See ya later Haight

When I think of The Haight today, it is totally different than what I thought it was before exploring and talking to the people of the neighborhood. I am very excited that I got to step out of my comfort zone this semester and put my journalism skills to the test. Going down to The Haight was always an experience. Whether I was hanging out in Golden Gate Park walking shyly past homeless people, but always wanting to pet their cute puppies, or grabbing a drink on the busy street full of characters…it was always a fun, learning experience.

My most memorable visit to the neighborhood was one night when my friends and I went to Hobson’s Choice and had a punch bowl. If you have never been, Hobson’s Choice is a Victorian punch bowl house at the corner of Haight and Clayton Street. We ordered a bowl of the House Punch which is a blend of Silver Rum, Mango, Orange and Pineapple Juices. So good! But watch out they definitely can sneak up on you!

 

Final Blog

Walking in Noe Valley for my final report was bittersweet. As I walked down 24th Street, I passed many places and ran into many people that I have visited constantly throughout the semester. I ate at the breakfast spot, Toast, on 24th and Noe Street, where one of the waitresses was one of the first contacts I spoke to at the beginning of the semester. Then I ventured to the farmers market where I saw many people that I have talked to over the course of the semester. After I interviewed a few of my contacts for my final, I bought some fun vintage goodies from Decor Galore on 24th and Sanchez Street. Liz Winsor, the storeowner was also someone I have been acquainted with over the semester. FInally, I went to buy some hot tea from David’s Tea where I went on the first day of my reporting and talked to a few of the workers. A good and productive Saturday that really made me feel like I was in my neighborhood.

Noe Valley is full of people that I will always remember. The tight-knit community made me feel safe and comfortable, and 24th Street is full of memories. I’m very grateful that I was able to have Noe Valley because prior to this semester, I knew almost nothing about this place that is full of so many activities, neighborhood events, issues, hard working people and so much more. I enjoyed learning about a place that is full of so much life and passion about their own community, that they are willing to go above and beyond for their people and their home. And I know that I’ll be going to Noe Valley more these days for less business and more pleasure!

Let’s talk this over supper

Over the last few weeks I spent a lot of time at the First Baptist Church on Octavia and Market streets and befriended plenty of people who are making the neighbourhood a community. How do they do it? Well, every Wednesday evening, members of the church open their doors to the homeless people and serve them a home cooked meal. Their stories are unique and heartwarming because they don’t get anything in return and nor do they expect to. Their mission is to spread love over “all those who God has created.”

Below you’ll find some pictures that put a face on the Wednesday night dinners.

Volunteers and Church Members serving salad, spaghetti with meat sauce, bread and brownies to all who made it.

Formerly homeless himself, “Reggie” has now become an active member of the church and helps out with the Wednesday night meals. (He is a poet too and often recites his written poetry during the meals)

Head Chef Joe, also formerly homeless, stands in the kitchen overlooking all work done by volunteers and other members on kitchen duty

Sunday Funday

If you’ve lived in San Francisco long enough, It’s almost certain that you’ve lived through the misty fog, better known as Karl, and you’ve also yearned for those short-lived sunny days. Either way, its a win win situation BUT in Hayes Valley, when the sun it out – so are the pet puppies, the couples, the families and if you’re lucky, so are the musicians.

Patricia’s Green

Hayes Valley’s sunny Sundays aren’t like what you’ll find in Dolores Park. You won’t smell weed with every breathe you take. You probably won’t have people sneak up to you and try to sell you mushrooms. People will be lined up outside the JuiceShop cart, probably trying to make up from a weekend of hardcore drinking. And finally, there won’t be too much PDA going on (this one time I left Dolores Park scarred for life as I saw two boys, under 10 years of age, giggling over a couple rubbing up against each other in broad daylight in the middle of the park – true story). Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that Hayes Valley has its ups and downs but when the sunlight dances over the lush green grass of Patricia’s Green, all your worries disappear.

Here are a few pictures to prove my point.

 

This guy walked around with his pet bird, on a leash!

Little to no traffic for miles because everyone’s at the Park…duhh

 

 

Supervisor of District 9

Supervisor David Campos came from an immigrant family. When he moved to the U.S. from his original Guatemala, he barely spoke english. That wasn’t a barrier to him to get into law at Harvard University and then he was elected as a supervisor of District 9, in San Francisco. 

Living in the neighborhood, Supervisor David Campos works to improve Bernal Heights.

Campos was elected on Nov. 4, 2008, as a supervisor of district 9 he is in charge of Bernal Heights, Mission, Portola and St. Mary’s Park.

He was born in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala and came to the U.S. when his parents immigrated.

Campos holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University and a doctorate from Harvard University.  In 1996, while he was a student at Harvard, he become U.S. citizen.

Campos worked as a private attorney and then he became deputy city. He said in an interview available on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors website, that this country have gave him many opportunities that he feels the responsibility to give back.

Geer Gainer, who is a resident of Bernal Heights, said she has seen Supervisor Campos at some events organized by the community.

“He is more engage than other supervisors that I have seen in other neighborhoods,” she said.

Andrea Kegan is also a resident in the neighborhood. She said Campos is accessible for people who want to approach him.

One time she said one of the slides where her daughter played at Bernal Playground was broken, so she called Campos’ office at City Hall.  Even though Kegan didn’t talk with Campos directly, she talked with his Assistant Nate Albee, and explained her about it.

“I was surprised his assistant called me back,” she said.

She wasn’t sure if Campos had the slide repaired, but now it is.

Campos advocates for affordable housing. In a governing board meeting on Wednesday, he said evictions of low income families in San Francisco is a huge issue. He and his staff will work to find solutions that can address the problem. One solution will be, he will work with a group of experts to conduct an analysis to have a better picture of how many people have been displaced. He said it will be a deep research.

Campos will be on the “Legacy: 35 Years of Building Community,” a fundraiser organized by Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center.

Bernal Hill

If you decide to climb this big hill make sure you wear the right sneakers. Residents of Bernal Heights neighborhood, call it Bernal Hill, but it’s official name is Bernal Heights Park. According to the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department website, this park is the second largest green area in the city.

Residents in Bernal Heights exercise and walk with their dogs during the evenings, when they get out of work and spend time on the top of the hill disconnected from the crowded and noisy parts of San Francisco.

The park doesn’t have a lot of vegetation compared to other parks in Bernal Heights, instead it looks like a prairie ecosystem, with dry grass and few threes.

Visitors and residents common activity is to climb to the top and appreciate the 360 degrees view of San Francisco.

Bryant Gehring, 27, who is a User Insights Analyst at Google,  doesn’t live in the neighborhood, but he says he likes to run from the Mission, where he lives, to Bernal Hill in the evenings. He says he enjoys looking at the view  when he is finished with his workout routine at the top. He says the shape of the hill helps him to exercise better.

On the hill, people can experience a quiet atmosphere combined with fresh air and sometimes dense fog.

Michael Zhang, 39, who is originally from China, works in a tech company at ZOMA, he says that he likes to exercise at the park because is a safe area.

The only trees surround a radio antenna on the top. Kids can be seen playing in a handmade swing  that is placed on one of the few trees surrounded by an iron fence .

Several routes are marked on the ground, but people who don’t want to climb the rocky mountain can follow a paved path from the parking lot to the top.

This year the hill became a stage for an unofficial piano concert, organized by some neighbors in Bernal Heights. More than 200 people gathered to enjoy a piano recital on the top of the hill.

The hill is also used by photographers to make fashion photo shoots.It is not uncommon to find a fashionably dressed girl with a crew of photographers taking  pictures on the hill.

Erho Raitanen, 28, who is a photographer of an European publication was taking pictures on top of the mountain and portraits of people who were visiting the hill. He said that Bernal Hill was an excellent place to take photos of the city.

A writer on Bernal

In a sunny afternoon, a writer enjoys reading mysteries in one of the Bernal Heights’ benches at Cortland Ave.

This author is Mary Midgett who lives in the neighborhood. She has written several books and she has been a columnist of the Western Edition Community Newspaper for seven years.

The opportunity to write for the paper came to her when she was sitting in a coffee shop. She was talking with a friend when she saw the Western Edition Newspaper and told him she would like to write for the paper. Her friend mentioned he knew the Editor Gretchen Quandt and that Midgett and the editor was outside.

Quandt told Midgett to submit her work to the publication.

Midgett shared in her column anecdotes of her teaching and counselor experience. The section is called the Midgett’s Corner.

“Teachers and parents love to read it,” she said.

Midgett  came to San Francisco in 1974 with her daughter and son. For 39 years, she had two part time jobs. She worked as a counselor in the Haight at the Westside Adolescent Residential Treatment Center where she said helped troubled teens.

“When I retired and resigned my counseling job after 25 years,” she wrote in one of her columns, “I had major thoughts about how I was going to survive without all that extra money and nice paycheck.”

She would have to be more careful in the way she spent her money, but that was not a problem for her because she realized she was lucky; she could afford her daily expenses.

She had everything that made her happy: writing and sharing information.

She wrote several books such as the “New York Flavor” and “Brown on Brown.”

She is working on a new book. This book will be based on the topics that she has mentioned in her columns. She also is working on the creation of her website where her readers could buy the online version of her books.

She enjoys reading fiction books and going to the movie theater every Sunday.

“My kind of movies are shoot ‘em up bang bang movies,”she said,”The Bruce Willis, Jason Stratham, 007 type movies.”

Watching action movies gives her brain a break from the constant overflow of writing and teaching in her daily life.

She said she has no regrets in her life. She has taken the difficulties as learning experiences. She retired because she wanted to get more focus in her writing. Being in the classroom took her a great part of her time that she could have spent developing stories. Right now she is a substitute teacher in elementary school.

She likes to take walks in the neighborhood and she greets every person sharing that natural joy she expresses when somebody first meets her.

Campos on Campus

Supervisor David Campos spoke to a leadership class of approximately forty students about his achievements as a Supervisor of District 9 in San Francisco. Campos studied Law in Harvard and is running for State Assembly on the 2014 elections.

One student in the crowd asked Campos how he motivated himself to have his success.

“I think a lot of it is internal,” Campos said, “Again, I came here to this country without limitations in my own mind. I was bothered by the low expectations that people about people like me that I wasn’t supposed to be in college that I wasn’t supposed to go to Stanford, or go to Harvard. I wasn’t supposed to run for this office.”

When Campos came to the U.S., he was old enough to have an identity. He said that he didn’t have mental barriers.

He also talked about how mentors, professors and friends helped him to achieve his success.

“The reason I was able to do well in school to even find the nerve to apply to Stanford and Harvard Law School is because I had people in my life, teachers who believe in me and that’s why is so important to us to be supporters of young people.”

BLOG 10: Reporting on the Mission

I knew before this class that I wanted to report on the Mission District. I was attracted to the culture, food and the people. I was greatly interested in how it was changing. I remember before this semester I wondered why there was always new construction going on. And now I feel like I have more knowledge on these subjects thanks to the people who let me in to their stories. Although, at times, I felt frustrated. I realized that I’ve learned a lot and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

I’ve always been a shy, timid person. So walking into this class was a challenge. How was I supposed to talk to people I don’t know? That’s scary! I found it easier when I tried to just make conversation with people instead of just throwing interview questions at them. I slowly became more comfortable talking to people. I allowed myself to be taken by my curiosity and I went with that.

When I look back to my first week on the beat, I realize I was so confused. I didn’t know what I was doing at all. It was hard for me to develop questions that mattered. As the semester progressed, I started to understand what needed to be asked.

What I really liked the most was interviewing organizations and activists. I really enjoyed interviewing Patricia Kerman and attending protests. The people that I meet at protests were so passionate and willing to talk. At the same time, reporting on these subjects made me sad because of how rapid the Mission is changing and San Francisco as a whole. This made me want to get involved somehow. I plan on going to Eviction Free SF meetings and sending my stories to El Tecolote. Whatever it may be, I want to do something in the Mission. I feel as if it is my home now.

BLOG 9: A talk with Erin McElroy

As I was struggling to find sources to contact for my final paper, I found photos on my camera of protests that I’ve been to in the past. I saw a picture of Erin McElroy. I decided to contact her immediately to schedule an interview.

McElroy is a lead organizer of the Google Bus Protests and Eviction Free SF. She also started the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, which is a series of maps showing displacement in San Francisco.

McElroy is originally from Massachusetts but she moved to California in 2006. She has always been interested in direct action organizing. She also documented displacement in Romania. After that she started to see that her friends were being evicted and presented buy-outs. “Me and my friends used to joke about starting our own moving business,” McElroy said. There was always friends moving out and crashing out on other’s couches.

McElroy was also apart of the Occupy movements in San Francisco and Oakland. All of these changes caused her to want to get involved with anti-displacement organizations in the Bay Area.”It was one thing to hear about my neighbors being evicted,” McElroy said.”But I wanted to visually see the changes going on in San Francisco. That’s why I started the mapping project.”

Now the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project has many organizers that help to gain the data. With the help from the San Francisco Tenants Union, they have created a survey so that they can keep track of how many families are being evicted. McElroy hopes to make a survey so they can track buy outs. Buy outs are off the record and often go unreported. She also hopes to add stories to each dot on the map to make the project more personal. I then asked her “why the Mission?”

She responded with: “That’s a very good question.”

McElroy thinks that there are particularly more renters and rent-controlled buildings in the Mission. Also, McElroy thinks that people in the tech companies move here because they are attracted to San Francisco aesthetically but don’t really contribute. She describes the Mission as quickly changing. The bars and restaurants are becoming more upscale. There are less laundromats because Google employees wash their clothes at headquarters. Since the bus stops are located in the Mission, more techies are going to live there. McElroy said they are trying to find different ways to “up the anty”. She hopes to see the city invest in local organizations instead of big corporations.