Hard French, El Rio's award-winning afternoon queer dance party in the Mission District, turned soft over the weekend after several of its Facebook followers (i.e., commenters) took offense to their naming their Cinco de Mayo's party "Pico de Gallo." Some daytime disco fans thought the salsa-themed title was a touch racist. For whatever reasons. Furthermore, club promoters (quite cleverly) encouraged revelers to come dressed as their favorite Pico de Gallo ingredient — e.g., tomatoes, red onion, jalapenos, garlic, etc. Intended to mock the drunk, white frat boys and brogrammers who party in the Mission wearing sombreros on May 5th, some Hard French fans took umbrage and found the entire bit culturally insensitive. Some were angered yet begged for more "dialogue". Some simply didn't care. Either way it made for interesting commentary and fist-shaking that only voices on the interwebs can muster. A few choice Facebook moments: more ›

The UC Berkeley Republicans plan to host a provocative "Increase Diversity Bake Sale" this Thursday, one that many have decried as racist. Why? Well, because the bake sale's organizers plan to charge different students different amounts for the cupcakes. The price structure is as follows: more ›

Former Smiths lead singer and avowed racist Morrissey will make a pitstop at the Fox Theater later this year. The (not so) sensitive crooner will appear with Kristeen Young at the Fox Theater on December 1st, with ticket prices ranging from $49.50 - $75. more ›

According to the Associated Press, a San Jose Panda Express is in a world of trouble after allegedly discriminating against Latino employees. "Federal officials are suing a San Jose Panda Express, accusing the restaurant of making Latino workers clean toilets and perform other menial work while Asian employees stood around and watched." The suit also claims that the manager "disciplined Latino employees more harshly and more frequently than their Asian counterparts." more ›

While hate crimes against blacks, gays, and Jewish folks dropped in 2010, the California Attorney General's reports a jarring 47 increase in hate crimes committed against Latinos last year. SF Weekly reports that "hate crimes against Latinos increased from 81 in 2009 to 119 in 2010, a 46.9-percent jump." While the glaring rise in crimes committed against California Latinos cannot be explained -- "We just compile the reports, we don't really opine," said a spokesperson for the attorney general's office -- feel free to give us your thoughts in the comments. [SFW] more ›

Criminal charges brought against Deshon Marman, the University of New Mexico football player and San Francisco native pulled off a U.S. Airways flight during a scuffle over his saggy pants, have been dropped by the San Mateo County District Attorney's office this morning. According to DA Steve Wagstaffe, the criminal charges were unnecessary "in light of all the circumstances surrounding the incident." The announcement comes after a group of protestors including Marman's family, representatives from civil rights groups and a San Francisco supervisor gathered on the steps of City Hall yesterday to protest the incident. more ›

Sen. Leland Yee received some sort of death threat today - a faxed death threat, no less - after performance artist Rush Limbaugh's humor-free tirade about the Chinese language. more ›

Oh dear. Here we go. City workers are banned from traveling to Arizona for official work. SF Gate reports: "San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today a moratorium on official city travel to Arizona after the state enacted a controversial new immigration law that directs local police to arrest those suspected of being in the country illegally." Unless, among other exceptions, law enforcement needs to travel to AZ for crime investigation. Oh, and this rule goes into effect immediately. [via SFGate] more ›

On Monday, St. Mary's instructor Louis Lebherz was ordered to apologize to his class and complete diversity training after instructing a student to sing a certain song from Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat, "Ol' Man River". It seems Lebherz made the student croon the "original version" of the ditty in front of the class, which included the following lyrics: "Niggers all work on de Mississippi/Niggers all work while de white folks play...". Altered versions of the song include substituting the racial epithet with "darkies" (changed in 1938 by Paul Roberson who sang the song in the original show), with "colored folks" for the 1946 revival, and elimination altogether with the infamous line now typically reading, "Here we all work on de Mississippi..." (Another example of musical theater cleaning up its act, i f you will, is Sondheim's "You Could Dive A Person Crazy," which now substitutes the line "...if a person was a fag" with "...if a person was a drag.") more ›

A Northern California man was arrested in connection with making "threatening phone calls to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over health care reform." Sparked by racist hate group The Tea Party (let's just say), the unidentified man, according to Associated Press, "made dozens of calls to Pelosi's homes in California and Washington, as well as to her husband's business office, reciting her home address and saying if she wanted to see it again, she would not support the health care overhaul bill that was recently enacted." more ›

The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension on Lincoln Avenue in Oakland was vandalized with hateful graffiti over the weekend. A giant swastika, dirty words and "other racial epithets" were, according to CBS 5, found spray-painted on the exterior walls and ground. Police are treating it as a hate crime, "examining photos of the graffiti to see if it may be linked to local gangs." more ›

During a breakfast to celebrate a $412 million June-ballot bond to seismically retrofit a city buildings, San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón made a comment, according the SF Chronicle, about how the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant "is susceptible not just to an earthquake, but also to members of the city's Middle Eastern community parking a van in front of it and blowing it up." more ›

At an event hosted by the League of Young Voters, Supervisor Eric Mar had some provoking comments about recent city worker layoffs. Though the plan to layoff some 15,000 city workers then rehire them with a 37.5 hour work week would "put $110 million back into the city’s leaking coffers," Richmond Blog reports, Mar slammed it as "totally the wrong thing to do." more ›

Our old pal Zennie editorializes today on his City Brights blog about the "negro" comments made by Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid in regard to Obama's candidacy back in '08. Zennie says that Reid's comments may have been racist, but the man is not, and he goes on to make the (somewhat spurious) argument that, "Much has changed since Barack Obama became the 44th President of The United States, specifically attitudes about race and the overall willingness to talk about race and racism." He also brings up the fact that many (older) African Americans didn't believe Obama could get elected, which was racist in itself. more ›

A dimwitted justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, recently denied an interracial couple a marriage license. Why? Like we need to tell you why. But we will: said justice of peace, Keith Bardwell, explained to Associated Press his reasoning, "'I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way ... I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else." more ›

Our old trekkie pal Zennie Abraham is back on his City Brights blog questioning the display currently in the windows at the Calvin Klein store in the Westfield Centre. A reader wrote in to say s/he thought it provoked images of African-American lynchings, given the ropes and, we suppose, the fact that these are literally black mannequins. We would argue it looks a lot more like circus/gymnastics imagery to us, given the trapeze and all, but sure, someone could make an argument that the bodies randomly slung by two ropes are questionable. Anyway, it's hardly a question for national concern, but Zennie has put up a poll and he's asking you to vote. We've embedded the poll here, so, for Zennie's sake, please let him know what you think. more ›

Our current obsession? Concord. Why? Because the craziest stuff goes down there. Claycord, Contra Costa Country's best blog for breaking and bizarre East Bay news, reported on an unidentified pilot who has been harassing the fine citizens of Concord with their low-flying plane. Annoying, right? But wait, it gets better. Or worse. See, just last night said plane (allegedly) dropped offensive flyers meant for the city's Canterbury Village neighborhood. According to Claycord, "[t]he low flying plane was heard once again the morning of the thunder and lightning storms over the weekend." Later, "an anonymous resident of Thornwood Drive found the flyer pictured [here] in her backyard, then found more scattered on her street, in her neighbor's yard & in some bushes." The racially-insensitive flyers have the name of the small plane's pilot's girlfriend. Go here to read more about the drama in Concord. more ›

If you're not reading Curbed, you're missing out. On a lot. Take, for example, this Bernal Heights home (638 Banks St Unit 638-A) they came across, which is currently on the market. The decision to use this, um, decorative comforter to sell a house in San Francisco sure does pop, doesn't it? more ›

Brittney Gilbert over at Eye On Blogs stumbled across this gem: delicious chicken snacks named "Obama Fingers," made in Deutschland and featuring the Golden Gate Bridge on the package. more ›

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose -- an elected official who blasted friends and colleagues with this racist email -- has resigned today. The "No Easter egg hunt this year" email, followed by a White House adorned with watermelon groves, peeved some of the recipients. more ›

Oh, Orange County. We do miss you sometimes. more ›

A little over a week ago, Jan. 24, seven male suspects beat a UPS employee (who is black) in a park in the 3500 block of Morningside Drive in the city of Richmond. And it looks like the victim might have been baited. According to reports, the UPS driver walked to a nearby gas station after leaving work, wherein he met a group of men who offered him a ride home. After drinking a few round, they stopped at a park and the UPS worker used a restroom, "where he was struck in the back of the head by one of the suspects." The other men joined in the attack, yelling "racial epithets and fracturing the victim's face bones." Vile. All seven unidentified suspects are in custody. This comes on the heels of a Richmond lesbian who was brutally gang raped and beaten after a few Richmond pigs noticed the rainbow flag sticker on her car bumper. more ›

Gothamist reports on popular Greenwich Village bakery Lafayette French Pastry's latest sweet treat, a "Drunken Negro Face" cookie in "honor" of President Obama. Actually, bakery proprietor Ted Kefalinos calls them "Drunken [N-word] Face" cookies, at least according to a My FOX NY report. He allegedly told a customer, "Would you like some drunken negro heads to go with your coffee? They're in honor of our new president. He's following in the same path of Abraham Lincoln; he will get his." more ›

White San Jose resident Scott Pontzious was arrested and charged with a hate crime yesterday. The 28-year-old, English-only zealot was pinched after allegedly attacking another man because he was speaking Spanish on his cell phone. Pontzious, according to reports, told the victim that he needed to speak English, then assaulted him yesterday afternoon at Saratoga and Latimer Avenues. He is currently staying at the Santa Clara County jail. The Spanish speaking man is expected to live. more ›

New cellphone footage of the night of Oscar Grant's murder has surfaced. What does it show? It seems, according to reports, a second BART officer, not Johannes Mehserle, can be seen assaulting a suspect moments before Grant's shooting death. In the footage, the officer, named Tony Pirone, goes over to one of the New Year's Day men who was sitting on the ground and clocks him square in the face. KTVU had this to say after viewing the footage: more ›

Joe Eskenazi at SF Weekly points out a bit of San Francisco Giants' promotional material gone horribly awry. It seems, while promoting African American Heritage Night (8/22), this is the best the Giants copywriting team could come up with: "The package includes more then just a $20 discounted Friday night ticket with proceeds going to a local community group charity - it also includes a seat in the African American section of the park as well as Giants PA Announcer Renel Brooks-Moon talking bobblehead." Oops. Eskenazi ends the item right-quick for fear of making any cruel racist jokes, effectively sidestepping snide remarks about next week's Zionist Hoodlum Night (8/25). (SFW) more ›

In the second time in two years, Guy Clark, the gentleman who sells flowers 15th and Noe Streets, had his stand vandalized. Yesterday, shit was smeared along the walls of Clark's makeshift flower shop along the sidewalk, and said poop was also used to spell out the n-word along the walls. No arrests have been made. Clark has been selling choice blooms at that spot for over 27 years, and the spot saw a similar attack occur back in 2007. (CBS 5)
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Bumper sticker found on a vehicle in Oakland on Broadway and 20th Street. more ›

Any ethnicity you don't see in there? Let us know if you see one so that we can be offended with you. more ›

SFist's dear neighbor's, Wired, came across this racially explosive internet meme on the Daily Kos, which is set to have Democrats duking it out online. According to the Daily Kos, someone in the Clinton campaign took Obama's image from this video and darkened (a la OJ Simpson gracing the covers of Time and Newsweek) for this commercial. According to the Kos: more ›