Meeting notes from 9/6/2016

Hosted by United Playaz – http://unitedplayaz.com

Our meeting on September 6th brought together multiple city departments –

Supervisor Kims office brought a one  pager on her offices recent work as requested by some neighbors in Western Soma.

Ben from WSV (Western Soma Voice – www.westernsomavoice.org) talked about an fundraising effort we are spearheading to bring Downtown Streets Team to Western Soma. To donate and/or read more https://www.tilt.com/tilts/bringing-the-downtown-streets-team-to-western-soma

Some neighbors talked about issues with Public Storage on Howard and 10th. They are unresponsive to requests to add lighting to the building. To those neighbors Please add a comments to our discussion group at groups.google.com and we canput you in contact with the city departments to help you ensure some pressure on this business to be a good neighbor.

Thanks to all of the neighbors for attending and contributing to the discussion.

Panel Discussion

Speakers:
* Sgt? Martha Juarez (Southern Station SFPD)
* Supervisor Jane Kim
* Captain Daryl Fong (Southern Station SFPD)
* Sam Dodge – Mayors Office on Homeless
* Tracey Packer – DPH (Director of the Community Health Equity & Promotion Branch)
* Rachel Gordan – DPW

  • Captain Ewins (Tenderloin Station SFPD)

 

Patrick Valentino from WSV moderating:
As the city has grown issues have been pushed into the neighborhood
crime,

211 police calls in 7 days from the 23rd-29th, assaults, sex crimes

Worse than New York on violent crime, property crime, etc.

What are the top 3 issues for supervisors office?
Bobby: Tent encampments, street cleaning, bicycle safety

For the police?
Daryl: Also quality of life issues, as well as vehicle breakins. We have had
some success in focusing on serial auto burglars. Also illegal narcotics activity.

Re encampments?
Sam Dodge: Created a department for homelessness, Jeff Kazinky is the director,
$220M budget, $120M supportive housing, $50M shelters, balance for eviction prevention, etc.
Started navigation center.

Rachel (dpw): Hot spots teams focus on encampment areas, between 70-80 known encampments now
tracked by week. Pit spot public toilet program – 15 locations in 7 neighborhoods.
$200K per location.

Tracy? (health dept): Works on syringes. Health department “to make sure everyone is healthy or has access to health”,
supports navigation center.

Pat: How do we change street culture – e.g. 9th and Mission being seedy, people avoiding it.

Cpt Ewins? (police): We’ve gotten some good arrests. To me it’s better. Do you agree?
Attendees: No

Sgt? Martha Juarez? (police): Small alleys are the problem. They go there to be safe – we are attacking them from all sides.

Health Dept: navigation center navigates to

Jane Kim: We shut down liquor stores in the tenderloin, Bodecker park is now an oasis / safe space. Trying
to replicate that at VMD park. Trying to get a pit stop in VMD park – not safe for kids. I have seen an
uptick in my 6 years. Spent the night in one of our shelters, learned that shelters are not built for the
population they’re serving. Shelters are built for the physically able, but they are older and sicker.
DPH is now staffing with nurses. Medical respite shelter 24hrs with public health coming to Mission & 9th. Fastest growing group is elderly

Question: “I’m in customer service, if I get one call complaining it ruins my week – how do I get a street light where all the activity is happening”

Rachel: Street lights of san francisco public utilities commission – requests are forwarded to the appropriate
ageny. Please contact 311. Have been working on reports of physical assault asking is there anything else we can do,

Jane: Fastest way to get light is to have the property owner do it – they are more focused on pedestrians, there are grants available. Have been working with Community Benefit Districts.

Rachel: I live in Glenn Park and we put up lights.

Jane: 11th st between howard and folsom, green cross put up lights down the street

Daryl: Worked with the mid-market CBD

“It seems as though there are two themes: long term nurturing vs short-term policing. How can neighbors be trained and have something else neighbors can do”

Sam: 311 helps, there are many opportunities, Concrn does a good job of bringing highly trained people in, project homeless connect,

Question: “San Francisco human services building is the greatest source of trash and drugs etc. Minna between 8th and 9th.”

Adding lighting and cleaning

Question: “You need private security”

HSA: You do have private security in the building.

Daryl: We’ve been adding rapid response by car.

Question: “Could you add a pit stop out front”

We have 3 out front, but only 9-5. We don’t have the ability to secure it after-hours.

Question: “So I live at 9th and Minna, problem is not just vendors it is users, we had foot patrol for a few weeks”

We have foot and bike regularly assigned, 4th to 9th street is a long corridor, an arrest will take people off the street for 2-3 hours. Bringing back a plainclothes unit for narcotics and auto burglaries.

Question: “I see trash everywhere, feces everywhere. Why do I have to call, why is the onus on me.”

DPH: We are out there every day cleaning in various ways. But we need the 311 calls to know where to go

Meeting Notes from 7/6/2016

Intro by David Chiu (San Francisco State Assemblyman)
* Priorities: Housing, Housing, Housing
* Working on:
* Bills pushing new forms of ownership CLTs and Limited Co-ops
* Bills on new paradigms for addressing homelessness
* Addressing the rape kit backlog
* Newest face of homelessness: homeless college students
* Sign up for monthly newsletter: https://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/NewsletterPopup.php?district=AD17
* Regular office hours, next is on Polk Street: http://asmdc.org/members/a17/district/recent-events/

Announcements:
* St. Joseph’s Church Construction a go, thanks to hard work from Chris Foley
* Eagle Plaza stalled due to the financier pulling out. Build Inc. is seeking new financing.

Brandon Davis from the Downtown Streets Team (http://streetsteam.org/) on their efforts and how we might work together
* Originated in Palo Alto out of the BID to address panhandling and urban cleanliness
* Members volunteer on beautification projects, in return get a basic needs stipend, a case worker and employment support
* A peer to peer model
* “How do you determine the boundaries”
* In partnership with the neighborhood groups

Eileen Loughran from DPH giving an update on the sidewalk sharps disposal efforts in progress
* Go to the DST Tuesday meeting if you can
* A disposal box just went up at Conrad House on 9th between Howard and Mission
* Minna St, between 8th and 9th is under conversation
* Job was posted for a 3-person rapid response team with a special phone number (not 311)
* Mayor’s office has been getting lots of complaints – he has started “the fix-it team” to fix neighborhood concerns. SOMA is on the plan of places to go.

Discussion of Sentiments Survey Results
* (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1zZIvw–akjFhu3etQoAIVNa4tCB1FJIY3hpwFyGWqEI/viewform)
* Pending future results…

Discussion of Living Alleyways Grant Proposal
* Lafayette and Minna are eligible
* Bill Holt has stepped up to lead this effort

Meeting Notes from 3/13/2016

Notes for our meeting last Sunday afternoon:
Sharps discussion
How to address discarded needles as a public health hazard?
  • Heat Map of 311 needle reports
  • Screen Shot 2016-03-13 at 16.13.27.png
    Hot spots:
    • Minna between 7th and 9th st
    • Norfolk between Folsom
    • Brady and Colton (west of Van Ness)
  • Any resident can request a medical disposal box for their own use at Walgreens – helpful but not for those without homes to put them in
  • Sharps containers can be installed on the sidewalk via a program with DPH. Example proposal. We should work to increase the number of these to increase the convenience of safe disposal. In the context of the hot spots above, some candidate locations:
    • Minna between 7th and 9th st
      • Human services building at 1235 Mission St (Ben)
      • Howard Langton Community garden (Gene)
      • The Sanctuary – run by Episcopal Community Services 201 8th St
        • From an email from Susanna: Ken Reggio from Episcopal Services has appointed one of his staff (Mallory) as our liaison on homeless issues
      • 407 9th street (Salvation Army) (Katya)
    • Norfolk between Folsom and Harrison
      • DNA Lounge (Ben)
      • Rainbow Grocery (they have them indoors but could have them outside) (Yan)
    • Brady and Colton (west of Van Ness)
      • 1650 Mission street is a human services administrative building (Yan)
    • Others:
      • Deli Board (Ben)
      • Atlassian (fiona)
VMD Park Matters
  • There’s a new Southern Station Police Captain, Daryl Fong
    • Contact re. foot patrol VMD (Malik)
  • Friends of VMD Park/Western Soma Voice/United Playaz
    • We need a contact with the Bessie Carmichael Elementary (Fiona and Patrick)
  • Block party / VMD BBQ
    • Date possibilities

      Sunday is probably best, potentially as a prototype for a Sunday Streets closure and event in

      2017 (there isn’t one in Western SOMA). May or June. School’s out the last week in May, and

      the Gene Friend Rec Center will be running summer programs.

Potential Security Cameras

  • We need to investigate costs and locations (e.g. crime, violence)
  • We need to discuss privacy concerns, and how to meaningfully address them
Incidental Discussion
  • Pit Stop Location Western Soma? discuss here or email discussion? Next meeting topic?
    • Behind the honda dealership?
  • Funding Possibilities
    • Patreon (can it be used for Community organizations?)
    • Tilt/Kickstarter (project-focused)
    • Membership fee / Business contributions
  • Working on a Project Page for the website (Ben)
    • Friend of VMD
    • Sharps containers
    • Streetscape improvements
    • Public safety
      • Installing warning signs re break ins (Fiona on point)
      • Cameras?
    • Social events

Plan next dates

  • First Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm

Interim Group Officers

  • President – Ben
  • Vice President 1 – Eric
  • Vice President 2 – Fiona
  • Secretary – Gen
  • Spokesperson – (press/blogs responses) Stephanie?? We need to check with her.
  • Treasurer – deferred
  • Website Admins (Stephanie, Ben, Jessica) (Gen/Fiona for adding meeting notes)
  • SFPD liaison from WSV – Malik
  • City Hall liaison from WSV (Patrick/David – from previous discussions)

Meeting Notes from 1/9/2016

Fiona O’Shea recorded these notes from the Jan 9, 2016 meeting.

  • Opening Statement – how the group started, where we are
    • Goal for this meeting: be ready to announce to press/public what we are up to
    • We had many late arrivals, so our message on goals may not be understood by all
    • We had a very large attendance – it was really great to see so many people who are ready to be available for our neighborhood.
  • Attendee Intros
    • Where do you live, what would you like us to take on
    • Mark Sackett from The Box SF has offered us a space once a month for our meetings – Thank you Mark
  • Martha Bridegam reiterated her hope that we are not an organisation who are trying to kick out the homeless. Fiona O’Shea responded that we are focused on Crime – Safety-Cleanlines
  • Presentation
    • Saint Francis Homelessness Challenge (Amy Farah Weiss)
    • Hand Up (Ben Woosley)
    • Community Benefit District (Ben Woosley)
    • Mid Market CBD Jane Weil talked about their street ambassadors, some of whom are trained in helping with those who may be suffering from mental illness and need help
  • Broke into projects into tasks and assign to volunteers – as this was a first meeting for many, jumping into this seemed very quick to them.
    • Victoria Manalo Draves Park – Susanna Singer, Stephanie , Fiona O’Shea, Kat, Anusha (there are more Susanna has the names and will be organising a sub meeting)
    • Crime – Vehicle Breakins – Jessica Spurling, Fiona O’Shea
    • Membership / Awareness – Emily, Mark Sackett
    • CBD and Contacting Groups – James Spinello, Ben Woosley, Eric Lopez
    • Research & Government – David Singer, Robert Lawrence, Patrick Valentino
    • Street Greening – Dallas, Ben Woosley