Community organizing in the Haight — can Potrero take a cue?

[Evan Goldin]

While Potrero Hill doesn't face quite the same issues that the Haight faces, the community organizing that has gone on in the Haight is impressive. They've accomplished a lot by just bringing neighborhoods and neighbors together.

Check out the write up in the Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/27/BA8M1C7...

What do you think? What would you like to see Potrero Hill residents rally around?

[Jason Barton]

Rally around the crime.

[Evan Goldin]

Hey Jason,

I agree. Not sure if you're on the Potrero_neighbors Yahoo group, but it really seems like there's been an uptick in crime recently. Someone just said their car was stolen from right in front of their house last night. I'd really like to see this community put a stop to it.

[Jason Barton]

Yes. I saw that... along with a shooting on 20th street. I just wrote am email to the Yahoo group asking what steps have been taken in the past and proposing that maybe this should be an issue worth devoting a booster meeting too.

[Tony Kelly]

hi jason,

SFPD captain greg suhr is scheduled to be at the next potrero boosters meeting, march 30 at 7 pm at the neighborhood house. we also have a police report, usually from the captain or a lieutenant, at every boosters meeting, and every year and a half or so (because this kind of stuff does tend to move in cycles) we dedicate an entire meeting to crime awareness and what neighbors can do, etc, etc.

for what it's worth, i remember the captain saying a short time ago that crime on the Hill is down significantly from prior years; that may have changed in the past month, or there may be more noticeable events like the chez maman robbery, or both.

also for what it's worth, every captain at bayview station in the last decade has been clear in telling us that the potrero public housing is a factor in local crime NOT because of its residents or population, but because of its design and terribly deteriorated conditions, which attract folks from out of the area to hide and set up bad activities; and of course, those things would change with a rebuild. public safety - for the public housing residents and neighbors - is a prime factor motivating the rebuild.