanted to open again, this time at 44 Gough. All was going according to plan, until one perturbed citizen, Lisa Dunmeyer, a Brady Street resident, put the kibosh on the popular humping space. It seems that said sex club (allegedly) attracted an unsavory crowd, one that would embarrass her in front of her guests. "When she had friends over," reports Mission Local, "they couldn’t believe the action. Cars circled the block blasting music, and prostitutes walked up and down the street."
Chain Store Threatens Cultural Integrity of SF Neighborhood
Evil, culturally unrich, dastardly home improvement chain Lowe's is planning to open a store on Bayshore Boulevard. According to the SF Chronicle, it's in the negotiation stages. If you recall, a Home Depot planned on setting up shop in the same area, but backed out at the eleventh hour.
Bree, Let Us Take You Out and Show You the Real SF
Even when obvious troll is obvious, readers still wring their hands and pull their hair. Take, for example, brilliant Curbed commenter "Bree" from OC. See, Bree, who is the unofficial mascot of SFist until further notice, allegedly hails from Orange County and would like to know where in SF she and her fetch friends can live on the cheap in la Mission. In a heated American Apparel post, Bree asks for Frisco's help.
'Stop American Apparel' Meeting Tonight
In struggle, the Stop American Apparel coalition will meet at The Makeout Room at 7 p.m. tonight to discuss their plans at stopping the clothing store from opening in the Mission. They'll have "full color posters for you to take with you as well as petitions and postcards." If you remember, a few comfortably wealthy folks in the Mission do not want an American Apparel store opening up in the neighborhood because getting old sucks, chains are allegedly ugly (never mind the fact that there is a Sketchers and McDonald's just one block down on the more Latino-laced Mission Street), and they would prefer to keep the area "a corridor of outstanding independent businesses." Judging by our poll, most of you don't care whether or not an American Apparel opens shop on posh Valencia Street. But for those of you who do, you can check out tonight's meeting. Bonus points go out to those of you who snap shots of yourselves wearing American Apparel at the meeting. Tee hee.
Is the Mission Really Up in Arms Over American Apparel?
Mission Mission, the one true voice of the Mission district as far as we're concerned, brings up the American Apparel brouhaha. If you recall, American Apparel is dropping a spore smack dab on chic Valencia Street. And the people of skid row are up in arms over it. Or so it seems. As Allan Hough asks, "Is the whole neighborhood up in arms?
Elite Shuns "Big Box" American Apparel Store on Valencia
In what's being billed as the retail "hipster wars" of the Mission, 988 Valencia will soon call sleaze designer American Apparel home. That is, if the scraggly elite of the Mission get their way. Local scribe and former prostitute Stephen Elliott is none too thrilled about this "chain store" opening up, going on to clarify the following at stopamericanapparel.wordpress.com.
Passion Cafe Allows Diners To Look Down On Starving Sixth Steet Urchins
Over at San Francisco's ninth circle of hell, Sixth and Stevenson streets, Eater reports that a chic French bistro/bakery/cafe will move into the area's old pawnshop. Calling itself Passion Cafe, the future eatery will add a nice balance to the the hood's Happy Donut/Tu Lan stronghold. What's more, there's chatter about possible rooftop garden dining there, too. Eater says that if it's done well, it "would definitely be a cool feature." Oh, you have no idea, Paolo. We'll eat there every night if we get to see images like this as we stuff our face. (Eater)
Day Around the Bay
-- And then Nancy was all, "Like, what the hell, you guys?" [SF Examiner] -- The Central Subway Project. [Transbay Blog] -- Now you don't have to leave your bedroom to travel. Ever again. Yay! [The Tech Chronicles] -- The seven rules for talking (and not screaming self-righteously) about gentrification. [Neighbors Project] -- Behold: SF Weekly's new food blog. [SFoodie] -- A censure-free DiFi. [SFBG] -- After it was revealed that he was, and...
That Smell
Yum! Did you smell something nasty in downtown SF yesterday? Some people described it like raw sewage, and others like rotting meat. Turns out it was from the sewage holding system, which was ripening in the sun faster than it was getting flushed into the system.
We Read The Weeklies
Last week's winner, the Bay Guardian. We should totally put needle disposal boxes in Golden Gate Park. Also, C.W. Nevius says that Newsom called him and yelled at him for 45 minutes after he wrote his first article on the issue. We'd put that call on mute. Gentrification is destroying Polk Street. City contractors still use sweatshop labor. Annalee Newitz has mice. Sonic Reducer's still at the Guardian. Cover article: Local bands to watch. You've got your whisky swillers, your barefoot folksters, your hip-hoppers, and some fey whimsy. And read Marke B's column and show him not everyone's away for Burning Man!
Week Around The -ists
Banner week for SFist as the site's new editor introduced himself -- hooray for Brock! While the NY Times weighed in on SF's mayoral race, only SFist had the hard-hitting latest on candidate/activist Josh Wolf. Coverage of a protest vs. gentrification spawned a fantastic debate amongst SFist's readers. Finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous: video of a man that confused a Board of Supes meeting with "open mic night" and sang a custom version of Madonna's "Borderline" to a much-beleaguered board member.
Day Around The Bay
--Picture of a woman collecting bottles from people in the iPhone line by reader zombie. Thanks for sending them in, zombie! [ZombieTime.]
Day Around the Bay
-You know what $250 bucks at a fundraiser gets you for lunch? A lunch box of sushi. That's it. For $250 bucks, we'd want kobe beef in gold infused soy sauce in a bed of rare Nepalese quail. On the other hand, you did get to listen to Hillary.
Week in -Ists
Before we begin, we'd like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of James Kim. We are not, by any means, trying to discount that tragedy by juxtaposing posts about the Kims with more light-hearted posts. It's the nature of doing a compilation such as this one: we're trying to give a full slice of the goings-on in the Ist-a-Verse: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Day Around the Bay
Pete Wilson (the anchor, not the ex-Governor) says "sorry about that" over his comments in regards to gay people having babies.
-Oakland sues landlord for being very, very bad.
Up With Peoples'
Has all our elections coverage on the 'Fist gotten your progressive fire up? Do you want to meet Chris Daly and (possibly) Matt Gonzalez? Do you maybe just want to hear some jazz on a Saturday afternoon? Well, grab your Noam Chomsky book and head on out to St. Mary's Cathedral (1111 Gough at Geary) this Saturday, Sept. 30 for an all-day convention of the SF Peoples' Organization (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.).
We Read The Weeklies
Last week's winner, the Bay Guardian: Mocking Dede Wilsey and Newsom about the DeYoung parking situation. The Guardian gets distracted from its single-minded focus on Village Voice LLC to decry MediaNews's purchase of the San Jose Merc News. Letter from a Peoples Temple survivor asking for further investigations into a CIA conspiracy. Hipsters worry that they're accidentally causing gentrification in Oakland. Sonic Reducer reviews an album of songs sung by actors. You know, we may have to download the version of Ewan McGregor singing Sade (or Jennifer Garner singing a show tune. It's totally awesome to work out to!!!!!.) A review of the Flipper reunion show from April 8. It took them a month to get that up? New brunch place in Noe Valley, Shanghai soup dumplings in the Sunset. Cover: Daniel Clowes. And SFist Eve's horoscope: be more confrontational. Watch out, crazy commenters!
The SF Weekly: Nate Cavallieri, ex-Weekly writer, won a journalism award for his cover article about a guy who works with gang members. Congratulations, Nate! Matt Smith on Chris Daly, Mission Housing, and someone saying that Daly speaks with a "forked tongue" -- outraged Matt Smith spittle flying everywhere! N.B.: Matt Smith reports that Chris Daly has adopted a policy of "not speaking to me." Gay cop sues. Orphan pigeon rescue. Cover article: why won't the SF Unified School District back smaller schools? Meredith goes BBQ, while SFist Ced roasts some ribs of his own! And Savage Love: do any fetishists want to buy a letter-writer's breast milk? Direct all responses to Dan Savage, not us.
The EBX's Best Of issue, and the Metro -- after the jump.
Give Trees A Chance
That's all we are saying in our Dog Patch neighbourhood where officials have been trying to improve the sidewalks by planting rows of young saplings.
Breaking News Story: Alien Invasion!
Picture this story with the Drudge Report flashing lights, but we have an exclusive, late-breaking and developing story from The Weekly World News: ALIENS ARE COMING TO SAN FRANCISCO! We repeat, ALIENS ARE COMING TO SAN FRANCISCO.
According to the story (which is so hot that it's not linked to, and the fact that the Weekly World News doesn't put their stories online is criminal), the aliens in question are from Mercury and are said to be "short" and "red-skinned." Last week, the state legislature and the Governor voted to give a square mile in between China Town and Nob Hill (there goes the strip clubs) to the aliens from Mercury, or as there known Mercurians. With the land given to them, the Mercurians will build housing for themselves "made of solidified liquid mercury and powered by solar panels" something that will make the Mayor happy because it's in keeping with his big Green Initiative.
Stage Fog: Your Pre-Halloween Party
Hey, the party's not till Monday, so check out some crazy characters hitting SF stages this weekend.

