From a plugged-in reader in Pacific Heights this weekend:

I’m looking to enlist your support in some public shaming. You can also point-out the utility of installing a video camera system during a renovation 🙂

This Grinch stole the Christmas wreath from the front door of my house early Friday morning. She looks like a fairly put-together person, why is she out stealing in the middle of the night? Pacific Heights of course…

The actual Grinching (i.e., grab) occurs at 2:26 in the clip above (3:04 am Friday morning).
UPDATE: A follow-up from our plugged-in reader today:

There is a happy ending to the story, a good friend has surprised me by placing a new wreath on the door! Very sweet.

(Holiday) Cheers.

101 thoughts on “The Grinch That Stole A Reader’s Wreath”
  1. Arden Van Upp! Haha, that’s a funny video – I love how she returns with the shawl over her head when she actually takes the wreath.
    Last year someone stole the wreath off my front door in the Mission. For some reason it almost felt worse than having something of value stolen.

  2. Happened to us in Cole Valley last week!
    I know someone probably has a habit
    to feed, but man stealing a wreath is low.
    Where does one fence such a thing?

  3. I live in lower pac heights and someone stole my pumpkin. that’s low.
    also, i like the video tech to catch the owners of dogs who allow their dogs to trample through my sidewalk garden and poop in it without pickup.

  4. Well, if it any help, I noticed someone wearing the same shaped glasses this morning (maybe it was the same person? who knows….I wasn’t looking at the person–I noticed her glasses–but, she was on the younger side).
    The glasses I saw had Prada written in fake diamond studs going down the arms (not across), by the rims…and, it I noticed it at the Tulleys coffee shop in Pac Heights…

  5. Arden. Arden! Strange that someone would mention her name. Just what was the outcome of the BK auction of her old manse? Did it not go thru on the 17th?
    Inquiring minds or make that prying minds want to know.

  6. I noticed someone wearing similar glasses when I was getting coffee on Filmore St early this morning (I noticed because I wasn’t sure I liked them). I don’t know how many makers are designing similar eye wear but, the ones I saw this morning definitely said Prada on the arm of the glasses.

  7. This is fantastic. Thanks for posting. The address or intersection would be helpful for snooping her out. She does look familiar and I too think I’ve seen her around these parts.

  8. Wow. If it were closer in time to 2am, I could invent a story about this lady wandering by drunk and having a momentary lapse of judgment.
    But she returns. In sunglasses. And shawl.
    What a premeditated petty thief.

  9. how hard can it be to track down an insomniac kleptomaniac with military-grade night vision abilities and a helluva pumpkin & wreath collection? sounds like a fairly unique eharmony profile.
    i blame it on the bridge motel relos.

  10. …but why is the camera moving??
    …and why does the camera follow her when she goes up to the wreathe?
    Wouldn’t an “installed” camera be static?
    I am not up to date on my installed video cams but it seems like somebody is holding the camera whilst filming…
    As for her? She must live nearby (or at least a car) as she seems to come back with a new garment on…

  11. the camera is moving because the owner of the house took a hand held video of the monitor later. The “camera” is not moving.

  12. Lol.. It’s not Arden (who I see now on a regular basis). However, I may actually know who this is. There’s an older woman living a massive Pac Heights/Cow Hollow home that’s a notorious klepto.

  13. OK, what she did was wrong, period.
    However, does anyone have any compassion or shred of forgiveness for such a light lapse of judgment? She is obviously not a seasoned criminal, otherwise she wouldn’t have waffled for ever, leave, think about it, come back, and still linger for so long on the scene of the “crime” before taking the wreath.
    Yes, she broke the law, but unless your middle name is W, you shouldn’t have a hard time acknowledging that the degree to which she did break the law and the immaterial consequences of her act make this a very forgivable event.
    By piling on this poor lady (poor as in mentally not capable of seeing the stupidity of her actions) we’re perpetrating the dogmatic old-testament notion of good vs. evil at any cost. There are people serving life sentences for stealing three wreaths in a row, for god’s sake!
    In my opinion, she is not a career criminal, and she deserves less flack than -say- the dog owner who lets his/her puppy defecate daily in the middle of the sidewalk, instead of moving just four feet to the end of the curb, where no innocent passer-by can accidentally step on its poop.
    C’mon folks, ease up a bit and cut her a little slack. I can understand the animosity of the (former) owner of the wreath, but everyone else should just chill out.

  14. “does anyone have any compassion or shred of forgiveness for such a light lapse of judgment?”
    How do you know this is the only “light lapse of judgement?”

  15. bravo for capturing this on security cam! i’m definitely in favor of public shaming, it’s the only way that this will become a lesson for this particular grinch. you should print out the freeze frame of this woman pre-shawl, and post it at the local pac heights coffee shops. hopefully someone will recognize her and it will get back to her. who knows, you might find that the wreath will even make a reappearance if she’s embarrassed enough!

  16. Actually, I think events like this are extremely blameworthy. This woman is stealing for no reason — there are no signs she’s broke, starving, strung out, etc., that might mitigate stealing something of value to get food/feed the addiction, or other crimes of desperation.
    This is a pure crime of greed and opportunity and reveals a complete lack of moral character. She’s not going to pawn this to feed her kids, she’s just getting away with a small crime with no apparent motivation.
    In impact, it’s minor, but there are no other mitigating circumstances. Public shaming is the appropriate response.

  17. Now this is what I call SocketAction rising! I’m sensing the birth of a new blog spinoff; umbrella lifting off porches, graffiti, plants and shrubs – garden furniture. And in anything-goes SF (just look at any block for what passes here), wouldn’t that create some attention.

  18. belfagor, I read in disbelief your comments.
    Only in San Francisco does someone rationalize the crime. And suggest the victim is the party in the wrong. This woman trespassed on a private home and then stole a neighbor’s property. Period.
    The value of the property in question is immaterial. Her act is a fundamental violation of a social compact. It’s not something you rationalize as ‘a temporary lapse’. Regardless of the duration of the lapse, she broke the social compact and broke the law.
    Her sunglasses alone cost more than the wreath she stole. This crime is all the worse as: 1. it was clearly premediated; her departure and subsequent return confirm this; 2. she is a member of the society from which she is stealing.
    She’s counting on her anonymity: thus the sunglasses and scarf. I can’t imagine a worse punishment in this case than a public outing: post away — Tully’s on Fillmore; Coffee Roaster on Union; Pete’s on Polk.
    She deserves it.

  19. Belfagor, you wrote that as if you have some sort of clear insight into this woman’s mentality. Are you a clinical psychiatrist? Just because she waffled doesn’t mean she isn’t a repeat criminal. Nobody is serving a life sentence for stealing three wreaths in a row, either.

  20. She looks familar, but wearing the sunglasses at night makes a positive id difficult if not impossible. What I find interesting is that she wore the sunglasses the whole time (or could it be some odd tinting that’s not reading well via the security cam, handcam transfer?). If that’s the case, she didn’t don the sunglasses the second go-round, she was trying to get it the first but the bit of resistance spooked her, she re-thought, donned her hoodie and returned more brazen than ever.
    I would bet that this is a Pac Heights renter who will prominently display it inside her home. She would be too chicken to hang it on her door.

  21. As a clinical psychiatrist I am shocked that anyone would bother to minimize this woman’s behavior. It is pre-meditated theft. It well deserves the public shame.

  22. “There are people serving life sentences for stealing three wreaths in a row, for god’s sake!”
    Ummm, I don’t know where you got that belfagor, but that’s ridiculous. Your “blame the victim and the criminal’s circumstances” mentality in the presence of evidence to the contrary is tiring and indicative of why SF has some of the problems it does. I don’t buy your amateur psychological analysis either — read the other comments around here and watch the video again. Agree with dch that there don’t appear to be mitigating circumstances here — she’s clearly well-off.

  23. If she’s accustomed to wearing sunglasses at night, it should be relatively easy to find her. Look for vertical forehead bruises from running into poles.

  24. UPDATE: A follow-up from our reader this morning: “There is a happy ending to the story, a good friend has surprised me by placing a new wreath on the door! Very sweet.”
    We might suggest a bit of wire this time around.

  25. “Been Caught Stealing”
    I’ve been caught stealing;
    once when I was 5…
    I enjoy stealing.
    It’s just as simple as that.
    Well, it’s just a simple fact.
    When I want something,
    I don’t want to pay for it.
    I walk right through the door.
    Walk right through the door.
    Hey all right! If I get by, it’s mine.
    Mine all mine!
    My girl, she’s one too.
    She’ll go and get her a shirt.
    Stick it under her skirt.
    She grabbed a razor for me.
    And she did it just like that.
    When she wants something,
    She don’t want to pay for it.
    She walk right through the door.
    Walk right through the door.
    Hey all right! If I get by, it’s mine.
    Mine all mine!
    We sat around the pile.
    We sat and laughed.
    We sat and laughed and
    Waved it into the air!
    And we did it just like that.
    When we want something,
    We don’t want to pay for it.
    We walk right through the door.
    Walk right through the door.
    Hey, all right! If I get by, it’s mine,
    Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine…

  26. Frankly I am surprised that not more people would install a relatively simple and inexpensive web cam at their home and/or office and then put up the video on YouTube to identify the criminals and deter crime.
    Not only is there public shaming involved, potential employers and landlords can check and make sure not to hire or rent to these lawbreakers.
    This is probably better than what the cops can do, especially with the police department’s deep budget cuts.

  27. The War on Christmas has begun!
    Godless renters, time to march on the suburbs.
    Kill those lights. Smash that reindeer display. And, don’t forget, off with their wreaths.

  28. There is a famous kleptomaniac in PacHts, known to many people, almost common gossip. This does not look like her to me.

  29. Those aren’t sunglasses! I am telling you, I saw someone wearing that eyeglass style just this morning in Pac Heights. I wish I saw this video before I went out. I would have paid attention to her and NOT her ugly PRADA glasses! Those are GLASSES!

  30. Honestly, I cannot believe that this was deemed by Socketsite to be a newsworth event. And only in Pacific Heights would somebody consider the “theft” of a christmas wreath to be of significance to anyone other than herself!

  31. “does anyone have any compassion or shred of forgiveness for such a light lapse of judgment?”
    Berkeley had an interesting Economics professor from Italy, Dr Cipolla.
    http://www.ecotopia.com/webpress/Stupidity/
    is a fun read. Thieves come in two flavors, the bandit and the stupid.
    “A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.”
    The city is full of stories of cars getting broken into to steal change. Whatever the reason for the theft, it is not making the world a better place and thus is inexcusable.
    Not that damn near every landlord in the city is engaging in continued theft several orders of magnitude greater every day, but that’s another topic.

  32. Damn! … has anyone seen my hooded Snuggie blanket?
    It was probably the fashion police and count yourself lucky that you got off with just a warning…

  33. from above:
    “I know where this woman lives, if you want her address let me know.”
    HELL YES WE WANT TO KNOW!
    i’ve got extra torches and pitch forks!
    [Editor’s Note: Uhh…no (but we will connect the principals to discuss if so requested by both).]

  34. “Honestly, I cannot believe that this was deemed by Socketsite to be a newsworth event.”
    Seriously? The original email to SS had the proper hooks to warrant a post:
    1) Pacific Heights [crime] news
    2) renovated house
    3) ideas for others who may renovate a house
    Unless your point is that the front porch wasn’t staged or something…

  35. “Unless your point is that the front porch wasn’t staged or something…”
    Hopefully no chopped pillows were harmed in the making of this video!

  36. Someone just stole 5 minutes of my life watching this video and reading these comments! This was clearly a ‘Hate’ crime. She’s just jealous of the two guys living in that tragic house. I will gladly go to Costco and get them a new $7 wreath!

  37. from above:
    “I know where this woman lives, if you want her address let me know.”
    HELL YES WE WANT TO KNOW!
    i’ve got extra torches and pitch forks!
    [Editor’s Note: Uhh…no (but we will connect the principals to discuss if so requested by both).]
    but… but… the pitchforks are from Sloat Garden Supply, the kind with the rubbery grip and the torches are from the Martha Stewart Holiday Gift catalog!

  38. @ Sarah
    ‘…only in Pacific Heights would somebody consider the “theft” of a christmas wreath to be of significance…’
    So you’re saying it is not really theft if the victim can afford to replace it, wtf?!

  39. @ Sarah
    Perhaps you can explain to little Johnnie that that it’s okay for people to invade your privacy and steal your property so long as the dollar value is less than $___(fill in the blank)___.

  40. @derrysf
    Not exactly, but if getting a $25 wreath stolen from the outside of your house is the worst thing that happens to you living in an urban environment, you should consider yourself lucky. Yes it is technically a “theft” but come on, can you imagine that the SFPD would have time to deal with something like this, in a city where dozens of more serious crimes happen on a daily basis? It is upsetting when someone smashes a pumpkin on your front stairs, yes; it is surprising, not really; does it matter to anyone else, no; again, is it actually newsworthy, absolutely not!

  41. These types of crimes are the reason my parents sold their home in Cow Hollow/Pacific Heights and now split their time between Rancho Mirage, and a new home in Corona Del Mar. In their case it was not a Christmas Wreath, but a stolen garden hose, strange noises in the sideyard at night, people going through trash cans on side yard at 2 in the morning. A bicycle missing from the garage when the door was left open for about 20 minutes. But the last straw was when my mother had removed the replacement hose because a homeless man used to drink from it at night, this would require opening the gate, climbing steps and trespassing on the property, which freaked my mother out. As punishment, the homeless man pooped on their doorstep, and smeared garbage on the garage door.
    After that, since they are both retired, my Dad decided they would live in the desert house until their property sold and used the money for a new home in Corona Del Mar(Density of Cow Hollow, near shops and restaurants, but NO crime).
    These types of crimes, over time, break you down after a while, and make city life loose its attraction. They have never looked back. You have to remember, areas like Pacific Heights are trying to attract the same buyers as other affluent areas, so living with crime does not have to be part of the package to purchase a 4 million dollar home.

  42. “the worst thing that happens to you living in an urban environment”
    I never understand these sorts of comments. Why should we be complacent with these sorts of people? I don’t understand why being “in an urban environment” excuses these sorts of things. Shouldn’t we have higher standards for our city?
    anon94123 has it right — SF’s policies encourage undesirables to camp out and cause problems for the paying customers. If you subsidize them consistently, they will stay here and make the urban environment worse.

  43. I’ve had things stolen from public areas of my home that were caught on tape and I hate it. Sometimes I confront the thieves but most of the time I don’t. All of the times, I am upset and very disapointed. Hopefully the fact that she got caught will deter others from doing the same. Technically, she was on private property.
    SFPD and the media failing to do their jobs doesn’t mean that victims should not speak out.

  44. Now we know why people are tempted to do things like place electrified wires inside wreaths, or coat them in itching powder…
    For those who don’t understand why this is appropriate for a real estate blog, it’s because crimes like these may seem trivial and inconsequential but they add up to an overall quality of life issue that is directly relevant to home values and perceptions of various neighborhoods. If the Tenderloin and Hillsborough Heights are opposite ends of the spectrum, this incident is an indicator of Pac Heights trending in an unfortunate direction. That’s pretty relevant to this blog.

  45. Theft of personal property is a violation of the psyche. Someone took thier time money and effort to place that wreath on their door with the intetion of spreading cheer and greetings of the season. The woman who stole the wreath is thief. A Grinch with a pony tail facelift. Not only of theft of property but of theft of the spirit the wreathe represents. Stealing is stealing. This woman is no different from Bernie Madoff. However you spell the name, it comes out bah humbug.

  46. Anon94123 and S.W. have it right. These crimes deteriorate the quality of life.
    To belfagor, Sarah and others who support criminal activity I have this to ask: How bad does a crime have to be before you consider it to be a problem? Obviously stealing doesn’t qualify? How about, as anon94123 pointed out, someone defecating on your doorstep? Is that a serious crime or can should we overlook it because the homeless need to go to the bathroom somewhere? How about someone breaking into your house even if they just steal some food from the refrigerator? How about someone breaking in, going through your closets for some cheap blankets? Would you call the cops then? What if they pulled a knife or gun out…..? How would you like to wake up in the middle of the night to someone snooping around your property (outside or inside your house) and stealing stuff?
    I don’t know if the owner of the wreath filed a police report (and my sense is that they did not). However I think they handled this appropriately by getting the community involved (and not the police, as far as aI can tell). I would not have filed a police report if this had happened to me, but it would make me feel less safe, to know that people commit crimes on my property. It may just be a harmless wreath stealer now, but the next time it may be a lunatic homeless person strung out on drugs, who may seriously harm someone.
    Besides if this happened in Texas and the owner had caught someone stealing they probably would have shot the thief before asking questions. At least people in SF tend to be more civilized about these things.

  47. This brought back memories of Xmas past – in fact it was 28 years ago. We had just bought one of the lovely John Anderson row houses on Alvarado St. (between Noe and Castro) and put up a wreath on our door. The first night up it was stolen! I remember how deflated I felt the next morning upon discovering it was gone. It wasn’t the monetary value but just the thought that someone would be so low. Of course, this was before Noe Valley was the “real” San Francisco. Holiday cheers to everyone!

  48. LOL – well, I may be guilty of a heightened level of cynicism brought on by a lifetime of urban living (having experienced too many car break-ins and graffiti incidents to think of), but no, sorry, that is not me on camera!
    To everyone who has so strongly suggested that I am missing the point – I get where you are coming from. It just never would have occurred to me, for instance, when the garage to my condo was spray painted multiple times, when a homeless person took refuge in my driveway, etc. etc., to report it to the police let alone to try to publicize it. And I do get that crime affects property value.

  49. She probably came from the Marina Bridge Hotel down the hill.
    I didn’t realize that wreath thefts were so common. I will put one up with a hidden camera and boobie trap of some sort. Maybe a trip wire that triggers a trap door or a stun gun.

  50. Just make a ring of razor wire and wrap vegetation around it. Then post the video of the thief getting hurt trying to steal it. It will be a hit on YouTube.

  51. Petty theft and vandalism occur in almost all neighborhoods. And smashing pumpkins or stealing holiday ornamentation or toilet papering or egging a house or putting poop on a house is an age-old practice. I seem to remember those being common in the suburbs I grew up in. Yeah, maybe if you move to Atherton or Marina Del Mar where the guards keep the hordes at bay you don’t have to deal with petty theft and vandalism.
    But some of you are just looking for excuses to vent your prejudices about the city. Pac Heights is becoming less of a desirable neighborhood because of this one incident? It’s full of crime and Godless poop flingers now? Good Grief.
    And did you ever ask yourself why someone would want to fling poop at you or your property? Maybe you’re a real dick. Maybe you’re a preening pretentious dick with some fancy stuff that is asking for his or her comeuppance?
    Oh, and those that fantasize about physically hurting petty thieves with trap guns etc.–they are illegal. You don’t have the right to defend your property by seriously hurting someone. You may in fact be committing a worse crime than you are trying to prevent!
    The lady is a Grinch and she did wrong and she should probably be punished if she can be easily found and prosecuted . . . or hopefully she returns the wreath.
    But what a self righteous, punitive, aggressive, and down-right unchristian attitude some have taken about this. Righteous rage at petty thieves and stoking one’s prejudices about city life is not getting into the holiday spirit.
    I guess the rich vent their spleens and get angry at petty thieves that steal the ornamentation around their manses whereas the ordinary folk vent their spleens by complaining about the massive amount of taxpayer money that went to Wall Street so the rich could have awesome Christmases with cheery ornamentation and wreaths on all their mansions.

  52. ^ and that is the appropriate punishment.
    Anyone who wears prada glasses cares about their image above all else. Having their “prada” label replaced with the label of “common thief” will sting the worst.

  53. “And did you ever ask yourself why someone would want to fling poop at you or your property? Maybe you’re a real dick.”
    So my parents are “a real dick” because they removed the garden hose from the front area because it was being stolen? Back in the early 90’s or late 80’s seeing homeless around Scott and Green (near their old home) was maybe a once a year event, then things began to unwind. We believe the poop flinger was upset because the hose he used to drink from in the middle of the night was removed. (REMEMBER, it was stolen previously) He was upset because he could no longer trespass to have a drink, go through our trash, and perhaps take something. You have to remember, Green Street at their residence is very steep and the front yard is through a gate and up many steps to get to garden. This is true trespassing. I guess that makes us a “real dick”.
    Keep in mind, not everyone in Pacific Heights is a Googleaire under 35. Their are many people in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s who grow increasingly concerned about their safety as they become less able to defend themselves. My parents were true San Franciscans, but left feeling the city they loved no longer was worth the trouble.
    If I remember correctly, the same thing happened to the apartment building at 2754 Pierce when the building owner removed his garden hose from the side area across from the church parking lot. The next day human feces were spread on the garage doors that face on to Green Street.

  54. “But what a self righteous, punitive, aggressive, and down-right unchristian attitude some have taken about this.”
    Now we’re calling people unchristian? We’re talking about people who make this city worse. You might not understand or believe that, but I’m not sure how this makes people self-righteous, punitive, aggressive, and unchristian because they think people shouldn’t be committing crimes.
    And trying to make this about a “petty thief” is rather silly. Far graver crimes go unpunished in this city on a regular basis, and that’s why people try to give a mealy-mouthed “urban environment” excuse. Did you miss the articles about the street urchins in the Haight?
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/17/BA481B4ONT.DTL
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/19/BAR31B6I3Q.DTL
    The city tolerates and subsidizes these people, so yeah, they’re not going away.

  55. Anon94123, I’m aware of the complexities of life and can accept that your parents aren’t jerks or that poo flingers can also be jerks. I also understand that people are afraid of homeless trespassers and more comfortable without poor people around looking for food and water around one’s house–and this especially happens as people get older. I don’t mean to pick on Marina Del Mar–it’s a lovely place and I have family there as well–but c’mon, it’s about as elite as it gets–maybe one level below the upper crust and there is still crime there and it is an extreme example because it is a car-centric community (if I remember correctly) of mostly wealthy people. One has to be extremely sensitive to only be comfortable in a place like Marina Del Mar.
    I’m just arguing that poor people or homeless people can also be good people and they have little power except for petty acts of disobedience. Juvenile delinquents are especially attracted to people that are overly protective of their property or overly sensitive, ime. For example, my suburban block really did have an old guy that yelled at us kids to stay off his lawn. We were really trespassing and were technically in the wrong! For reals. But that older man was the target of vandalism because we considered him to be a dick (I didn’t do it though). Other homeowners were not so sensitive and they would forgive those that occasionally trespassed against them and most people didn’t mind that we drank their water without permission either. That’s life.
    I don’t agree with your historical account either. Check out Jack Black, , where the author describes life over 100 years ago where he and his fellow hobos would engage in petty theft and rely on the generosity of each other and strangers. The hobos have their own code of honor. The author ends up in San Francisco and I don’t get the idea that San Francisco is paradise without crime or petty criminals. And this is all before the Great Depression when the number of homeless and poor skyrocketed.
    And re the water . . . . as a long distance runner I notice that there sure aren’t as many public facilities as there used to be. I’ve been doing my long runs without support so I have to make sure I find working water fountains and so many seem to be out of commission. Two that I normally stop at in Golden Gate park weren’t working this last weekend.

  56. Did anybody dispute that poor people or homeless people can be good people? What makes you think the individual in the video is poor, or homeless? Not sure why you said that people with shiny things might be deserving of comeuppance, either.

  57. This isn’t just an urban issue. Christmas decoration theft occurs in the suburbs too, even the good neighborhoods.
    There are certainly shades of gray in petty theft across town. When working in the front yard in my previous home, I had to collect my tools and bring them in with me every time I answered the phone. At my new place this is not a problem at all, I can leave tools out front all day long and they do not walk away. That made a noticeable difference in quality of life.

  58. Anon,
    I did see the article about the Haight St. street people.
    The first thought that came to my mind was, “jeez, the Chronicle is doing yet another fear-mongering article about the homeless or other street people?” This seems to be the Chronicles main contribution to journalism these days. Can’t say I blame them because look at all the people that go on the website and type their hatred of poor and homeless people. The comments section is filled with prejudicied people that hate city life, often hate black people, and use the comment section to spread their hatred of their fellow poor citizens. I don’t click on the comments there because they are so vile.
    How do you propose “getting rid” of people you don’t like in this city? Is that what Jesus did? Did he take the poor and sick and outcast from society and throw them out of town because the rich and property owners were the good people?
    And yes, the Haight St. kids are very annoying. I find them more annoying than the panhandlers downtown. I guess they need to work on their sales pitch. (here’s an essay that contains an example of a good sales pitch) Yet the Haight St. kids are people too with their own stories and problems. I don’t want to banish them from society.

  59. After 16 years of living here I still shake my head in disbelief at the “progressive” idiots who excuse this kind of behavior.

  60. The first thought that came to my mind was, “jeez, the Chronicle is doing yet another fear-mongering article about the homeless or other street people?” This seems to be the Chronicles main contribution to journalism these days.
    Come on. The Chron is ridiculously supportive of the homeless — you can tell by the sheer number of articles featuring them and those in support of policies loved by advocates for the homeless. How many times have you seen an article about people banding together and helping out the homeless? Remember the numerous features about the lady outside Civic Center who used to use her kid as a pawn? People donated the money to help her get to her family on the east coast, and she came back to San Francisco with her kid to be a hobo again after a quick visit with her relatives!
    And the Chronicle is very lenient with street crime — only in the Haight St. example has that author been a bit more aggressive than the Chron usually is on these things. They could do a lot more to expose the culture of SFPD, the DA’s office, and the Board of Supervisors with respect to street crime.
    I agree that the commenters on sfgate.com are a bit ridiculous, but a lot of really ridiculous ones clearly aren’t even from San Francisco and sometimes even California. I assume they see a newspaper based in the People’s Republic of San Francisco as entertainment. But I don’t see those crazies as a reflection of the true readership, subscription base, or editorial board of the Chron at all. And certainly very few of those crazies have *ever* been to Oakland.

  61. Anon E. Mouse
    Great name.
    I too get the impression that many commentators on SFgate are out-of-towners that just want to stir the pot. Just click on any story about Oakland to get a flavor.

  62. “Marina Del Mar”? I believe you mean Corona Del Mar SFHawkguy. And as for what type of neighborhood it is, it is almost exactly like the neighborhood my parents left without the problems. It is about 30% apartments, 20% condos, and 50% single family homes on dense narrow streets with shops, restaurants and cafes within easy walking distance. Their car rarely goes out of the garage. Remember, northern Pacific Heights is very affluent, and so they were looking for a similar neighborhood to purchase a home in.
    As for this city needing drinking fountains, I guarantee you the homeless will destroy them and use them as toilets. WOULD YOU ever drink from a public drinking founatin in San Francisco? NO WAY!
    This is a real estate blog, and I truly believe the reputation that outsiders have of San Francisco is far more negative than we want to believe. There was a time many people of wealth wanted a San Francisco address, but I wonder if this is now no longer the case? I promise you these types of “petty crimes” are far more common in our “better” neighborhoods than most places I have lived.

  63. “I promise you these types of “petty crimes” are far more common in our “better” neighborhoods than most places I have lived.”
    On a dollar/sqft to street crime ratio, SF is probably worse than almost any other city. In very few other cities would people who pay that much for real estate tolerate some of the crap that happens here.

  64. I drink from San Francisco public drinking fountains all the time. What a ridiculous prejudice. Homeless people don’t use them for toilets. Give me a break.
    See, these are the petty prejudices that lead powerless people to want to screw with your property. You think of them as subhuman. If someone made it hard, or resented me, for taking water, which every person needs to survive, I would resent that person back and if I was really pissed off I may want to get back at them. It doesn’t make it right. Imo, both property owner and homeless person deserve each other in that case. If a homeless person were to drink from my faucet I would not mind. I also let people go through my recycling.

  65. Actually, the drinking fountain that used to be between the St. Francis Yacht Club near the Marina Green was destroyed, and before, when it still worked, used to smell as if people were using it as a urinal. I myself watched a man washing his clothes in it one time which created sympathy on my part, but also a mental note to never use that drinking fountain again on jogs. Who ever said anyone was subhuman? Go east of the yacht club to see the people now living out of their cars, a sad parade of clothes hung on windows to create privacy while they try to sleep. It is depressing and wrong that these conditions should exist in such a “wealthy” city. But how much can we do? We pay more than enough in taxes that our dysfunctional city government should be able to help these people.
    http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-12-16/news/the-worst-run-big-city-in-the-u-s/1
    The article above goes into detail about how we spend more than any other city on these problems and have the worst results for our money. I would be happy to pay more in taxes if I thought this govvernment was capable of providing a solution to this nightmare.

  66. “I also let people go through my recycling.”
    That’s another law I’d love to reverse. Anyone in support of a ballot proposition to stop withholding 5 cents per can to keep the bums out of our trash? Some of them are polite about it, but others leave the trash cans open or spill other items while removing the cans. I suppose the 5 cent withholding may still be necessary in other parts of the state, but in SF, there are plenty of incentives to recycle (and compost, of course). My impression is the aluminum cans get separated out at trash facilities, regardless, so maybe the 5 cents isn’t necessary in other parts of the state and just serves as a bum-friendly law.

  67. I often start my runs from Marina Green and I use that drinking fountain. I also use the toilets there. There are also the ones over by Crissy Field that are a little nicer.
    I don’t disagree that the City is poorly run. I don’t think it’s unique though. I worked for a Midwestern city water works department one summer and there was inefficiency there as well.
    Anyway, providing public drinking fountains and restrooms is a service the city should provide. Even if some abuse this. The crummiest one I stop by is the one in the panhandle. There are often sketchy people in the bathroom and it does smell around the fountain. I still use it and it is fine though.
    P.s., I had to stop at the polo fields bathroom on last weekend’s run and boy, what a nice experience that bathroom was. It was clean. But they recently took out the water fountain which is a bummer. The one at Transverse and JFK has been out of order recently as well. Coming from Lake Merced and going through the park there is about 8 miles there were I don’t have a stop.
    Thanks for the link to the SF Weekly article though. Seems like a comprehensive look at the macro picture.

  68. We pay more than enough in taxes that our dysfunctional city government should be able to help these people.
    This is not exclusively a San Francisco problem, it is statewide and even a national problem. Most suburban cities ignore their mentally ill and dump them on the urban centers.
    I agree with SFHawkguy that we need more water fountains and public restrooms. Can we at least get the BART restrooms opened back up? Can we declare victory on the phony “War on Terrah” and stop being such ninnies?

  69. BART restrooms closed!? No problem for some who find anywhere convenient instead. How many have not found that a BART station elevator IS the public restroom, as well as any out of the way corner in the station area?
    The “city that knows how” cannot even keep restrooms open because of “Terror” but the underground stations in Boston, NYC and Chicago still are?

  70. I suspect at this point the real reason they remain closed is not the ‘war on terror’ but the ‘war on spending money to maintain them’.

  71. Clearly, she is a neighbor just trying to help. A discerning aesthete, she sensed that wreath was wrong for that style of door and took matters into, ahem, her own hands. My guess is she flocking it now, and plans to replace it Christmas eve. On the other hand, a discerning aesthete wouldn’t flock anything, so my theory may be off… What would The Grinch do?

  72. “Is that what Jesus did? Did he take the poor and sick and outcast from society and throw them out of town because the rich and property owners were the good people?”
    Well…. Jesus did believe that people should act in a kindly manner and not destroy, frighten or harm others. I don’t think Jesus told the poor people to steal from the wealthy. Wasn’t that Robin Hood?
    I lived in the Haight and occasionally fed homeless people in my house. I was taught to help those who were down on their luck. But I still do not tolerate people stealing or destroying others’ property. I would not have called the police in the wreath incident, but getting the community involved is the best way. It shows everyone (not just the thief, but others who may be tempted to do something similar) that it’s just not cool to do this stuff. If truants think they can get away with something, they will. If we don’t say anything then we become enablers and encourage such behavior.
    As far as the homeless in the Haight today… the article I read mentioned that these street punks were blocking the street, demanding money. That’s pretty aggressive and very threatening. When I lived there I felt sorry for the kids who were on the street corners and sleeping in the bushes. But these aggressive punks just make me want to knock their teeth out and tell them that they have gone too far. If I lived in the Haight these days I wouldn’t invite these sorts of homeless in my home for fear that they’d attack me in my own home. Though others are still OK.
    Some homeless try their best while others run rampant. If you take a halfway passing interest in the community it’s easy enough to figure out who is “good” and who is “bad”. Just for the record I witnessed the shopkeepers helping out the homeless in little ways all the time on Haight (and in the Castro).
    I think we can show compassion where it’s needed, but we also need to call people on their thieving ways.
    If we want to improve conditions in SF and make SF a more livable city (and increase real estate values) then more people need to support this “soft” approach (for lack of a better term), where the community sets standards. If we can’t clean up our own city, then why would we expect someone else to do it?

  73. I agree with StockBoySF that we need to do a better job as a community in enforcing what is acceptable social behavior.
    This kind of thing is hardly new, btw. I used to live in The Haight and it was pretty common for street punks to block your way and demand money. One night one of them accosted me and yelled in a loud voice “Give me money!” I looked him over for a second, then stuck my face next to his and yelled “No!” much to the hilarity of his friends sleeping in a nearby doorway. My roommate, on the other hand, had the same thing happen to him and he responded by grabbing the teen accosting him and slamming him against a nearby car. His friends jumped to the kids defense and as a result my roommie had to run off. These two incidents happened in the mid-90s.
    Nevius has always been down on San Francisco and runs negative articles about the Tenderloin, Golden Gate Park, 6th Street and now Haight Street all the time. This is hardly a new thing. The guy lives in Walnut Creek and almost broke his arm patting himself on the back for his personal bravery in walking around the Tenderloin for a few hours in the daytime. Give me a break! I go get Pho there with my family all the time. Some blocks are sketchier than Larkin, it is true, but I have never had a problem in the TL and I am there often. It is too bad the Chronicle cannot get a City Beat reporter that actually lives in San Francisco. The Chron is really a suburban rag, pretending to be a Big City newspaper. One of the things that disappoints me most about San Francisco is the poor quality of the local newspaper. If we were a real World Class City we would have a World Class newspaper.

  74. I believe you mean Corona Del Mar SFHawkguy. And as for what type of neighborhood it is, it is almost exactly like the neighborhood my parents left without the problems. It is about 30% apartments, 20% condos, and 50% single family homes on dense narrow streets with shops, restaurants and cafes within easy walking distance.
    Newport Beach has pretty much nothing in common with San Francisco, other than both being expensive places to live.

  75. “Nevius has always been down on San Francisco”
    Pointing out problems is not being “down on San Francisco”. NVJ, no need to constantly defend the city and put other places down. San Francisco will do fine without your boosterisms, and it does have some very serious problems that can no longer be ignored.

  76. Perhaps you can explain to little Johnnie that that it’s okay for people to invade your privacy and steal your property so long as the dollar value is less than $___(fill in the blank)___.
    Don’t you know no one cares after the first million?
    Ah, property. I used to own…things. Now, not so much and why in for God’s sake take a wreath, which are just ugly in my book (Harper & Row).

  77. Finally spotted this woman in PH today @ jackson and fillmore. 100% her and wearing the same garb glasses and all. Was going to take a TMZ camera phone pic but my conscience got the better of me. Woman is clearly not all there.

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