Halloweenless SF

SF Supervisor of the district containing the Castro, Bevan Dufty, has announced that there will be no Halloween party this year. Last year's ended in violence, as 9 people were shot. There had been plans to have a party on Justin Herman Plaza, in front of the Ferry Building, with Pink performing and motorcross performances. Sounds worse to me, but at least it was something. Now, the promoter has pulled out of the show, citing difficulties in organizing the party and the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park earlier in October. Dufty has announced that he is asking the bars and restaurants in the Castro to close, that there will be no public toilets set up, no streets blocked off, but still the same number of police patrols.

I find this revolting. Every city is known for a festival or two. NY has New Year's Eve, Chicago and Boston have St. Patrick's Day, SF has Gay Pride and Halloween in the Castro. Halloween is fun for all, everyone dresses up and it is remarkably tolerant. Everyone is attacking the festival, saying that it has devolved into the "bridge-and-tunnel crowd" (read African-Americans and Latinos) gawking and slurring the "freaks". It may have been different in the past, but I loved it. I saw mostly people in constumes. I saw the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (a transsexual group that organizes the group) and they were dancing and everyone was taking pictures. The negative thing to me was how the police were (not) dealing with the party. They took away Agnieszka's flimsy, plastic dagger and made sure there was no alcohol. However, they clearly let at least 9 men without costumes on (meaning easier to search) with loaded firearms. One guy asked me if he could sleep with Agnieszka, but he was a drunk white guy.

This is a bunch of snotty rich people trying to turn this city into a quiet, dignified ritzy place, which it has never been and never should be. They are capitalizing on racial tension, something that should never occur in a place as supposedly-tolerant as San Francisco. We are the city of the Beats and the Hippies and Gay Activists. We are not a city of businessmen/businesswomen holding their noses above the riffraff.

Interesting. The same week the Board of Supes (which is a downright disaster) announces this, they also unveil plans for the tallest building on the west coast....

Current music: Tom Waits - Martha