Photo du Jour 655
"This is not a meth pipe" by Gene at HoodscopeSF, found at Market and Castro.
Meth-Infused Driver Arrested Near Amgen Tour of California
Oh dear. This fractured face here is in all sorts of trouble after allegedly trying to mow down pedestrians near the Amgen Tour of California route on Tuesday afternoon. According to BCN (via CBS 5), "police received reports of a person driving erratically in a green Mercury minivan near the bike race route. He appeared to be trying to run into pedestrians." It should come as no surprise that the incident occurred in Santa Cruz -- that adorable, wacky city that seems to have crashed into California during an acid trip -- and that the suspect, Abraham Kelly, 40, was arrested at the creepy Valero gas station at Mission Street and Miramar Avenue.
Crystal Meth? What's That? Asks Executive Director of the City's Housing Authority
Last Thursday, the New York Times published a piece about the trials and travails of a bunch of old ladies living in a San Francisco Housing Authority building in the Castro that was overrun by crystal meth fiends. Apparently, the old ladies repeatedly complained to the Housing Authority about the addicts in their midst and were, unsurprisingly, pooh-poohed for their troubles. The neighborhood had to collapse into the gutter followed by a police raid on the building to shut down the resident meth lab before the Housing Authority was willing to take steps to evict the meth addicts.
SF Bay Guardian Does Drugs
The Guardian's Drug Issue is out, and it's laced (that's editor Steven T. Jones' word, not ours) with "good shit" ranging from a piece about women's meth use on the rise in SF; a roundup of trippy literature; the requisite piece about marijuana decriminalization; a meditation on the evolution of nightlife drugging by Marke B; and a handy guide to hallucinogen use at Burning Man--especially handy for those, like us, who weren't previously familiar with the terms "candy-flipping" (using LSD and ecstasy together) or "hippie-flipping" (shrooms and ecstasy).
Sarah Palin, Meth Kingpin
OK, not really. But while VP candidate Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002, the area (specifically the Matanuska-Susitna area) won the title of Meth Capital of Alaska. (An aside: check out the SLOG today to see Palin get ripped to shreds, you know, if that's your thing.) We recommend you read this article out about the tweakiest city in Alaska during '02-'03, which features kids going hungry, the authorities doing very little, and one 13-year-old Wasilla boy bragging to the fuzz that his "mom cooked the best meth in the valley." Lucky bastard. (Juneau Empire)
Alice Morning Radio Show's Sarah & Vinnie Together Again
Earlier in July, SFist reported that Alice 97.3's Morning Radio Show booted No Name (AKA Mike Nelson) from the (allegedly) popular morning program. Reason given for ridding Nelson from the zany morning team was that the show was going to move in a "different direction." And by "different" they meant "backwards," it seems. See, Vinnie (who used to be Sarah's partner before getting fired in 2002 for partying too hard with his pal Tina, thus forcing him into rehab) will return again. Wee. According to SF Weekly, "tomorrow listeners will hear a very familiar voice joining Sarah. That’s right, Vinnie’s back!" Read more about it here.
And So It Begins
Aside from Juanita More's party at Bambuddha Lounge, the Frameline Film Fest, KRON4 fag hag Jan Wahl's coverage of the parade, the meth cloud that will hover above Beck's Motor Lodge, and the bittersweet tang of buried shame rising to the surface, we can't say we're looking forward to this month's melee. We're just that cool. Or bitter. Or both.
Mission Mission's "I Lost Me To Meth" Coaster Contest
Oh wow. Mission Mission is offering a free pack of "I Lost Me to Meth" coasters to one lucky reader who can come up with the niftiest meth-related anecdote. So, tweakers of San Francisco, now it is your turn to shine as bright as your foreheads. Send Mission Mission your choicest sex-for-cash, this-month's-rent-goes-bye-bye, and sold-my-DVDs-to-Amoeba tales of meth-related woe. (Required PSA of concern: If you've succumbed to speed's siren song, there's nothing to be ashamed of, you know? Simply visit Tweaker.org for more info on getting help.)
Tweaked Anti-Meth Campaign Posters
Gay men and uppers go together like peanut butter and chocolate. It's just the way God wanted it. But that hasn't stopped Joel Schumacher's "I Lost Me to Meth" campaign from saturating San Francisco, even though meth use is down as of last year, before the campaign began.
I Lost Me to the Russian Consolate's Spying Tactics
This sign was found at Geary and 21st Ave.
We Lost Sonoma County to Meth, Drug Bust Biggest In Years
Take, for example, Sonoma County, which played host to one of the "biggest meth busts in the Bay Area" on Tuesday night. Three people were arrested after a trucking company in Cotati was raided by the DEA.
I Lost Me--and Faith In Drug Awareness Campaigns--to Meth
And speaking of methamphetamines, this above always unleashes a big brouhaha in the bent community: to chastise or not to chastise zippy drug use. The most recent ad campaign--a four-month media blitz produced by the California Methamphetamine Initiative called "Me, Not Meth"--can been seen throughout the city, mainly in the Castro and SOMA arrondisments. And those ads you've seen on TV, featuring men sitting at their desks and talking into webcams? Part of the same ad and directed by Joel Schumacher. SF Aids Foundation has more info here.
Huge Bay Area Meth Ring Bust
Your weekend just got a little sleepier. Ten locations, including two in San Francisco, were busted today in connection with a methamphetamine distribution setup that went from San Francisco and the Bay Area all the way to Mexico. Federal, state, and local law enforcement. In total 13 people were arrested. According to KGO:

